Rang De Basanti...a generation awakened
And atlast the most anticipated day in 2006 for the Indian film industry arrived...well, 6 days later than that was announced before. I had the good fortune of watching the movie First Day First Show itself(as usual), before anyone spilling any beans and spoling our surprise. And, what an xperience it was. Truly an amazing and mature work. INSPIRING...to describe in one word...
The Characters and the story
Now lets get on to what this is all about. Am not gonna reveal the storyline here, just a quick outline.Sue Mc Kinley(Alice Patten) comes to India to make a documentary on India's freedom fighters based on the diary written by her grandfather.She embarks on auditioning with her friend sonia (Soha Ali Khan). Atlast she finds the perfect characters in DJ (Aamir Khan), Karan (Siddarth), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) and Sukhi (Sharman Joshi), a group of four buddies who live like there is no tomorrow. DJ, has passed out of the university five years back is reluctant to leave because there he gets a lot of respect and love.He thinks he'll lose his identity once he gets out of there. Karan is the son of a bureaucrat, Singhania (Anupam Kher), who supplies defense material to the government. He does not get along well with his father. Sukhi is the funny kid of the gang. Aslam comes from a conservative muslim family which belives that they should keep company with people of their religion only. But the modern thinker that he is, Aslam refuses to toe their line. He is the thinker and romantic of the group. Sonia is a modern girl who has ideals of her own. She's in love with Ajay (Madhavan), a pilot with the IAF. Ajay is a determined young guy who wants to do his might for the country.

The most notable thing about this flick is that all the actors, even the small ones included, fits really well into the characters. The term 'fits' would be an understatement. Its like no other person can play a particular role than the one doing it. Also, contrary to the grapevine, Aamir doesn't hog all the limelight. Equal screen space is given to everyone. Sidharth's acting requires special mention. He matches and sometimes even surpasses Aamir Khan in acting. The intensity that Atul Kulkarni brings to the screen is also notable. Soha Ali Khan really surprised me with her performance. I never thought she could do it so naturally. SharmanJoshi endears himself to the audience with his humour in the first half,but in the second half we get to see a completely different face of him. Kunal Kapoor is sure to get a lot of female fans after his role of Aslam.

Now coming to the movie, Kudos to Rakeysh for giving India the perfect Republuic Day gift. A film straight from his heart, that it inspires the youth of today to do something for the sorry state of our country. Its heartening to note that he doesn't advocate violence as the only way out. Other practical ways like becoming an IAS officer or a politician can be followed if you want to contribute ur mite to the upliftment of this country. Also the usual jingoistic flavour is absent from this flick

RDB has many poignant moments, moments that may result in tears jelling in your eyes. And the background score goes a long way in giving that dramatic effect to the scenes. The top notch screenplay deserves special mention. The climax of the movie is the best I have seen in years. Watching the build up to the climax, I feared of the usual masala mixup, which would have spoiled the effect of the movie. But they did it impeccably well, infact it is one of the highlights of the movie. Watchout for Sidharth's performance in the climax, cool and composed.

Dialogues
They are just amazing stuff. There were a number of dialogues which made the audience break into immediate applause. ''kisi bhi desh perfect nahin hoti....use behtar banaayi jaati hai''...How true....Then the now famous Aamir dialogue in the climax- ''Zindagi jeene ki do tareeke hai''...Another notable one is when Aamir bribes a cop, Sue asks ''is that a bribe'' and Karan says ''welcome to India, Sue''. Aamir Khan breaking into a song everytime he sees Sue ''Suekar mere man ko, Kiya tu ne kya ishaara'' is a nice nod to the popular song of yesteryears.My fav dialogue from the movie is - ''We have one leg on the past and one leg on the future, and we are peeing on the present''.

SONGS and PICTURISATION
A.R.Rahman's brilliant score is also a star of the film, as important as Aamir Khan(or more important). A.R.Rahman got a bigger cheer than anyone else(aamir included) when the opening credits rolled in. First song is 'Lose control' and it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. A youthful song with rocking guitars and really coool n hip lyrics- 'apni to paathshala' simply rocks. Then there is the prayer 'Ik Onkar' with fresh and soothing vocals by Harshdeep Kaur. Just when it fades out, the title track zooms in. Energetic vocals by Daler Mehndi lifts u up from ur seats. This is the only fully picturised song in the film.
'Paathshala- Be a rebel' serves as a background to one of my favourite shots from the movie. It shows the protagonists in a gypsy going around the India Gate. They all stand and salute India gate as the gypsy moves on.
The arabic 'Khalbali' is also like a background song. The scene of them jumping into the water is thoroughly enjoyable, especially their facial expressions. 'Tu Bin Bataye' is the song which accompanies Ajay proposes to Sonia. It is tastefully picturised. It also has visuals of the blossoming romance between DJ and Sue. The 2 romantic pairs and their friends together in this song is a treat to watch.
'Lukka Chuppi' is a really touching song. The lyrics and the soulful singing by ARR and Lataji melts your heart. I almost cried when that song came.'Khoon Chala' is one of the best picturised songs in the movie. It serves as a background when police beats up the peaceful protestors. The tension in the bloody scenes that follow is complemented by this song. Watchout for the scene when the words 'khooon Chala' reaches a crescendo towards the end. Amazingggg.....
'Lalkaar' is an inspiring war cry. Aamir Khan's vocals are perfect and Atul Kulkarni emotes well when he mouths those words on screen.'Roobaroo' is the song at the climax. I was wondering where they would fit this song. I cudn't believe my ears when that song was played at the climax. What a perfect setting for the song. If I say anything more about this song, I may accidently reveal the climax. Such was the perfection with which the song jelled to the situation.

BGMs
Atlast, about the BGMs. Well, the film begins with a new version of Khalbali. I am still wondering how he changed that song so much. Because of the constant clapping and whistling, I cudn't actually catch the nuances of this song. Next is a thumping BGM played on Rock guitar. It accompanies a scene of the revolutionaries being brought to be sentenced to death.Then, there is the main theme which is played on a trumpet(am not sure). It comes many times in the movie. Towards the climax, Rahmanji himself chants the tune. I assure u that u'll be thrilled to bits when u hear that. Another notable piece is the rock guitar theme which comes when Aamir and Maddy goes on a crazy bike ride after the Lose control song. More BGMs are there, but I cudn't describe them without revealing some of the most important elements of the plot. Overall, the BGMs are one of the best from Rahman.

Rang De Basanti is an eye opener for the youth of India. i would rate it 10 out of 5. Way to go, Rakeysh...we expect a lot more from u....

Thus 2006 starts with a bang for Bollywood. Its not often that u see such a refreshing story. Coupled with that, the movie is on its way to become on of the biggests hits ever. There are positive reviews all around. Now, that doesn't happen everyday in the masala dominated Bollywood.

with love, Your crusader, Praveen