If I wait any more to say all the things I want to say about this great soul-stirring movie I will never be able to say it.It is the best use of the film medium that I have seen in a long long time.Here in the west we have virtually abandoned good cinema.Where are our Capras,our Wilders, our Hitchcocks, our David Leans? We make trivia now that neither entertain nor enlighten.To put it very bluntly, we make utter trash.Good work in the world is being done elsewhere, especially in India where a Bhansali stretches the limits of cinematic expression, where a new Wilder emerges in the shape of Anees Bazmee, where Shaad Ali springs a surprise with a Bunty Aur Bubbly,where out of nowhere comes a Guru Dutt in the garb of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and takes us to a new level of awareness and self-discovery through cinema in a stunning masterpiece called Rang De Basanti.

I challenge anyone to name a film made anywhere in the last fifteen years or so to hold a candle to this one.It is simply awesome.As an entertainer it is superb, as purposeful film it goes even further.As a fearless, bold crusader for just causes it is beyond compare.The whole team deserves to be congratulated.

Apart from the tremendous contribution made by the writers and the director of the movie, the people who need to be singled out and applauded for the high quality of their work are Aamir Khan(his best role yet),Soha Ali Khan(who finally claims our attention with this role and is destined to be as distinguished as her mother Sharmila Tagore). Waheeda Rehman makes you feel that Guru Dutt is back directing her from heaven.Kirron Kher who is improving with every picture.And all the boys from Kunal Kapoor to Atul Kulkarni.All have turned in amazing performances.After Devdas and Munna Bhai MBBS, Binod Pradhan has once again shown that as an ace cameraman he is second to none.And what can you say about A.R. Rahman?This time he even sings like a pro.He is paired here for the first time with Prasoon Joshi who makes you think of Majrooh Sultanpuri.But before I forget, I must mention Alice Patten. She is a joy to behold.And she makes a great pair with Aamir.

The film does not have a single dull moment in it.It can be repeated again and again with increasing returns to the viewer.It is a crossover film and needs to be seen by every one in the world.Its publicity and promotion should be geared to that.It should be sent to every international film festival in the world and should be India's entry to the Oscars this year.

Film Review

Rang De Basanti

India Awakens

By Nidhi Kathuria

Rating *****

'Rang De Basanti' gratifies you with uncomplicated, almost melodious humor; it fills any void that Hindi films altogether may have left inside you dry. From the word 'go', this is one film that grips you one hundred percent. It is a film that every Indian should watch. The film simply flows like poetry where characters have the magical ability to bounce into different periods in time and the past and the present conjoin beautifully like a reverie. And in this moment lies the strength that transforms a common man into an uncommon man. He truly becomes an Indian. 'Rang De Basanti' is not a cliché patriotic film. And thank goodness for that! One really needed a break from J.P. Dutta and Anil Sharma brand of films. No more over the top acting, melodrama, reckless display of uncontrollable emotions and forced tear jerker deshbhakti songs. It was about time for a novel storytelling, for someone as passionate a director like Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to tell and for us to hear and see and become. The actors simply glide through with the story and the screenplay by Kamlesh Pandey, which is the USP of the film. Not to take away any credit, Aamir Khan, Atul Kulkarni, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and Siddharth really got into the skin of their characters of ones they are and ones they turn into. Even Soha Ali Khan has given her career's best and her unconventional looks proved only advantageous for the character she plays. What 'Mangal Pandey' couldn't do for Aamir Khan, 'Rang De Basanti' does and more. Madhavan in the cameo gives a true to life performance. Om Puri and Anupam Kher didn't have much to do in the script. Kirron Kher on the other hand was exemplary in her 'pucca Punjaban' character. Veteran actor Waheeda Rehman also did justice to her role. One actor who deserves a special mention is debutante Alice Payton who plays the role of Sue, a filmmaker from London, who wants to make a documentary in India called 'Young Guns of India' based on heroes of Pre-Independence era. Sue wants the boy band to don the roles of Bhagat Singh, Azad, Bismil, Rajguru etc. that only act as a baptism of fire, by virtue of which they find courage and strength that was needed when a cyclone behest their lives and demanded of them to raise their voice; a blast that could be heard by our generation, to shake their souls and have a one voice. And hence the film is beautifully titled 'Rang De Basanti'. The dialogues and lyrics by Prasoon Joshi take the film to another level. While Art Direction and Cinematography of the film almost makes you speechless. Every frame of the film is shot with precision and perfection. Needless to say, the editor has also done a super fine job. And now for the music- A.R. Rehman after the wishy- washy music of 'Mangal Pandey' completely absolves himself. A musical journey that takes you on a roller coaster ride that ends in an Awakening. Well, that's what the film hopes to achieve on some level, without being preachy or affected. Salutations to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra for giving to our generation a renewed faith and hope, for making us believe that there is a fire kindling in all of ours' souls and no matter where we are and what we do, we love our country.

The Story: A young English filmmaker, Sue (Alice Payton),arrives in Delhi to make a film on Indian revolutionaries and their struggle for independent India. She is supported in her venture by her friend Sonia (Soha Ali Khan). After grilling auditioning sessions, when Sue is almost disheartened and doubts if she will be able to find her heroes at all, she comes across DJ (Aamir Khan),Karan (Siddharth),Sukhi (Sharman Joshi),Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) and Lakshman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni) and she knows she has found what she was looking for. From sheer playfulness, the group gradually starts to feel the pathos the revolutionaries must have experienced in their battles. All these individuals have a different outlook when it comes to sentiments on Nationalism. Ajay (Madhavan) who is an Air Force and plays Sonia's fiancé is instrumental in igniting the fire in them and the events that follow, uproot their indifference towards their country and change their lives forever.

Rating Scale: * Average **Good ***Very Good****Excellent*****Outstanding

Not knowing anything about the history of India, I wouldn't know if the story within a story, that is, the sequences being filmed by Sue McKinley (Alice Patten),are historically accurate or not, but the device was an interesting one and served to contrast the difference between the youth of today and those of the 1920's. There comes a disturbing political message as well with the corruption of Indian politicians who line their pockets at the expense of military pilots who die in plane crashes as a result of defective parts. There's an awful lot of stuff being juggled around in the story, and that perhaps is the film's downside, as it takes nearly three hours to tell it's tale, and I found any number of scenes to be superfluous. As in so many Hindi films I've seen, Aamir Khan has a central role, but he didn't seem to stand out as much as in other starring vehicles, like the characters he portrayed in "Lagaan" and "3 Idiots". Funny, but the actor playing Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) reminded me an awful lot of the American actor Ron Palillo who had the role of Horshack in the Seventies sit-com 'Welcome Back, Kotter', so much so that it was a little distracting. The other thing that was distracting, and maybe because I've conditioned myself to look for it, was the ubiquitous product placement that accompanies most modern films you'll see today. In other words, do you think Coca-Cola had enough representation in the picture?