| Rang De Basanti | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Rang De Basanti |
|
| Directed by | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra |
| Produced by | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Deven Khote, Ronnie Screwvala |
| Written by | Renzil D'Silva, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra |
| Starring | Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Alice Patten, Soha Ali Khan Waheeda Rehman, Siddharth Narayan, Kunal Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni,Sharman Joshi |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Distributed by | UTV Motion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | January 26, 2006 |
| Running time | 157 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi/Urdu, Punjabi |
| Budget | Rs. 300M (estimated) |
| Official website | |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Rang De Basanti (Hindi: रंग दे बसंती, Urdu: رنگ دے بسنتی, IAST: Raṅg De Basantī; IPA: [rəŋg d̪e bəsənt̪i], translation: Paint It Saffron[1]) is an Indian film, which was released on 26th January 2006. It was directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (of Aks fame) and stars Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, British actress Alice Patten, Waheeda Rehman, Om Puri, Kiron Kher and Anupam Kher. The music is by A. R. Rahman and the album went on to become a chartbuster. The movie was well-received all over the globe. While the film was India's entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film Category, it did not make the shortlist for either ceremony. It was, however, nominated for "Best Film Not In The English Language" at the BAFTA Awards in 2006, where it lost to Pan's Labyrinth. However, Rang De Basanti won the best movie award at the 2007 Filmfare Awards.[2][3]
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Synopsis
Struggling British filmmaker Sue (Alice Patten) comes to India after she reads the diary of her grandfather, who served in the British Force during India's struggle for Independence. She plans to make a short film about some of the unsung revolutionary heroes of the Indian Independence Movement. Her friend Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) helps her find four young men to act in the film: Daljit a.k.a. DJ (Aamir Khan), Karan Singhania (Siddharth), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) and Sukhi (Sharman Joshi). They aren't enthusiastic at first, but Sue wins them over. Laxman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni), a political party activist, later joins the group -- although he is initially unpopular on account of his Hindutva beliefs and contempt for Aslam, who is a Muslim. As the young men learn more about the history of the Independence movement, they lose their cynicism and start to consider what they can contribute to society. Then Ajay, Sonia's fiancé, (Madhavan) an Indian air-force pilot, is killed when his plane crashes. The government proclaims that the crash was caused by pilot error. Sonia and her friends know that Ajay was an ace pilot and don't accept the official explanation. Instead, they claim that he sacrificed his life to save hundreds of other lives, which would have been lost had he ejected from the aircraft safely, leaving the aircraft to crash in an overcrowded area. They investigate and learn that the crash was due to a corrupt defence minister (Mohan Agashe), who had signed a contract for cheap, spurious MiG aircraft spare parts in return for a large kickback. Not content to accept this as "just the way things are done", the group decide to protest peacefully at India Gate. Police forcefully break up their protest while in which they hurt Ajay's mother (Waheeda Rehman). These young men then decide that they must emulate the early freedom fighters and resort to violence. They decided to kill the defense minister to avenge Ajay. The minister is speculated to be killed by terrorists and is considered a martyr. To bring forth the true story, the group decided to go to the public through a radio station. While the world is listening, they are all killed in the combined attack by the police and the commandos.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Aamir Khan | Daljit Singh/Chandrashekhar Azad |
| Soha Ali Khan | Sonia/Durga Vohra |
| R. Madhavan | Flt. Lt. Ajay Singh Rathod |
| Siddharth Narayan | Karan Singhania/Bhagat Singh |
| Alice Patten | Sue McKinley |
| Kunal Kapoor | Aslam/Ashfaqulla Khan |
| Atul Kulkarni | Laxman Pandey/Ram Prasad Bismil |
| Sharman Joshi | Sukhi/Rajguru |
| Steven Mackintosh | Mr. McKinley |
| Kirron Kher | Mitro |
| Anupam Kher | Rajnath Singhania |
| Om Puri | Amanullah Khan |
| Mohan Agashe | Defence Minister |
| Waheeda Rehman | Ajay's mother |
| Cyrus Sahukar | Rohan |
Reception
Rang De Basanti was hailed by most critics in India as the best film produced in recent years. The film was praised for having a storyline of depth, sensitive performances by the ensemble cast and terrific dialogues. Many already viewed the film as the best of the year in spite of it releasing in January. The film was also seen as sparking a new fervour among the Indian youth to learn about India's freedom struggle. It has also arguably been responsible in encouraging mass protests against unfair trials as seen in the Jessica Lall case. As such the film is considered to be a recent landmark in Indian cinema. The film also won the Best Entertainer award for the National Film Awards 2005-2006 held in 2007.
Box office
In India, the total box office receipts were Rs. 51.07 crores, or 510.7 million rupees. It was one of the most successful Indian movies in 2006.[4] The film has made almost $9 million at box offices overseas.[5] Its total worldwide gross was $29.2 million (Rs. 120 crores, or 1.2 billion rupees),[6] making it one of the highest grossing Indian films of 2006.
Trivia
- The movie is said to have inspired some real-life protests, such as the protest against the acquittal of the alleged culprits in the Jessica Lall murder case and the 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests.
- The film is based on the story of Flight Lieutenant Abhijit Gadgil who died in a MiG-21 training exercise on September 17, 2001. The Indian Air Force claimed the accident took place on account of human error. But, after investigations, it was concluded that the problem lay in the MIG-21. Abhijit's mother Kavita Gadgil has since started the Abhijit Air Safety Foundation.
- The film was to be made both in Hindi and English versions, with the latter version titled Paint It Yellow. The plans for the English version were dropped subsequently.
- Rang De Basanti is the first film to be shot in the Golden Temple in 15 years, as previously, shooting was not allowed.
- The four friends in this film, DJ, Aslam, Karan and Sukhi are all from different religions — DJ - Sikh, Karan - Hindu, Aslam -Muslim, Sukhi - Parsi.
- Alice Patten is the youngest daughter of Christopher Patten -- the last colonial governor of Hong Kong before its handover back to China. [7]
- There are cameos in this film from model Mandira Singh and British born director Mousir Syed.
- The All India Radio (AIR) building shown in the movie is actually Modern High School, Barakhamba Road in New Delhi.
- The scene in which the male cast jumps to the sky with the plane overhead is said to be inspired by the 1992 film, Deewana, in which Shah Rukh Khan and his friends do a similar sequence in the song "Pyar Karne Wala". Similar sequences also appear in Pushing Tin.
- Shahid Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan were offered the role of Karan Singhania portrayed by Siddharth in the film.
- Shah Rukh Khan was originally offered the role of Ajay Singh portrayed by Madhavan, but refused.
- The movie was released on January 26, 2006, which is Republic Day in India.
Quotes
- DJ (Aamir Khan): "ज़िंदगी जीने के सिर्फ़ दो ही तरीके होते हैं । एक, जो हो रहा है होने दो, बरदाश्त करते जाओ । या फिर ज़िम्मेदारी उठाओ उसे बदलने की।"
- DJ/Chandrashekhar Azad (Aamir Khan): "अब भी जिसका खून न खौला खून नही वो पानी है, जो देश के काम न आए वो बेकार जवानी है।"
- English: "If yet your blood does not rage, then it is water that flows in your veins. For what is the flush of youth, if it is not of service to the motherland."
- McKinley (Steven Mackintosh): "I always believed there were two kinds of men in this world; men who go to their deaths screaming; and men who go to their deaths in silence. And then I met the third kind..."
- Ajay Rathod (R. Madhavan): "कोई भी देश परफेक्ट नही होता। उसे परफेक्ट बनाना पड़ता है।"
- English: "No country is perfect. You have to make it better."
Controversies
- The film had drawn the ire of some Shiv Sena supporters for its depiction of a Hindu fundamentalist.
- The film is critical of the Indian government, and touches on some recent political scandals.[8] Indian films must be cleared by a censor board before they can be shown, and the production crew worried that the film might not pass the censors. They invited Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to a private screening of the newly-finished film in hopes of forestalling a crisis. The film was cleared; whether or not the screening had anything to do with it is unclear.
- Some scenes had to be removed from the movie after animal rights activist and Lok Sabha MP Maneka Gandhi protested. The scenes had been filmed before the production had applied for and received the necessary permission from Animal Welfare Board of India (of which she is president). However, the photo of that scene, where Aamir Khan rides on a decorated horse was nowhere questioned.
Soundtrack
| Rang De Basanti | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Soundtrack by A.R. Rahman | |||||
| Released | 2006 | ||||
| Recorded | Unknown | ||||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 44:00 | ||||
| Label | Sony BMG | ||||
| Producer | A.R. Rahman | ||||
| A.R. Rahman chronology | |||||
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The music is composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics for the songs are written by Prasoon Joshi.
- "Ik Onkar" (Harshdeep Kaur) – 1:28
- "Rang De Basanti" (Daler Mehndi, Chitra) – 6:03
- "Paath Shaala" (Naresh Iyer, Mohamed Aslam) – 3:40
- "Tu Bin Bataye" (Naresh Iyer, Madhushree) – 5:57
- "Khalbali" (A. R. Rahman, Mohamed Aslam, Nasim) – 6:19
- "Khoon Chala" (Mohit Chauhan) – 3:09
- "Paath Shaala (Be A Rebel)" (Blaaze, Naresh Iyer, Mohamed Aslam) – 3:09
- "Luka Chuppi" (Lata Mangeshkar, A. R. Rahman) – 6:36
- "Lalkaar" (Aamir Khan) – 2:56
- "Roobaroo" (A. R. Rahman, Naresh Iyer) – 4:43
Awards
Rang De Basanti won many awards at the major award ceremonies. It was the most critically acclaimed movie of the year. The awards it won (in bold) and were nominated for are listed below:
2007 Filmfare Awards
- Best Movie
- Best Director - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
- Best Music Director - A.R. Rahman
- Critics Best Performance - Male - Aamir Khan
- Best Editing - P.S. Bharati
- Best Cinematography - Binod Pradhan
- RD Burman Award for New Music Talent - Naresh Iyer
- Best Actor - Aamir Khan
- Best Supporting Actor - Siddharth
- Best Supporting Actor - Kunal Kapoor
- Best Supporting Actress - Soha Ali Khan
2007 Star Screen Awards
- Best Director - Rakeysh Omprakesh Mehra
- Best Supporting Actress - Kirron Kher
- Most Promising Newcomer - Male - Siddharth
- Best Background Music - A.R. Rahman
- Star Screen Award Best Screenplay - Rensil D'Silva and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
- Star Screen Award Best Editing - P.S. Bharati
- Star Screen Award Best Special Effects - Tata Elxsi
2007 Stardust Awards
- Breakthrough Performance Award (Male) - Kunal Kapoor
2007 GIFA Awards
- GIFA Best Director - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
- GIFA Best Supporting Actress - Soha Ali Khan
- GIFA Best Music Director - A. R. Rahman
- GIFA Best Background Music - A. R. Rahman
- GIFA Best Screenplay - Rensil D'Silva and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
- GIFA Best Editing - P. S. Bharti
- GIFA Best Art Director - Sameer Chanda
2007 Zee Cine Awards
- Best Movie
- Best Director - Rakesyh Omprakash Mehra
- Best Music Director - A. R. Rahman
- Best Cinematography - Binod Pradhan
- Best Editing - P. S. Bharti
- Best Lyrics - Prasoon Joshi
- Zenith Power Team Award
2007 IIFA Awards
- Best Film Editing - PS Bharati
- Best Cinematographer - Binod Pradhan
- Best Movie - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra & Ronnie Screwalia
- Best Supporting Actress - Soha Ali Khan[1]
- Best Supporting Actor - Sharman Joshi
- Best Director - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
- Best Actor - Aamir Khan
See also
External links
- The Official Site
- Rang De Basanti at the Internet Movie Database
- "RDB creates first week record"
- Rang De nominated for BAFTA awards
- Rang De Basanti at SPICE
- Rang De Basanti
Reviews
Notes
- ^ Rang De Basanti review - BBC
- ^ The Financial Express: RDB too ‘foreign’ for Oscars
- ^ Variety: Award central - Foreign Oscar list down to nine
- ^ Box Office 2006, Box Office India
- ^ "Roobaroo-ing All the Way to London", Nirali Magazine
- ^ Rang De Basanti, The Numbers.
- ^ Alice Patten interview on Rang De Basanti in BBC
- ^ South Asia Tribune interview
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Black ब्लैक |
Filmfare Best Movie Award 2006 |
Succeeded by TBA |
 Bollywood |
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