3. • Aamir Khan as Daljit 'DJ' / Chandrashekhar Azad
• Siddharth as Karan R. Singhania / Bhagat Singh
• Atul Kulkarni as Laxman Pandey / Ramprasad Bismil
• Kunal Kapoor as Aslam / Ashfaqullah Khan
• Sharman Joshi as Sukhi / Rajguru
• Alice Patten as Sue McKinley
• Soha Ali Khan as Sonia / Durga Bhabhi / Durgawati Devi
• Steven Mackintosh as Mr. McKinley
• R. Madhavan as Flight Lt. Ajay Rathod
• Waheeda Rehman as Ajay's mother Mrs. Rathod
• Anupam Kher as Rajnath Singhania, Karan's father
• Kiron Kher as Mitro, DJ's mother
• Om Puri as Amanullah Khan, Aslam's father
• Lekh Tandon as DJ's grandfather
• Cyrus Sahukar as Rahul (Radio Jockey)
• Mohan Agashe as Defence Minister Shastri
CAST
4. INTRODUCTIONSome people say history is boring But sometimes
walking through the. "lanes of the past can be
enjoyable and gratifying Rang De Basanti”.is a typical
and awe-inspiring. It is not a patriotic film that bores
you by glorifying the past.
It meticulously draws a line between the past and the
present both of which move in parallel lines If the
past shows a group of young martyrs sacrificing their
lives to uproot the British from the, -country the
present has a bunch of college pass outs clueless
about their future
5. The film records their transition while they work
on a documentary film based on the lives of
freedom fighters a gradual awakening to what
life around them is all about
If Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev fought against
British rule these youngsters wage a war against
corrupt politicians who rule and ruin the
country
6. ‘A beginning has to be made somewhere,’ exhorts Karan Singhania
(Siddharth), one of the protagonists in the film Rang De Basanti to the
youth of the country from All India Radio after he with his friends seize
it in a guerilla style action. Before falling to the bullets of the police
along with his four comrades- Sukhi (Sharman Joshi), DJ (Aamir Khan),
Aslam (Kunal Kapoor), Pandey (Atul Kulkarni), he makes an impassioned
and forceful appeal. However, their death is not an end, it is just a
beginning. In their death, they illuminate the path of revolt and defiance
that cut through the darkness of gloom, apathy and insensitivity.
7. Every movement in history demands its quota of commitment and
sacrifice. Without the indomitable spirit and immense courage shown
by a few outstanding individuals it cannot inspire the social conscience
of the generation. The film seeks to do the same. The film is about the
self-journey of the six college students who transform themselves
through engagement with history from being fun seeking wayward
youth to persons who raise the banner of revolt and sacrifice their lives
in the process.
The film is built on the premise that today’s generation is grappling with
their existentialist dilemmas trying to find a meaning and purpose in life.
The old value system is in the process of either transformation or
coming in conflict with the new one. There occurs a conflict between
the instinctive rebellious nature of students and the stifling prescribed
social norms.
8. The cultural explosion has brought new ideas from the West, which is
understood to be dangerous and threatening by certain social and
political forces. There is a merging of cross-cultural trends and the youth
are embracing what is ‘radical’ and chic ? Fearful of this fact the
authoritarian institutions like the state and family are trying to control
the young deviant population from its influence. The scene when
Hindutuva activist, Pandey disrupts the dance party of the students in
the order to stop them from getting influenced from the culture of the
west, reflects the dilemma of our time. Do the westernised youth have
no sense of belonging to the nation as Pandey cries hoarsely in the film?
When the saffronites debunk them as followers of an alien culture, they
distort the very concept of what is our own. In the name of reclaiming
the so-called golden past, they want to transport us back to old feudal
times. Are the youth to be blamed for this? The film tells us the youth of
today desires change but are caught in their own personal crisis and are
unwilling to stake their career for it. They also do not find any worthy
cause in fighting for a society fatalistic and unresponsive to change. The
central protagonists of the film are the product of this time.
9. They want to live in an isolated world of the world of their own making. The
isolation breeds apathy and apathy turns into cynicism and self-estrangement.
All of them have their own set of problems. If Siddharth’s problems arise due to
affluence, DJ is afraid to be absorbed and assimilated into the system, Sukhi
does not want to die a virgin while Aslam is grappling with his identity which
seems to be something larger than himself.
Even though there is an acute realisation in them of the signs of an all
pervading decay and dehumanisation, they feel helpless and powerless
to intervene and affect any change. For an individual is set against a
corrupt system rotten to the core and which can easily crush and absorb
any form of protest. Politics is seen to be manipulative and corruption-
ridden. ‘Sacrifice for the corrupt system’, retorts Karan questioning the
absurdity of the idea. Earlier in the film, the audition test taken by
British the female protagonist, Sue, who comes to India to make
documentary film on freedom fighters, unable to find actors who can
enact the role of the revolutionaries with depth and conviction. The film
suggests there is little awareness and appreciation by today’s youth for
the glorious chapter of the armed struggle led by revolutionaries against
British colonialism.
10. It is while enacting the lives of revolutionaries that the protagonists of the film
undergo a gradual change in their outlook but the hour of reckoning comes when
their peaceful movement demanding justice for their friend, an air force pilot who
dies in the MIG plane crash, is crushed with ruthless ferocity by the state. Now
they are exposed to the authoritarian side of the socio- political historical forces
working against the interest of the country and the people. Disillusioned with the
fact that the unjust system will never provide justice to their martyred friend, they
seek justice themselves by annihilating the Defence Minister who is involved in
corrupt deals in the purchase of faulty parts of MIG and so is directly responsible
for the death of their friend. They finally seize AIR to publicise their viewpoints and
to make the deaf hear.
If the protagonists are the personification of the revolutionaries, the question
here arises is this what Bhagat Singh would have done if he had been alive
today as the film attempts to argue. In all probability, no. Bhagat Singh became
convinced towards the end of his life that only by relying on the masses can
one bring about a revolutionary transformation in our society. For him, armed
struggle must be accompanied with mass struggle in order to be popular and
successful. While Rang de Basanti does not go beyond the official
historiography when it comes to the portrayal of Bhagat Singh (as his
contribution goes much beyond the image of a firebrand revolutionary who
shot dead Saunders and threw bombs in the Assembly Hall).
11. It is despite these limitations that Rang De Basanti is
infused with refreshing frankness rarely seen in Hindi
cinema, a film that celebrates the death defying spirit
and courage of the youth for a cause. Against leading a
life of an isolated, disembodied individuals Rang De
Basanti stresses the realisation of the critical faculty
that questions the existing state of affairs. It seems that
the message of the film has gone down well
considering the huge number of people particularly the
youth flocking the cinema hall. It not only has a
breathtaking epic sweep of the history of our freedom
struggle but it also makes it relevant for the present
generation by connecting the past with the present. Its
message appears quite authentic and convincing, why?
Because the image of reality that Rang De Basanti
offers mirrors the political reality of India, where
corruption, communalisation and criminalisation have
become part and parcel of the Indian political system.
12. It is, indeed, difficult to imagine that a film on such a politically engaging
cinema that sees things from a socio-historical perspective coming out of
the dream factory in Mumbai. One must not forget that within the genre of
commercial cinema, which primarily operates under the dictates of market
and the benevolent gaze of the state, Rakesh Mehra has made a thought-
provoking, meaningful and compelling film. Why does it look so youthful
and fresh? What makes its appeal so contemporary? Do the youth who
sacrifice their lives in the film reflect the voices of conscience or those who
have gone astray? Is it not due to Rang De Basanti that the youth are
debating their own commitment to the country? Hindi cinema which of late
has been portraying the super rich or the gangsters as the heroes and
catering to the public with dispirited pastiche, Rang De Basanti goes against
the established convention by creating a work of art which is truly original
and most importantly portrays Bhagat Singh as a role model for today’s
generation.
The film does not treat the issues superficially but raises thematic
concerns and poses topical questions about the direction in which the
country is moving. It compels us to think and debate.
13. The film talks about Bhagat Singh but not of his politics. Was it because Bhagat
Singh talked about the reorganisation of the polity along Marxian lines? The
film’s philosophy could be summed up in the lines of Karan when he addresses
the youth of the country in the climax, ‘no country is perfect, it has to be made
perfect… we will join the police force, army, will become IAS officers to change
its course of direction...’ These ideas reflect a middle class perception and
idealism of bringing out reforms in the country; it addresses the symptoms and
effects not the diseases. As an individualist approach to social, moral and
political questions of our times, it conflicts with the ideology of Bhagat Singh
and his comrades.
In the brilliantly written pamphlet ‘The philosophy of bomb’, Bhagwati Charan
and Chandra Shekhar Azad wrote in consultation with Bhagat Singh ‘… (This)
revolution will not only express itself in the form of an armed conflict between
the foreign government and its supporters and the people, it will also usher in
a new social order. The revolution will ring the death knell of Capitalism and
class distinctions and privileges. It will bring joy and prosperity to the starving
millions who are seething under the terrible yoke of both foreign and Indian
exploitation’.
14. Rang De Basanti, however, does what no other films based on the life of Bhagat
Singh were able to achieve. At the time when youth of the country is, groping for
answers in the dark it explodes at the centre stage to provide the link between the
white colonial masters who bear similar class character with the present rule of
brown sahibs who are enacting various traitorous policies in pursuit of their naked
self-interest. With the history of India’s revolutionary movement told in
background it does not crudely play up patriotic sentiments. Without sounding too
pedantic and didactic, it managed successfully to reach the vast heterogeneous
masses and the youth. The historical events interspersed in the film are used as a
metaphor to highlight the uncompromising struggle of the revolutionaries against
British imperialism. The director skillfully incorporates elements of documentary
realism to narrate the historical events at the same time locating the protagonists
in the present time. In doing so, it offloads the baggage of an historical film in the
minds of the viewer to impart a contemporary ring. Thus, it transcends the limits
of representation imposed by the genre of period films. Very few films in the
recent time has reflected upon the prevailing mood in the country so effectively
and poignantly and at the same time conveying a deep-rooted political message.
Certainly the film has led to a renewed interested about the lives of
revolutionaries heroes, particular Bhagat Singh whose 100th birth anniversary will
be observed this year, among the youth. However, the film is not without its own
high and low.
15. Though Rang De Basanti reflects youth frustration and total disenchantment
with the present discredited system, in effect espousing the aspiration of the
struggling masses, however, without any connection with the masses and
subscribing to no political ideology and programme, the alternative could only
be vague and utopian. The political objective of this group is not revolution but
seeking retribution and justice, it remains at best an anarchist militant action
of which Bhagat Singh himself noted, ‘let me announce with all the strength at
my command, that I am not a terrorist and I never was, except perhaps in the
beginning of my revolutionary career. And I am convinced that we cannot get
anything through these methods ... I do not mean that bombs and pistols are
useless, rather the contrary. But I mean to say that mere bomb-throwing is not
only useless but sometimes harmful. The military department of the party
should always keep ready all the war-material at its command for any
emergency. It should back the political work of the party. It cannot and should
not act independently...’ While it is true such type of armed action does inspire
people and strengthen the morale of the oppressed fighting a brutal state. But
without a political agenda and goal it can easily be dispersed and hence cannot
provide any theoretical frame work for arriving at the correct strategy and
tactics for revolution.
16. The film though it highlights the need to follow the path laid by Bhagat Singh and his
comrades but it fails to connect it with the ideals and political vision of the revolutionaries.
The film merely touches the political significance of the slogan-Inquilab Zindabad-(Long live
revolution) popularised by Bhagat Singh, but does not elaborate it. Equally, a notable
omission was another important slogan Samrajyawad Murdabad, Down with Imperialism.
Shiv Verma, one of the co-accused along with Bhagat Singh in the Lahore Conspiracy Case
has written: Inquilab Zindabad represented the outlook that - the revolutionary movement
will not stop at the achievement of freedom; it will continue till the system which permits
the exploitation of man by man and of a nation by nation, is abolished and a basic change
in the socio-economic structure of the society is brought about. Samrajyawad Murdabad
indicated the immediate task at hand. A slave nation cannot establish a classless society,
abolish exploitation and bring about equality amongst men. For such a nation, the first and
foremost task is to break the chains of imperialist domination that bind it. In other words,
revolution in a slave country has to be anti-imperialist and anti-colonial. The credit however
goes to the director for highlighting the contribution of Ashfaqullah Khan that was
rendered invisible in earlier films like ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’, directed by Raj kumar
Santoshi. Ashfaqullah Khan becomes a mascot for highlighting the secular character of the
revolutionary movement and therefore apart of our common heritage. The Hindu right-
wingers also stand exposed in the film, they are implicated in the corrupt defence deals and
when are questioned, they crush the dissent with an iron hand. The film tries to establish
the difference between a terrorist and a revolutionary
17. Earlier in the film, Ram Prasad Bismil asks the British officer not to call them
‘Fasadies’ (troublemakers) because they are revolutionaries. Similarly, in the
present context it is the state and their apologists who dub the fighting masses as
terrorist.. Karan in a reply to a question enunciates how a revolutionary is
different from a terrorist, while a terrorist kills innocents, revolutionaries go for
selective and targeted killing of a hated oppressor. They also believe in using
diverse form of struggle like taking the fight to the court and turning it into a
platform to propagate revolutionary ideas
The images from history, distinguished by their sepia tone, acquire a new meaning
and political connotation in the film. History becomes a reference point to develop
strategies for the future. The legacy of revolution has to be carried forward to fight
new forms of oppression and injustice. The transposition of the image of General
Dwyer, the butcher of Jallianwala Bagh, with the Defence Minister symbolising
today’s corrupt ministers. It articulates a viewpoint that the country-selling,
traitorous political class is no different from the British colonialist. In essence,
freedom is meant for the rich and powerful, although the film does not say this in
clear terms. By juxtaposing the images of revolutionaries eliminating the British
Police officer, Saunders, with the students carrying out a similar kind of militant
action against the Defence minister, the film justifies it as a legitimate form of the
struggle since the socio-political climate remains more or less the same even
today.
18. he film explores the widespread malaise that has set in society and
delivers its moral indictment against the value system that makes the
youth withdraw into utter irrelevancy, passivity and social conformism.
It seeks to break them away from their disengagement in taking up a
social role and making a unique contribution towards society. As a
notion of contributing to society cannot flow without conviction and
commitment and that requires a vision, it rediscovers the relevance of
revolutionaries, who lived and died to make India free. As DJ says,’
remain a mute witness or take up the responsibility to change the order
of things’. What it meant here by being responsible and constructive?
Karan supplies the answers, ‘We will join the police, army or become
IAS…the political system to change the existing affairs of the society’.
This does not mean rocking the boat. Therefore, the prescription is
making the system better by infusing new blood. Change within the
realm of individual consciousness in order to transform the objective
reality. Does active engagement in society’s affairs mean perpetuating
the status-quo? The students are fighting a repressive apparatus and at
the same time giving sermons that ultimately sanctify it.
19. However, one must note that the film does manage successfully to weaken and
expose certain aspects of the dehumanising and repressive character of the
system. It teaches us resistance to tyranny. The final confrontation, when the
socially awakened youth meet a cruel end at the hands of Indian state, marks a
departure from the conventional ending as prevalent in mainstream Hindi cinema.
The film also attempts to interrogate the nature of both revolutionary violence
and state violence. The state, which has a monopoly over the use of violence, does
so in the name of national interest to camouflage their vested interests. In
contrast, revolutionaries employ violence as a means to transform society. The
students had to die for daring to dream and daring to fight. The killing of unarmed
students, who actually wanted to surrender, evokes a sense of outrage and all
round condemnation among the students, marking a birth of new radicalism. Their
death does not go in vain, as it is the youth who delivers the final verdict
demanding the end of the regime based on injustice. Today when our land, water,
and forests are under threat by the profit driven, rapacious TNCs, the new avatar
of the East India Company it is time to remember Bhagat Singh. In this context,
Rang De Basanti plays an important ideological role in fuelling a renewed interest
in his legacy, particularly among the youth. Though the film presents a populist
image of the revolutionaries without locating them in their ideological mooring, it
exposes the inhumanity of the existing order and its political message therefore
should not get lost.
20. The movie basically target the youth audience Youths have to take
initiative to do a right job and to oppose the wrong doing The basic
mantra is YOUTH CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
.
The movie has created awareness among the common people People
has wants to know about their social interest and betterment of the
society
,
The movie tells that we should be loyal to our nation first the family
comes second Hence we should be honest to our organisation
21. The movie explains that we should not take any decision at one stake
The whole situation has to be analyzed first and depending on that the
decision has to be taken..
We should not under estimate ourselves If the person decide that he
has to do certain work there is no other reason he can t perform it
It tells that a person can t change the system single handedly Only he
can try to make changes for the betterment of the sysytem
it also tells that to become an efficient manager we must become an
efficient leader first and have the capability of to convince others and
take brave decisions
22. The movie sets a best example of team work It tells that we
can achieve the desired goal efficiently working as a team
Hence RANG DE BASANTI sets a good example of leadership
team work quality…
It expresses that the development of any nation depends on
the YOUTH on the youth of that nation Similarly for the
betterment of any organisation the employee should keep the
company as its first priority The family and the relations are
secondary
