Consider this a (very) belated review of Rang De Basanti. This was originally submitted to Rediff as a reader review, but they didn't like it I guess. It's their loss. :) This is a modified version of the review I submitted :
There are two kinds of movies in this world : movies that are crap and movies you enjoy. On Saturday, January 28, 2006, I watched a third kind. You see, some movies are special. And RDB has a special characteristic that very few movies possess : it messes with your head. My friend who accompanied me to the movie was reminded of how The Matrix messed with his head, back in 1999. Mind you, it's no mean feat for a movie to mess with your head. I will not hunt through the thesaurus to look for alternatives of “terrific”. Rang De Basanti is actually too good to be worthy of praise, it’s simply good – that’s it!
After watching it for the first time, I just couldn’t get it out of my system. The whole concept amazed me to no end. Even now, my mind just boggles at the thought of the movie. At the thought of a particular scene depicting the camaraderie or serious discussions between the friends (“ik pair past mein, te ik pair future mein, tabhi toh hum aaj pe moot rahe hain”). At the thought of the ending, I mean what the hell was that!! It's haunting me in an indescribable manner; I’m not sure if I want to be inspired by the movie or heap praise over the way it’s been made. Cricket boggling the mind is still bearable and forgivable (e.g. dramatic results in the India VS. Pakistan ODI in Karachi, 2004 or the India VS. Australia Test in Kolkata, 2001). But for a movie to have such an effect on me was a first.
And now for a snippet of the current Bollywood situation. There’s no doubt that Bollywood is churning out loads and loads of crap these days. It’s become even more evident in the wake of competition in the recent years. That’s another thing I don’t understand. Competition is supposed to raise the standard of quality; things don’t quite work that way in Bollywood. The Bollywood industry provides its audience with all genres of movies. But what’s the point if the viewer is left to decide which the lesser of the pathetic crap is. It’s pretty much a lose-lose situation for the Indian movie-goer. RDB is a refreshing change, a world apart from the rest of contemporary Indian cinema. It’s commercial, and yet very meaningful.
Back to RDB then. And its most talked-about aspect : the ending. Should they have killed the Defense Minister, and more importantly, did all of them have to die at the end? (If you didn’t know this, then you haven’t watched the movie. Shame on you!! But it’s OK. I believe in forgiveness, and you can redeem yourself by buying tickets for the next show or even renting the DVD). Should they have killed the Defense Minister? It was probably a very drastic move, an extremist decision. I think it just signifies that circumstances are so pathetic in India right now that it requires such drastic measures to repair the system. But, according to my friend, there is a silver lining to people’s dislike for the ending. At least, there are people who realize that killing a minister might not be the right way to change the system, that there are non-violent and less drastic solutions to cleaning the system (you might want to check out Yuva which deals with a similar issue).
Of course, there are also aspects of RDB which are pretty flawless. I don’t think I’ve met anyone so far who hasn’t enjoyed the first half. The amazing thing is that all different aspects like the performances, music (including the superb background music – should be sold as a separate CD) and the dialogues seem to gel together perfectly.
I’m not sure if RDB has inspired me to do something about the Indian system or made me a more patriotic person. But it was one hell of a movie experience! And to all of you so-called Bollywood producers, directors, writers (etc. etc.) : kuchh seekho, picture aise banaate hain . . . .
Recommended song (Hindi) : Aa chal doob ke dekhe (Sunset Point)
http://www.raaga.com/channels/hindi/movie/V000168.html
Gulzar is probably the only lyricist who can pull this one off. He will definitely feature more often in my "recommended song" section in the future.
Aa chal doob ke dekhe
Ek do chaand se kude
. . . .
Arre, chal jebein bharle taaron se
Daane chhitkaate chalein
Arre, chal muffler pehenke baadal ke
Baarish barsaate chalein
Kuchh aisa karein jo hua nahin
Jo hua nahin woh karein
If you like this kinda music, check out the other songs of this album. Some are quite nice.
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3 comments:
To quote you... "Bakwaas!"
I agree that RDB is a good movie, but it doesn't deserve to be put on the pedastal like you infer.
As you mentioned at the end of your post, I think Yuva was a much better film with a more meaningful and achievable steps towards addressing the ills of society.
What RDB says goes something like this: I'm using the alphabet to detail the characters as I can't remember their names.. :D
A: I am so depressed. My husband is dead. I have never really cared much about the fate of our pilots before this, but now my husband is dead. Death to the Minister!
B: Yes! What can we do? We made a lame protest with candles, but noone wanted to listen to us. I mean our crowd was a 100 strong and in this age when News TV Stations literally fall over themselves covering stuff like this, we get beaten up with no news coverage.
C: We have to do something! Our friend was killed!
B: But what can we do? I mean it's not like we cared about anyone other than ourselves before this. Even our lame parade did not work. Look at this big bandage I got at the hospital
D: The Defence minister is the only person responsible for the entire fiasco. Let's get him!
E: But how? We tried our lame vigil
D: We have to do something drastic!
ABCE: But what can we do?
E: Let's kill him
A: Yes kill him. I am not going to be part of any of this, but I will give you all the moral support you want. I mean who cares if you all destroy your lives trying to avenge the death of my husband.
C: What are you saying E? Kill the defence minister? Are you mad?
E: Yes let's kill him . He goes for a walk in the morning on this road that has no security. We can mess around till the guy walks out completely unmindful of the fact that at least a hundred ppl from different terrorist organizations would love to kill him.
I mean who would suspect us in a maximum security area like that?
BCDE: Let's go!!!!
A: Yes go and avenge my husband's death. Let me count the stars till then. I mean who am I to give you rational advice? That's why we didn't invite the foreign girl who would have talked some sense into you all.
"He goes for a walk in the morning on this road that has no security. We can mess around till the guy walks out completely unmindful of the fact that at least a hundred ppl from different terrorist organizations would love to kill him. I mean who would suspect us in a maximum security area like that?"
The part about the Defence Minister's security being weak and all that is not so important for the essence of the story. People who are inclined to find reason and science in every aspect of life will obviously not be able to digest it. But I'm not so inclined and I realize that the Defence Minister's death (by hook or by crook) is an important incident for the story to move ahead.
"We have to do something! Our friend was killed! . . . We have to do something drastic!"
You forget to mention that the reason that they took such drastic measures is because they felt this was justice, not (just) to avenge their friend's death. Agreed, this isn't most people's definition of justice, but what exactly is justice anyways? It surely isn't what lawmakers of nations have documented. Again, what exactly is justice? They felt this was justice and did what they felt was right. Some people know what justice is and yet they are not able to and don't have the guts to act upon it.
I still reiterate that the point of this movie is not to go out there and shoot a minister down. If that was the case then, some would have been eliminated, who the hell knows. The point of this movie is DO SOMETHING. People are so averse to changing the system that they've given up on it. People still feel ke kuchh nahin badlega. The movie says that one can't give up as yet. Sometimes a drastic picture needs to be shown in order to spur a reaction (this is where Yuva is lacking).
Look beyond the Defence Minister's security. Beyond the "husband's death". Beyond the bloody bandage, for God's sake.
ahaan, agree wid cfe! it is a 'mess-wid-your-mind' kinda movie..definitely..the feeling of kuch nahi badleega is the crucial aspect..
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