Blast from the Past: The Riveting Colors of Rang De Basanti

Blast from the Past: The Riveting Colors of Rang De Basanti

 Reproducing the original review that was published on 26th January, 2006 

He charges a startling Rs. 7 odd crores per film. Sounds obscene, right? But that’s what you call the sheer Brand Equity of being Aamir Khan. The huge pay packet is all inclusive of the distinct stamp of Exclusivity an Aamir Khan product bears. No other actor today can bring across the table the virtual hysteria that engulfs an Aamir Khan movie…AB, SRK take a bow. Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, The Rising…or the latest Rang De Basanti…no matter what the eventual fate of these movies, the deafening pre-release buzz has been nothing short of a mini-festival. In Media Planning terms, Aamir is the single largest vehicle ensuring maximum reach.

His latest Rang De Basanti reaffirms the dictum. The promos ensured a perfect build-up, lots of positive vibes. And the movie….well, here’s the good news….Rang De Basanti hits the bull’s eye….ummm…well almost!

An interesting premise, a wonderful collage of characters, a very youthful, very energetic look, a voila music score that binds itself seamlessly with the flow of the movie and not to forget - the affable, exuberant Mr. Khan himself. The camaraderie between the buddies cuts right across through the length of the movie. Welcome to the innocent, pranky, bikes-booze-beats world of DJ aka Diljeet (Khan) and his bum chums – Sukhi (Sharman Joshi in terrific form), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) and Karan (Siddharth). DJ & co. simply warm the cockles of your heart, as one gets completely immersed and surrenders to their impish antics. The Naughty at 40, original boy-next-door – Aamir Khan - is as charming as ever. The wisecracks galore, that crooked smile, the soulful rendering of ‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna’ or simply those abstract dance movements – it’s an Aamir show all the way, and the audience certainly ain’t complaining. Refreshing! Riveting!!

The movie however starts faltering in the second half while portraying the gradual Transformation of these carefree freaks. The film drags when the director self-indulgently goes about re-re-narrating the oft-repeated Bhagat Singh saga (Gimme a break! we’ve already had half a dozen full-length movies on that!). The swift-cuts comparing the synergies between Bhagat Singh & Co. and DJ & co. appear dangerously monotonous. The movie finally climaxes to a predictably simplistic and safe-end, leaving a particularly bland aftertaste. A movie of such a flawless caliber and an impeccable pre-climax crescendo ought to have ended on a more intelligent note.

Regardless of the minor scripting flaws, Rang De Basanti appears to be a sure-fire winner at the box-office. The long week-end ahead, the patriotic fervor, the zingy-zangy peppy first half, the playing it to the gallery dialogues and the inimitable Aamir Khan charisma more than assures a money-spinner in the making.

It’s been 18 years since the QS-cutie made a breezy entry in the Angry-middle-aged-men infected Bollywood. 25 movies and 13 Blockbusters later, with virtually a blockbuster every year, Aamir Khan has managed to carve-out a parallel industry for himself. No mushy melodramas…no camping around…simply constant re-invention, living by his own rules and the conviction in his vision!! With the forthcoming Fanaah he ventures into an unknown negative territory as a terrorist. Another step closer to acquiring a legendary status.

However, in the meanwhile, here’s heralding the first true-blue bumper hit of 2006 – Rang De Basanti – ting ting ting ting