Rang De Basanti

‘Rang De Basanti’ – A Generation Awakens

Yesterday I went for the movie ‘Rang De Basanti’. I was in Baroda over the weekend and was planning that maybe I would be going for this movie along with my cousin, uncle and aunt. Unfortunately my cousin couldn’t make it to Baroda. Still I decided to go ahead and went to INOX to book the tickets for the evening show. Although there was heavy rush at the booking counter, quite unexpected in small city like Baroda! I managed to get three tickets for the 7:20 show.

The movie begins with a British Journo ‘sue’ (soo) researching on Indian revolutionaries like ‘Bhagat Singh’ and ‘Chandrashekhar Azad’. Her main source and inspiration for the research is the personal diary of her grandfather ‘Mr. McKinley’, a British Officer who was a witness and executioner to the atrocities that were inflicted on the Indian revolutionaries.

She discovers that her research cannot be funded any further due to fund cuts and she decides to quit her job and fly to India to shoot a documentary on her research. It’s shown that while leaving she calls her boss ‘teri maan ki aankh’ and the boss is shown confused for she obviously didn’t understand Hindi.

Sue flies to India; she is welcomed in India by her friend and Indian link for her research ‘Sonia’ (Soha Ali Khan). Sonia is a DU student and who is going to help sue in auditioning people for the documentary; this is one the most comic phase of the movie. Typical DU junta is shown, from people like Hip-Hop types to the original Bihari types. The audition of these kinds of people shows a very funny but a true picture of the present day youth, confused yet confident. At the end of audition sue is very unhappy since she hasn’t been able to get the actors for playing the lead roles.


Sonia then tries to lift her spirits and takes her to what is called paathshaala. This is where all the fun and masti begins, paathshaala is basically a hangout where junta is boozing, dancing, basically having fun. It is here that Sonia introduces sue to her other friends, D.J. (Aamir), Karan (Siddharth), Aslam (Kunal) and Sukhi (Sharman).
Very soon another important character Laxman (Atul Kulkarni) is introduced. Laxman is shown as an upright guy who leads the local student body of a political party, he is against DJ & his friend’s lifestyle.

All these characters have distinct personalities, zealous attitude but unfortunately hardly any ambitions & aspirations. Sue over one of the escapades to DJ’s moms Dhaba realizes how perfectly do all these people fit the lead roles of her Documentary. She requests Sonia to ask them out for playing the characters in the Documentary. However, products of modern India, the five youngsters initially refuse to be part of the project, as they don’t identify with these characters from the past. Not surprising, considering that they are a part of the generation of Indians that believes in consumerism. To them issues like patriotism and giving one’s life for one’s belief is the stuff heavy textbooks are made of. They would rather party then be patriots.


Another character is introduced:

Flt Lt. Ajay Rathod, played by the ever-charming Madhavan. Ajay is a Pilot with the Indian Air Force, and Sonia’s fiancé.
He is shown as a near-perfect guy.

Eventually the five decide to be a part of Sue's project and the first half is all about their escapades to D.J's mother's Dhaba, Punjab, India Gate & an airfield accompanied with some of the best cinematography and music I have ever come across.

Kahani mein twist- Ajay dies in a MIG 21 accident and his death is marred by the fact that his skills and integrity are questioned posthumously by the Defence Minister Shastri (Mohan Aghase). Although the experts claim that the
crash happened because of the cheap quality spare parts being procured from Russia, the defense minister Shastri
puts the whole blame on the Pilot saying that he was a rookie.

This is the point when all these friends get angry and decide to take out a morcha to bring to justice the people who were responsible for Ajay’s Death. They take out a peace march and soon the media starts covering them,
the angry minister calls in RAF to attack and disperse the crowd. In this attack Ajay’s mom suffers a head injury
eventually ending in a coma, and all other friends including DJ gets beaten up. All friends are in a state of shock,
and they realize what was happening was sheer injustice.

Now as D.J. puts in "there are two ways to live life- one's is to accept things as they are and tolerate them and the other is take the responsibility to change the things". After this ordeal the fiends decide to choose the second alternative and the post-intermission movie is all about them taking on the impossible which is not just the assassination of defence minister but to accept the responsibility of murdering the defence minister in front of everyone and being ready to face the consequences.

In the film both the 1930’s British India and the India today run parallel and intersect with each other at crucial points. As the film reached its resolution the line between past and present blurs, as they become one in spirit. The intersections especially the one comparing the defence minister with general Dyers (who was responsible for the Jalianwala Bagh Massacre) are very impressive.

Rakesh Omprakaysh Mehra is surely a very talented person and this film reapproves the fact that was first noticed in his directorial debut in Aks. The screenplay is very good- specially the second half- which takes on the serious stuff. The first-half, though is spent only on the frolic part and some realisation by the youngsters, however the second half does more than just compensate the first-half. The end is extremely powerful & thought provoking.
Music is very good- apart from the chart-toppers Paathshaala & Rubaroo- the songs 'Khoon chala' & 'Lukachuppi' are very much emotionally charged. The dialogues have that flare especially the Aamir and Sharman's Haryanvi style taunts. Art direction is brilliant and the way in which the scenes of revolutionaries of pre-independence era (in sepia tone) and those of the revolutionaries in post-independence era (in full colours) are diffused is amazing.
Having covered all the technical aspects- it's a compulsion to praise the excellence shown by all the actors- and it won't be wrong to say that each one of them gave some serious competition to Aamir Khan in terms of perfection and quality.

Although, only Aamir Khan could have enacted the role of DJ, the good-humoured, bike-riding ex-graduate who is afraid to go beyond the life of college campus and friends. Aamir speaks his dialogues with a Punjabi accent, spicing his lines with an expletive here and there. Alice Patten is perfectly cast. She delivers a flawless performance and even shows that she can swear in Hindi. Kunal Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, Atul Kulkarni are up to the mark. Sharman Joshi is a delight to watch. Siddharth (Sharman) gets his moments of acting at the movie’s end.
The supporting roles are so many but all very well done and you won't ever feel they're anyhow less important or well portrayed than the main characters.
Watch Out For:

• The Beer Drinking competition at PaathShala
  
• Aamir khan’s emotional breakdown scene at Sue’s place
  
• All the songs especially Paathshaala, Roobaroo, Rang De Basanti and Khalbali

I am tempted to write about some of those very intense scenes in the film but I guess I won't be able to create the same impact and it'll be better if you feel them on your own. A must watch not because it's patriotic (the director asserts it's not a patriotic film) but it has the power to infuse its tagline into reality i.e. "A Generation Awakens".

-Jai Hind

15 Park Avenue

'15 Park Avenue'

If you think that it is the name of the latest cologne I am using..
you are wrong! And If others think that its an address where a
B-School passout M&A guy with a foreign posting in New York would
live are even bad at guessing ;-)

'15 Park Avenue' quite unsuspectingly is the name of the latest movie by "Aprana Sen", the ever charming bengali film director and actress. Aparna is known for her distinct cinematic style.. the expression so vividly refelected in her movies like "36 Chowrangee Lane" & "Mr and MrsIyer".

I was looking forward to watch this movie for a long time, ever since I saw its trailer and came to know about its story and the cast. I knew it was going to be another masterstroke from the director. Luckily I got a partner too to enjoy the movie with !

I had my XAT on Sunday 8th Jan and wanted to see the movie after the exam. A day before the exam I was wondering if anyone was free to watch the movie with me, after all the movie I wanted to go for was a "Classes" and not much of a "masses" movie. Talking of friends, all my friends (in Pune) are in IT industry and very few have a "classes" taste. Its more of fun they want to have on the weekends to recharge their cells for the coming week. So initially I was quite sceptical if I could find a partner for the movie.

Call it my luck or fate, an old college friend of mine 'vinita' or 'vini' as we call her had her exams on Saturday and was free on Sunday ! To top it, she also wanted to go for the same movie.... 'eh now thats what I call luck ?

I called her up and fixed the venue as "Inox". The next day... after the exam got over I reached
the theatre which was close to my exam center, gave her a call and got the tickets booked !

Vini reached just in time to allow us to have a quick bite at MacD's before watching the movie.
I had barely eaten anything since morning and was famished like a puppy, we ordered two combo meals and sat down to chat. It was quite some time since I had met her.. so we exchanged a lot of updates.. had the general banter !

OK, now coming back to the movie.. I write this review combining my experiences and the other reviews I read about the movie.

The film begins with two sisters, Anjali (Shabana Azmi) and Mitali 'Mithi' (Konkana Sen Sharma) looking for a place called 15 Park Avenue, that we realise is either inaccessible or doesn't exist.

Audience is then introduced to Mithi's life – a strange world within worlds, some that really exist and some that exist only in her head. This 27-year-old believes she has a husband and five children and they all live at 15 PA. Then, whatever she sees on television or elsewhere e.g. Saddam Hussein, is lovingly incorporated into her imaginary world. Her family, also comprising an ageing mother (Waheeda Rehman) and a maid, try to be patient and not lose their own minds. The distant family relations tolerate Mithi, while the children are cruelly amused.

With the responsibility of Mithi and her mother, it's interesting how Anjali's (a physics professor and writer) life is full of full stops and commas. Divorced but in a relationship, she refuses her lover's (Kanwaljit Singh) offer to take a break and escape with him.



While Anjali copes with her emotional life, her mother must deal with ageing and the loss of
control that comes with it, while the insensitive maid audaciously brings home a tantrik who mercilessly beats Mithi up. Her complaint is believed to be another of her fantastical stories.


But there are moments of endearing clarity. Like once when Anjali explains that she is only imagining things, Mithi throws back the question – 'How would you like it if I told you, you're not a professor, only imagining it?' This thought is further carried on in discussions between characters, exploring what is reality and what differentiates it from delusion.


More about mithi's past life is shown. Its shown that she had found love in the form of Joydeep Roy 'Jojo' (Rahul Bose), who, despite her family's aggressive advice, gets engaged to Mithi.
He thinks he is man enough to deal with her disease and turns out he is not. Some time and a note later, he is gone, and Mithi finds solace in her imaginary world, where her kids are named exactly how she and 'Jojo' had planned.


A chance meeting brings them together after more than a decade and a shameful Joydeep (with a wife and kids, all real) wants to help Mithi find 15 Park Avenue. It must have been daunting to figure out an end to this film, and writer-director Aparna Sen probably thought it was best to leave the film open for individual reading. Since the film's subject is already challenging, this
choice risks leaving the viewer confused instead of pensive.


There are some amazing scenes in the movie, like that of the female beggar playing with bangle pieces, sitting outside Anjali's House. Then there is this scene of Rahul Bose and Shefali Chhaya
in Bed, their conversations about his past life/love.. and the expression on their faces. Then there are those subtle but so real reactions of Kanwaljit (Prof in love with Anjali) in a social gathering on finding Anjali being affable to Mithi's Doc.

The pace is agonisingly gradual at times, and the dialogue heavily repetitive. On the technical front, the film is dubbed, but the calibre of the actors pulls it though magnificently. The use of ambient sounds is lovely and so is the non-intrusive and sometimes breathtaking soaking-in-Bhutan's-beauty photography. The dialogue, exemplary in most parts, is irritatingly bookish in others. Example – 'Shall we have some tea?' 'Yes, let's.' No one says 'Yes, let's', for god's sake! Not unless you're in 16th century England having tea and butter cookies. But that's picking too fine a point.


Shabana Azmi thrives in her role; she looks stunning, acts with her heart, and is a pleasure to watch. Each actor, from Rahul Bose to Waheeda Rehman and Kanwaljeet Singh, puts in a spirited performance. And then there's Konkana Sen Sharma. One falls short of adjectives to describe her performance. I guess the biggest compliment would be to say that no one else could have done this role.
Watch this film to fall in love with her.
Aparna Sen has cemented her credibility as a thinking and engaging filmmaker and has one looking forward to her next film already. Compared to Mr & Mrs Iyer, she is more in command.

There's dry, black humour all over the film, if you care to look for it. There's comedy in the darkest of scenes, if you dare to laugh. As Joydeep himself broods, 'It would have been funny, if it wasn't so sad.'

Watch the film, and forgive the small irregularities and pace. You'll step into another world. Just like our Mithi !

Do let me know how did you find the movie ... And do post your comments one the review.

~shm

Day Before XAT

Last Sunday, was an important day for me. It was the Xavier's Aptitude Test ( XAT ) for admission to MBA programme at XLRI and other instis. This was the most important test after CAT for me ..and calls from other important insitis where I had applied depended on it ...

The begining was quite good .. so to say I was quite relaxed a day before the exam. After linking the last few mocks, gave a VA sectional, got 78 of 80 correct! Couldn’t believe it ... anyway I was happy and I decided to go to sleep and get up with a fresh mind next day! But then it was not to be like that...

I unwrapped my bedding and cuddled myself in the blankets. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep ... after about 10 minutes or so I realized that the bathroom tap was leaking...and the dip-dip of water was making a very irritating noise. I went up to the loo, screwed the tap firmly and shut the bathroom door tight...the noises stopped. Alas! I was going to sleep peacefully.

But then other noises kept on haunting me....sometimes from inside the room..and other times from outside. I thought that they will subside eventually... but it didn't happen and I remained in the same state of insomnia for another 2 hrs or so ...

At about 2 am my roommate came back .. I felt like, "What the hell? is this a time to come?" I controlled my anger and acted as if I was sleeping ... another half hour or so passed with the light being switched on and off .. and all sorts of khatar-patar happening ... I checked the time on my cell .. Holy Cow ! it was 2:40 am .. I had an important test tomorrow and I was awake, wide awake as an owl at this hour ... I needed to sleep immediately.. I tightly shut my eyes and tried concentrating on sleep ... Another 10 minutes passed and It felt as if going to sleep... finally.

When suddenly ... BANG!! I heard a gunshot and then 'BANG' another. I thought, what the hell? Have the LeT terrorists attacked my building? How could they choose this night! I have my exams tomorrow ....please let me sleep peacefully, come back some other time.

And then I heard a guy talking. The voice was coming room the adjacent room.. Enough of this.. I uncovered my head from the blanket & peeped outside, the door to my roommate’s room was ajar with bright light glaring at me!

I unwrapped the blanket and went up to his room..And guess what do I see ?? This guy is watching "Tomorrow Never Dies - The bond movie" at this hour of the night .. I felt charging like a mad bull at him.. How could someone be so insensitive, but then I won't act the same way ...I cooled myself (remembered some of Gandhiji's Ahmisa tenets) and calmed down my anger ..I asked him politely to put down the volume and close his door .. I also told him about my exam for which I had to get up early next day .. He tried to say something but before that I was gone .. with a blunt 'thank you'

I thought my suffering was over only till I discovered that sleep still eluded me, I tried all postures ( sleep poses of course ) and tried thinking about arbit things .. I even switched on the light and tried reading a book thinking that maybe this could help me feel tired and then maybe I would sleep .. but nothing helped and I remained so ..in that semi-somnolent state for the rest of the night ... It was only at about 6:30 am when I thought I was feeling sleepy and I maybe I slept too ..but then I had to wake up by 7:30 am ... I finally woke up at 8:00 am and after the morning ablutions, made myself a cup of strong tea .. After drinking tea, I was up on my feet and felt awake like a spring leaf !

Collected my admit card and newspaper in a bag and left for the center ...

More about the exam center and experience in the next post ....

">Link