Rang De Basanti
Monday, January 30, 2006 at 5:47PM Watched Rang De Basanti with Balaji on Sunday night. My wife and mother in law saw it on friday night .. their unanimous decision was that I should not miss this movie on the big screen !!
After a long time, I came out of the movie theater THINKING . The last time I remember anything close was when I watched Braveheart !! Once in a while, a movie gets under your skin and the visuals just wont go away for a few days, either because of great acting performances, great choreography, vision mixing, dialogues, or just plain chemistry of all the elements that make the movie great.. This applies in general to any genre of movies.
For example, Braveheart and Whalerider are definitely not the same type of movie but at the end of both, I felt a lot of similar things (yes, I did get tears in my eyes, a chocking sensation in my throat, hated myself not knowing why for a few minutes and felt frustrated.. if only I could capture in words, my emotions for those few minutes as I walked out on those occasions
Rang De Basanti simply stirred me because, I am a very vocal hands on person who has the urge to just do things. I am hyperactive, and every now and then I get the urge to change things around me, and if I cannot, feel frustrated. Part of the reason why I came to the US and stayed put is because I make a difference in the world around me (at least I perceive it that way).
I have been accused of being impatient and being cowardly for refusing to take on the system in India, almost in every phone call with my parents or grandparents. They always say "Arent we all here in this system ? What is so wrong with things here or right with things there? And if there are things that are wrong here, why dont you change it ?". The sad thing is that they expect me to fight the system without attacting attention, because they are actually afraid of retribution !! There are no right answers for their questions. I am in the process of growing up and some of my answers in the past were so off the mark.
It is not the endless highways or the fast cars or cheap gasoline that made me stay in the US. And no, it was definitely not the ladies. It was minimal interference from the system and the "as long as you abibe by the rules, the rules will abide by you" concept in the United States. As for the system in India, I used to blame red tape, politics, corruption etc., but I know they exist in the US of A also, except the common man doesnt come to terms with it on a daily basis.
This movie deals with India today and India yesterday so well, that it makes me want to jump up and say "Hi , count me in. I will change the system!". But, once you enter the fight, there is no turning back. That is reality, and this movie captures it so beautifully. And the fact that I sing Rubaaarooooooooo and my little one signs Roshniiiiiiiiiii , another showcase of ARR's brilliance
Go see this movie. It is worth the $8 !!
Reader Comments (11)
Sundar-
Haven't yet watched it, but will take yours and other bloggers positive comments and catch it soon.
UPDIYAH?
mitr, narayanan sir,
yes. great movie...
:)
has its flaws but is near perfect compared to the other movies of the day
Its a Superb Movie..iam skeptical if it is another who will bell the cat story ? but,lets hope for a positive change !!
There are still lots of solutions, if we keep our eyes focused on that. As the movie depicted, killing and escaping are no solutions; rather, we've to be here, be focused for our goal, first change yourself, and rectify the future of the country. For you the brothers and the sisters living outside of the India, this is the perfect time for u to come back and do something. We all need helps from each other and we have to realize that. Throwing lectures and abusing India is cowardness. This is the right time and we have adequate motive and opportunities to bring greatness. I hope for ur arrival....we r calling u, India is calling u.
Look, u dont have to be another Ajad or Bhagat. We have to do the same thing, whatsoever we r doing(profession), but in the different way. I mean, we should have a focus and do our job with honesty and perfectness. Alike, if you want to change the world, you have to start changing yourself first. That's the point....hopefully you'll think of it.
Regards,
Abhisek Pandey
http://spaces.msn.com/dreamworkers
Sundar,
Saw the movie , n loved the songs.. but what i didnt get was the violence required in the end.. not to spoil the movie for others..but the ending just didnt gel with me..n btw lots of logical "huh's" in the movie
Anu
prabhu, abhisek, I dont know if this movie is going to change India.
AS for me, I decided that I am not going to fight any system. I wont complain about any system either.. if I do change anything, it is a bonus. I need to grow up a lot more (this includes believing in my own abilities) before I can come to India and take on issues.
Anu, yes. there are a few Huh?'s and killing ministers is never a solution. in fact if this was a viable solution, lot of our ministers would be gone by now. but like i said, it is not a flawless movie, but compared to the other recent movies, it leads the pack..
yeah ..rdb is really gud .
as u said , ppl will talk abt the movie and say something like this need s to be done ..but no one will do anything about corruption .
i actually agree with what you said jagan..
:)
one of india's greatest asset is the indifference of indians. nothing fazes them.. they are very forgetful on the average.. that is the greatest plus and minus point !!
RDB ROCKS!definetely...
Good post but just observed that you refer to Indians as "them" :P
vamsee
i refer to my parents and grandparents as them.. not indians.
:)