Even if you have not seen it, you may have heard about it, but you definitely have the immortal nature of Rakish Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Rang de Basanti’ from its music, a film that is about identity and purpose in a world where everyone is confused, but everyone forgets to question. The film begins like a Disney film, but moves forward in anything.
A British woman (lawsuit) is interested in the lives of those who fought for India’s independence. A group of friends who may not be influenced by no less affected by courage stories that allowed them to live in Democratic India. The irony is immense. When the lawsuit decides to make a film, he is rejected by his owners, who urges him to make a film on Gandhi, because ‘Gandhi sells’. Nevertheless, she is making it right to tell the stories of those people about whom she reads in her grandfather’s magazine. So she travels to India, and finds Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajguru, Durga Vohra, Ashfaqullah Khan and Ramprasad Bismil in a group of rebellious misfits from Delhi University, who feels extremely fitting. Problem? They do not specifically transfer by characters who have been asked to play. In fact, they also do not even believe in the idea that modern India is independent- their thoughts and opinions are a subtle echoes for the underwaves of issues that exist in the country of flaws. This is the place where the history, religion, illusion of youth, all mix in one and manage to find honesty in the writing tone, especially whenever friends talk, even if their conversation is serious, they behave like a group with each other. So as they make their way through all their hooliganism and banquet, this is only when they put themselves in others shoes that they learn a deep truth. A truth that lied around us for decades (78 years to be accurate), but we have probably ignored it many times, or accepted it.
It cannot be enough that Mehra’s films come with an album which is a magic work. Born out of the talent of AR Rahman, each song is made outstanding and catchs the ethos of the condition completely. It is an attractive melody, which introduces us to a group of rebels without any reason, or the title track tracks itself that has the essence of Punjabi “Mati” (clay), or the sadness that you feel that when Luka Chupi plays, there is a variety in the film of Mehra, which is a variety, which is not the same, not the same. When you go to college, you are the kind of people you will meet. This is the understanding of the mehra of music and where to place it that allows to unveil in full flow to the dramatic essence of a view. In this film, towards the climax, he uses music to use music, which most filmmakers must have treated in extremely opposite fashion, and that actually makes Mehra’s film. Giving moments of hope, both in the story and structure, only to take it away from you before returning it away, this back-to-back style of Mehra looks at the film in a way as you rarely see. Through the ‘Missfits’ appearing, Mehra manages to highlight a youth of India who is rapidly disbelieved in the system, but through its political comment, as his ideas may seem widely, then surrounded back to change the ground level. Walking two steps backwards to complain without action. He asks people to question politicians and politics, ask for answers, and seek truth and stay true by him. He reminds you of remembering those who fought for freedom- they are also like God in a sense for Mehra, and in a country where confidence is created on thinking, he says to carefully choose who we have faith when it comes to leading more than one billion people to lead the country.
Published – August 19, 2025 03:00 pm IST
