Rang De Basanti (2006)

[shariqq]

Bollywood Films used in Australian schools
By IndiaFM News Bureau, August 30, 2006 - 03:51 IST
 
Rakyesh Mehra’s Rang De Basanti which created a wave at the Box Office early this year and also got highly appreciated for its content is now being used at the Australian schools. ...  Rang De Basanti is being listed to be screened for students of VII and IX Std. Besides Rang De Basanti, other films like Lagaan and Salaam Namaste are also a part of their syllabus.
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This is a strong proof to everyone that Bollywood is not just about glamour and masala and that it also produces films that are meaningful and sensible.

Who says only sensible and meaningful movies are discussed at Film Appreciation, man. How does this writer classify Salaam | Namaste as sensible & meaningful - heck, a full-bellied pregnant heroine is dancing on the streets in the middle of the night, for God's sake!!

When we studied Film Appreciation in College, we were even shown MIB-2 as a "Summer Movie" (a movie with almost no art that earns millions) along side appreciable movies like The Iron Giant, Psycho and Das Experiment.

[kaytee]

When I took Film as Literature in college, I was shown A Few Good Men, Shirley Valentine, Citizen Kane and a few others which I dont remember.

[sandeep]

Who says only sensible and meaningful movies are discussed at Film Appreciation, man. How does this writer classify Salaam | Namaste as sensible & meaningful - heck, a full-bellied pregnant heroine is dancing on the streets in the middle of the night, for God's sake!!

When we studied Film Appreciation in College, we were even shown MIB-2 as a "Summer Movie" (a movie with almost no art that earns millions) along side appreciable movies like The Iron Giant, Psycho and Das Experiment.

Arrey yaar, I was quoting indiafm, to let you know this is happening... and the reason Salaam Namaste is being shown is because it was shot in Melbourne... I guess... And Preity dancing in an almost full term pregnancy was not only ridiculous, it was amateurish... I am with you pal...

In my Masters when i studied film audiences we were told to watch Silence of the Lambs and other films of that genre...

[ozzylogic]

someone mentioned taking movies too seriously, right?

did anyone read the times of india article mentioning that two people so far have killed thier wives straight after watching KANK? it pushed them off the brink, on thoughts of thier wives cheating on them. The latest murder involved beating and crushing the wife's head with a stone, because the husband suspected an affair with his brother.

Sad as these events are, I feel they are just waiting to happen, either something like KANK will trigger it, or an article in the paper, a scene from TV. The kind of mentally derranged people that committ such acts are just like a switch waiting to be flipped. Can you imagine the kind of atrocities people would committ after seeing a film like matrubhoomi? or Chandni Bar? Unimaginable...

People were inspired by The Matrix to kill students, some morons actually got messed up coz' of watching KANK? WTF?

[sandeep]

People were inspired by The Matrix to kill students, some morons actually got messed up coz' of watching KANK? WTF?

Such is the sad state... but i firmly believe that these are merely trivial triggers to an already demented state of mind, the people who do such acts are already on the edge, they need something to push them over to the 'bad side'

[kaytee]

Once again Politics plays its part.

RDB all set to color the Oscar academy with saffron 

Every so often Bollywood produces a rare gem like Rang De Basanti, a UTV Production that breaks the mould by offering something more sophisticated than the standard musical melodrama. Successfully weaving historical facts with contemporary themes, thanks to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s direction that Rang De Basanti's absorbing plot, which flits smoothly from past to present, has marched successfully to be India's official entry for the Oscars this year.

This would also be Aamir Khan's second film to make it to the Oscars after Lagaan. Earning top points is the strong performances from the ensemble cast that impress foremost, all of whom are totally convincing as disillusioned youngsters learning the importance of personal sacrifice. Accomplished and universally appealing, Rang De Basanti has provided India with another hope to win the Oscar.

Says UTV's Ronnie Screwvala, "I'm delighted that Rang De Basanti has been chosen as India's official entry to the Academy Awards. RDB has made a place for itself in the hearts and minds of millions of people all around the world. Such movies come along only once in a generation and we shall make every effort to ensure it is seen by as wide audience as possible internationally too. To enable this, we are already planning a mainline release in the United States in association with two major studios. Following the rousing reception the film received at the Golden Globes jury screening, we are confident it stands a strong chance with the Academy."

Over the past few months the RDB effect…the effect the film had had on the public at large, from the infamous Jessica Lal verdict to the Narmada anti-dam campaign to the latest protest marches against the proposed quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in institutes of higher learning, forms of protest in India have undergone a sea change from the usual hunger-strike, mob-violence routine. What makes these protests stand out is perhaps a sense of 'feeling for the cause' that transcends age and gender barriers and 'motivates' people to lend their support. Quiet candlelight vigils, rousing protest marches, enthusiastic sloganeering, passionate sound bytes and SMS campaigns.

Interestingly, all these forms of rebellion find a strange resonance and are reminiscent of the reel-life depiction of 'youth awakening' in Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra's, Aamir Khan-starrer film Rang De Basanti the simple message being 'clean your own mess'.

Now let’s hope RDB colors the academy with saffron. 

[shariqq]

Such a sad bit of news 

To paraphrase something I said last year : How could they actually select RdB with another 3 whole months left for the year?!

[kaytee]

To paraphrase something I said last year : How could they actually select RdB with another 3 whole months left for the year?!

Coz if they waited for 3 months, RDB wouldn't have won? Its political yaar.

[sandeep]

While its true that 3 whole months are left, I still think RDB is the best choice for India's entry... Omkara was worthy enough to be in the running, but again, its an adaption of a Shakespearen work, while this is purely Indian... and though 3 months remain, I dont think anything is expected to release which will challenge the list from which RDB was chosen (Omkara, Lage Raho Munna Bhai etc)

[sacred_promises]

hmm.. Umrao jaan maybe...
LOL!

[sandeep]

Rang De Basanti out of BAFTA

The entire team of Rang De Basanti along with Aamir Khan and Ronnie Screwwala was present at the BAFTA awards in London on Sunday night.

But unfortunately the film which lost out of the Oscars race is also out of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (BAFTA) in the best foreign language film category.

The film competed with five other entries in the non- English film category and shared the honour with Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto and Pedro Almodovar's Volver among others.

The film lost out to Guillermo del Toro's fantastical saga Pan's Labyrinth.

[ak]

No surprises. The film lost because it isn't good enough to stand up to scruntiny at the world cinema level.

[sandeep]

Hmmm I wouldnt agree with you... It was a very well made film... World Cinema is defined by its entries, and if this made it as one of the nominees, it was considered as good as any of the others...

[ak]

See, this is my problem with such comments. I never said “Rang De Basanti” was so bad that it shouldn’t even be nominated. I just meant -- given other great foreign film it was competing against -- it wasn’t good enough to win.

Of course, how good or bad “Rang De Basanti” may be is a matter of personal taste. My take on this film is very much in line with Mad’s excellent review. It’s a well-acted film with a strong leftist liberal slant; it embodies the frustration of the youth in the face of corruption, and their defiance against the rusty government machine. I appreciate the film for that, but you can’t take such a sophisticated concept and make a music video out of it. And that's exactly what happened.

Instead of defending Bollywood or Hindi Cinema or any other nation-flavoured moniker you want to throw at me, how about defending “Rang De Basanti”? Instead of simple adjectives and lazy praise, I’d love to read a serious analysis/appreciation of this film. I really would.

[kaytee]

I'm not gonna defend [bRang De Basanti[/b] coz I didn't like the movie and thought they had the whole thing screwed up. Freedom fighters killed and sacrificed themselves for the nation's freedom, you cant show todays youngsters killing politicians just coz of the corruption in India. If the corruption really affects them then join the fucking politics and make a difference. Don't go about killing people. Thought the message the movie tried to portray was really bad.