Rang De Basanti – Coloured with success! 09th Feb 2006
21.05 IST
By N. K. Deoshi
It is now a forgone conclusion that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s movie Rang De Basanti is the first Bollywood hit movie of 2006.
RDB is a movie that has raised the bar for quality in Hindi cinema. Accepted by masses and critics alike, RDB is proving to be a rage among young moviegoers most of who identify with the five leading characters. The transposition of the same actors in characters from the pre-Independence India and the merging of their traits in the movie’s pre-climax is beautifully and so subtly portrayed in the movie that the story gives its central message without going into preachy mode.
After an overwhelming start at the theatres in its first week, ‘Rang De Basanti’ is continuing to draw crowds as it completes its two weeks’ run. The movie got off to an excellent start at the box-office abroad (UK, US and the Gulf countries) and its winning run is unabated in the second week too.
RDB is on the 16th spot at the UK box-office and has raked in an approximate sum of £430,000 on about 37 screens. The audience response in the US and Canada continues to be equally impressive.
At the New York City box-office, the movie has maintained its position (25th) in the second week, making $102,820 on 3 screens.
Officials of UTV, the movie’s distributor, are quoted as saying that many people are coming back to see the film again.
One official says: “RDB is not going to be a three-day wonder. The film will have long legs.”
Meanwhile, the movie’s director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is getting the well-deserved recognition that his first movie Aks could not bring.
The movie’s leading star Aamir Khan too has said that he is “very, very happy” with the way the movie has been received by the audience in India and abroad.