Rang de Basanti' is a film about awakening. About standing up for ones beliefs. Where the spirit of rebellion transcends time and age. A young idealistic English filmmaker, Sue, arrives in India to make a film on Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and their contemporaries and their fight for freedom from the British Raj. Owing to a lack of funds, she recruits students from Delhi University to act in her docu-drama. She finds DJ Aamir Khan, who passed out five years back but still wants to be a part of the University because he doesn't think there's too much out there in the real world to look forward to. Karan Siddharth, the son of Industrialist Rajnath Singhania, who shares an uncomfortable relationship with his father, but continues to live off him, albeit very grudgingly. Aslam Kunal Kapoor, is a middle class Muslim boy, who lives in the bylanes near Jama Masjid, poet, philosopher and guide to his friends. Sukhi Sharman Joshi, the group's baby, innocent, vulnerable and with a weakness for only one thing - girls. Laxman Pandey Atul Kulkarni, the fundamentalist in the group, the only one who still believes that politics can make the world a better place and finally Sonia Soha Ali Khan - the sole girl in the group, tomboy and vivacious spirit, engaged to Ajay Madhavan - the dashing air pilot. These youngsters could be anyone of us today and their lives mirror the kind of lives the youth of today lead - namely a self centered and materialistic existence where ideas like patriotism and making a change are strictly the stuff history books are made of. Through her film, Sue wishes to showcase to the world the efforts of these young revolutionaries and the enormity of their contribution to the freedom movement in India. What unfolds is the inspiration behind Sue's passion for bringing their story to the world. The twist in the tale is of course the fact that more than just telling the world, Sue's film makes DJ and his friends stop and stare at themselves for being the actual descendants of these great men and never recognizing and celebrating their courage and spirit. The film thus doubles as a narrative on the changes in perspective and values the young boys and girls acting in her documentary go through as they shoot for the film. Few scenes from the past and present are juxtaposed against each other, which renders a unique slick treatment, which serves to showcase the slow change in mindset and attitude that overcomes the group through the process of the film. 'Rang de Basanti' is a youthful drama, yet light hearted in the moments that the group shares amongst themselves... before some incidents effect a serious change...which ends in the climax.
Arriving in India, a UK graduate enlists a gang of college students to participate in a documentary about India's freedom fighters. Initially, these students scoff at the ideals and people of the past, but a sequence of events set in slow motion a merging of the past and present...
DJ or Daljeet Aamir Khan, Sukhi Joshi, Karan Siddharth , Aslam Kapoor and Sonia Soha Ali Khan are 5 friends who having graduated from Delhi University, hesitate to get out into the real world, and still roam the campus. Each of them is feisty and loyal. Into this group comes Sue Alice Patten straight from the UK, all determined to make her film on Indian freedom fighters, despite the shortage of funds. Introduced to the others by Sonia, she develops a strong bond with the rest, and especially with DJ. She persuades them to act in the film, and even woos Hindutva-vadi student party-worker Pandey to take the role of Ramprakash Bismil. Gradually the friends ponder over their roles and the lives of the selfless freedom-fighters, and in the face of a tragedy, realize that they too, like Bhagat Singh and Azad, must take action, to ensure that their now corrupt and poverty-laden country, awakens and the guilty do not go unpunished. How they do it, makes for an engrossing second-half.
'Rang De Basanti' deals with a topic that is very relevant to contemporary times. It talks of several youngsters with different aspirations from life. The movie is about the rise in the consciousness of today's youth of the values and realizations of their Indian-ness.
Character Sketches:
Alice Patten as Sue Alice Patten plays Sue, a young London-based filmmaker who chances upon the diaries of her grandfather, who served in the British police force in India during the freedom struggle. Excited about these memoirs, she comes to India to shoot a film on the Indian revolutionaries mentioned in the diaries.
Unable to garner enough funds for her project, Sue eventually hires a group of five friends to play pivotal roles of these revolutionaries in her documentary.
Aamir Khan as D.J. D.J. is an exuberant personality with a warm and wide smile always on his face. An ex-graduate, D.J. still lives like a college student, partying and having fun all the time. But deep inside, he is a sensitive man who unfortunately has not yet been able to find a sure shot aim to his life.
Madhavan as Ajay Rathod Flt. Lt. Ajay Rathod is a man of high ideals and strong patriotic values. A pilot by profession, he is a good friend, a caring son and a loving fiancé. He is someone all members of the group look up to.
Soha Ali Khan as Sonia Sonia is a die-hard optimist. A traditional Indian beauty, Sonia is both well traveled and well read. She and Ajay Rathod are engaged. Sonia is an idealist who feels passionately about issues relating to the youth.
Sharman Joshi as Sukhi Sukhi is a Jat from Haryana. This athletic young man is the heart of the group because of his charming persona and an absolute lack of pretence about the way he is. He speaks typical Haryanawi accent and has no qualms in admitting that his English is twisted.
Kunal Kapoor as Aslam Kunal Kapoor plays Aslam, a tall and handsome Muslim man who has a heart of a poet. Despite his orthodox family background, Aslam thinks beyond the barriers of religion.
Siddharth as Karan Siddharth plays Karan, son of a wealthy businessman. He is a loner, a quiet man who shares a fractured relationship with his father. He also wants to settle down in a foreign country.
While working on Sue's film, the five friends head off to Punjab, the land that gave many martyrs during India's freedom struggle against the British.
D.J. (Aamir), the man who never ceased partying, now comes face-to-face with the side of Indian culture he had never witnessed before in person.
As DJ and his friends work on Sue's project, they begin to see themselves as the actual descendants of the great men who are the protagonists of Sue's movie.
In the film, both the 1930s British India and the India of today run parallel and intersect with each other at crucial points. As the film reaches its conclusion, the line between present and past blurs, as they become one in spirit and one in color - that is Basanti.
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