[arr] The Hindu reviews RDB
More than just black and white
Rang De Basanti (Hindi)
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Cast: Aamir Khan, Kiron Kher and Om
Puri
FIRST THINGS first. At the end of
the adrenalin-packed fare, the title Rang De Basanti strikes you as absolutely
evocative: a plea to the season of spring to dab our lives with colour too. The
refrain "Naye rang bhar de, khoon chala, khoon chala" is a poignant reflection
of our times.
At the outset, the foursome (who go on to become five) seem as happy-go-lucky
boys. They seem more than content in their cocooned worlds of fun, frolic and
friendship ("Masti ka Paatshala"). The layered narrative, underlined by a deep
sense of hopelessness, soon tells you that their cosy, happy world is
make-believe one, an escape from a dismal world of disappointments. (Aslam: "Is
ghar mein mera dam ghut ta hai.") Of course, they are completely unlike the
upmarket threesome of Dil Chahta Hai, whose concerns are markedly different.
History driven by ideology seems the last thing the restless, SMS generation
wants to worry about. But when they reluctantly become part of a documentary on
Bhagat Singh and friends, their lives move to a different plane. Laxman Pandey,
their enemy, who gets drawn into the group because of the documentary, is the
only one with a pronounced ideology: Hindutva. For this unusual young man, who
knows his history, but is driven by warped notions of tradition, the big blow
comes when he realises that ideology is only a pawn in the politics of
opportunism. Laxman Pandey becomes the perfect metaphor for the present times:
of an appropriation by a system with its own agenda at work, with no qualms
about casting aside what an individual believes. It is, however, ironical that
he plays the character of Bismil Ramprasad, the committed freedom fighter in
the documentary, who wrote with the Muslim pen name Bismil. The film is
brilliant (editing by Binod Pradhan) for the manner in which
it coagulates a past with a present, creating images of powerful contrasts. It
at once juxtaposes a world of beliefs with a world that is completely lacking
in it; a world which was governed by the larger cause of the country, to a
world that swears by individual happiness. It also creates contrasts of many
other kinds, the manner in which the film builds the characters of Kiron Kher
and Om Puri. Both these individuals are completely governed by their faith,
their religion. While for the former (a Sikh) religion is a source of strength
that has an enormous space to accommodate everyone, the latter (a Muslim) looks
upon every outsider as an object of threat. But what redeems him is the fact he
is a victim of his circumstances, his insecurity thereby assuming legitimacy.
Like him, every character is a well-rounded one, including the lean, mean,
British police officer who tried Bhagat Singh and comrades.
It would be unfair to call it an
Aamir Khan film, because each actor has put up such a brilliant performance.
DEEPA GANESH
http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/29/stories/2006012902080200.htm
Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic.
Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community.
Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com
Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[arr] The Hindu reviews RDB
Rang De Basanti Sony&BMG, Casette Rs. 60 The very title and most of this album smells of an earthiness quite lost to this remix generation. The high point of the album, apart from of course A.R. Rahman's clever music, is Prasoon Joshi's lyrics, making the album doubly loveable. They say Rahman's music grows on you, but in this case, it swoops down on you and gets you. There is a cohesive flow to the album with a clear sense of Gen-Y breaking free juxtaposed by a longing to connect with the homeland. All this is underlined with palpable rebellion and tumult in the self and the surroundings. The whole album comes with a Punjabi slant of _expression_. Three songs form the crux of this album. "Rang de basanti" plays on "rang de" and runs on a rhyme that doesn't go simply by the sound, but clearly with reason. It's completely Daler, with dancy Bhangra beats, scoops of energy, and of course, a Daler nonsensical catch phrase like "Dingadinga... " On the whole, a dumdaar gaana that takes off on a longing-tinged patriotic fervour. "Paathshaala" , with its opening appeal of "Lose control" and declarations of "I'm a rebel", sets the mutinous mood of the song, along the lines of the Pink Floyd anthem "We don't need no education"; specially the line that goes "Na koi padhnevala na koi sikhnevala". The lines "Apni to paathshaala masti ki paathshaala" ring of a tapori attitude seen earlier in Rangeela. An essentially Hinglish number laced with lots of Rahman's techno-track wizardry. "Roobaroo" gets a thumbs-up as a feel-good sunny song almost reminiscent of a Dil Chahta Hai. College band-like guitar and drum-work adds to the feel. Very catchy with good backing vocals. The opening "Ik Omkaar" is a beautiful reading from the Gurbani with Harshdeep Kaur's mystical voice rendering it stirringly. "Tu bin bataye" comes as a sudden jarring contrast to the high-energy numbers. This one is really slow and melodious where Rahman shows his hangover of Swades' tracks - high on orchestra. "Khalbali", a very Arabic number heavy on percussion, with the stereotypical inflections, sounds almost trance-ish. "Khoon Chala" sets a sombre mood captured in Mohit Chauhan's (of Silk Route fame) voice and plays on the imagery of a bloody revolution. "Lukka Chuppi" is obviously sung by a mother in the movie. Yet, Lata Mangeshkar's voice pleads retirement, whenever it caves in. Rahman lends his voice to this mother-son dialogue, presumably across the globe. Only the crescendo the two singers reach in the end remains in the mind. Aamir Khan almost murmurs a subdued "Lalkaar" and gives it a brooding quality. Almost menacing, it plays on the revolutionary line "Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai" and will remind Rahman fans of his similar interpretation of the same phrase in The Legend of Bhagat Singh. The music braces the mood further and the build-up of bass beats will bring your subwoofer to life. Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SPONSORED LINKS New country music artists Music artists Country music artists Christian music artists New music artists Unsigned music artist YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "arrahmanfans" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
