Kabhi wrong de, kabhi right de

Rang de Basanti
Cast: Aamir Khan, Alice Patten, Siddharth, Kunal Kapoor
Direction: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Rating: ***

It takes as much guts as madness to do a Rang De Basanti – an anti-Authority tract which assigns full marks to wayward youth, and a big round zero to wrinkly-crinkly ministers, politicians and armament wheeler dealers. Welcome to India where “everyone is looking for excuses to kill one another.” Indeed.

That’s writer-director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra badland which is so fiercely feverish that you might need a thermometer to check your fluctuating temperature. At times you’re elated by the Mehrathon, at times you’re brain boggled. Aah, it’s one of those: a quasi political diatribe which leaves you with conflicting feelings. Errr, have you been tossed around like this before?

Sure, you have. Jeepers creepers Jeetendra performed the same tooth-for-tooth tango in Jyoti Bane Jwala, anger banger Amitabh Bachchan mowed down MPs in Inquilab, and hello, the concept of  art coalescing into reality was evidenced in Jesus of Montreal directed by Canada’s Denys Arcand. Never mind, that was a million matinees ago. Time to do it again, let’s-a-go-go.

Auspiciously, the first hour or so is kick-ass. A gang of losers hangs out at the campus canteen, cadges parathas at a dhaba, and grumbles about how life’s a bitch.

Spotted by Sue,an idealistic documentary film-maker (Alice Patten) from Britain, the dhaba dudes (Aamir Khan and party) are cast in her video-opus on the legendary freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad et al. Once young nationalists took on the British Raj, now the amateur actors are poised to take on Delhi’s power elite.

Terrific, you’re concerned. Since a twist in the plot is imperative, the dhaba squad’s buddy (Madhavan in a wig), an MIG test pilot, crashes to his death. You can detect the real life allusions, but but but, Miss Britain’s documentary is discarded like tissue paper.

Now the revenge formula hubbles, bubbles, toils and troubles. All hell breaks loose, hurtling towards a finale that’s as believable as a protest march by Alaskan penguins. Really, if  Kamal Haasan exposed the evil deeds of politicos at a TV tower, the Basanti boys do it at an Akashwani studio. Mirchi masala anyone?

The miyan boy (Kunal Kapoor) connects, at last, with the Hindu fundamentalist (Atul Kulkarni), their hands touching like Laila-Majnu’s. The rich kid (Siddharth) answers queries from the nation at large, the supposed hero (Aamir Khan) is reduced to a security guard. Lady Britain is stuck in a puttering vehicle, the pilot’s bereaved fiancée (Soha Ali Khan Pataudi) tends to her coma-struck would-have-been ma-in-law (Waheeda Rehman, lovely as ever). And so what started out with a bang concludes in  a bang-bang-bang-destruction spree. Gee.

The wrap-up is an enormous problem. A major part of RDB, however, is commendable especially for its technical bravura. Binod Pradhan’s cinematography makes sumptuous use of the north India locations. The editing is sharp but pray, why allow so many ramping shots?

The dialogue is clever (“Gandhi sells but Bhagat Singh doesn’t,” coos a London ki aunty..but what was all that about Sue kar mere man ko?), and AR Rahman’s music is A-grade.

Of the cast, Aamir Khan is infallibly impressive, particularly in the self-questioning passages, like his emotional talk at a dining table. Siddharth from Chennai is first-rate, often stealing the scenes coolly. Kunal Kapoor is likeable, Atul Kulkarni as the fundamentalist-turned-revolutionary is competent. The only sore thumb, Sharman Joshi, hams till it hurts. Alice Patten and Soha Ali Khan are correctly natural and restrained.

With all its pros and cons, RDB may not be a perfect piece of scripting or film-making. It has its mega-flaws but then who’s perfect nowadays? Go for it.

Rating:

Outstanding:*****
Very Good: ****
Good: ***
Average  **
Poor: *

E-mail:khalid@dnaindia.net