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smartypants Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti posted on: 10/16/2006 9:45:22 PM http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2172419.cms Oscar mein Rang SHARMISTHA GOOPTU Rang de Basanti, a film that generated controversy at the time of its release for being anti-state and anti-democracy, has been nominated as India's official entry to the Oscars in the foreign film category. The nation was omnipresent in Rang de, yet there was an anarchism attached to the nationalist vision that made many uneasy about its implications for a democracy. A bunch of angry youngsters shooting the defence minister, capturing a radio station and forcibly going on air as part of their agenda to expose high-level corruption, and the film's projection of this enterprise as a modern form of the anti-colonial struggle, is not an altogether new theme in popular cinema. A disillusion with politics, politicians and violent reprisal created angry young men of the post-Bachchan years. Yet, most films made such reprisal a matter of personal vendetta; the state stepped in as the ultimate arbiter and one hardly ever questioned its legitimacy. Rang de is disturbing for many, because the Indian state itself becomes suspect, in the same way that the colonial state was. Living in corruption-ridden India becomes comparable to living as a subject population. The framework of constitutional civil rights and duties comes apart. Yet, this is the same film that gets nominated to the Oscars by the Film Federation of India. Is it because in today's India, the nation is under scrutiny? Rang de Basanti is post-colonialism writ large. It does away with the self-other paradigm that has typically conditioned the portrayal of the white person in popular Hindi cinema. Indianness is a sense of being that transcends nationalities and cultures, and reveals the inadequacies of the present. In the film, it is Sue, the white girl, who is inspired by the freedom struggle. Her enthusiasm transforms the lives of a laidback bunch of friends, representative of a generation of Indians who have lost all serious interest in the nation. At the end of the day, she is constructed as very much more "Indian" than the radical traditionalists in the film with their rants against western culture. Does all of this take away from the romantic ideal of the nation? Rang de won out over others in the race for the Oscar nomination, because its contesting of a democracy gone wrong made its romanticism all the more evocative. It successfully manages to make the nationalist ideal a part of youth culture, without any of the jingoism associated with lowbrow, anti-Pakistan films. Hasn't the statist vision always been to inspire the youth in ideals of nationhood, through school textbooks, Republic Day parades and the like? An immensely popular film does the same thing when it links the ideal of the nation with the world-view of a cross-cultured Indian youth. Many would have imagined that Omkara would have outrun other contenders for the nomination. It is a film quite in the vein of Guru Dutt's later films, which speak of disillusion and ultimate defeat of the nationalist vision. Unobtrusively, Omkara speaks for the nation. The small town setting and its intricacies notwithstanding, the larger nation is the backdrop. The entire sexual politics of Omkara with its bahubalis and their godfather, the local MP, is linked to the larger domain of electoral politics. The small town presents a pessimistic view of the nation. There is no sense of the romance with the nation in Omkara, or even Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. Both films have a pessimism quite contrary to heroic and forward-looking character of Rang de. According to a poll conducted by Indiatimes, the only other film that came close to Rang de was Lage Raho Munnabhai. Here again, we have the nationalist ideal writ large. Like Rang de, it becomes a part of youth culture. The upbeat nationalism of Rang de Basanti is in tune with India's new stature as an emerging player in international politics, the rise of a new middle class and rise in living standards. Rang de's nomination shows how the nationalist imagination still reigns when it comes to facing the world and how we are more interested in showcasing the nation rather than national cinema. The writer is a PhD student at the University of Chicago.
smartypants Quote \| Reply \| This message was updated on 10/16/2006 9:55:54 PM by smartypants	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/16/2006 9:51:14 PM i completely agree with this para . for first time ( can't remember any previous hindi film ) , there is a normal british person and most wondrous thing is they are treated as equal and friends . when i saw the film , i was struck by how the sue character is a huge symbol of thinking of new generation , how much post-colonial baggage and inferiority feelings they don't have compared to older generation . quote: Rang de Basanti is post-colonialism writ large. It does away with the self-other paradigm that has typically conditioned the portrayal of the white person in popular Hindi cinema. Indianness is a sense of being that transcends nationalities and cultures, and reveals the inadequacies of the present. In the film, it is Sue, the white girl, who is inspired by the freedom struggle. Her enthusiasm transforms the lives of a laidback bunch of friends, representative of a generation of Indians who have lost all serious interest in the nation. At the end of the day, she is constructed as very much more "Indian" than the radical traditionalists in the film with their rants against western culture. Does all of this take away from the romantic ideal of the nation? one thing that makes no sense in this writer's piece is how omkara has anything related to nationalist politics in it . it talkes of how jalousie can lead to killing !!?
Myshkin_or_Rogozhin Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/17/2006 12:52:55 AM One of the better films to hit the silver screen this year. I am very glad it caused a controversy. After all,films with a political message attached to them sometimes measure their degree of success depending on how much they polarise or provoke. The fact that additionally to any controversy came commercial success or the label 'critically acclaimed'is something i welcome. One of my top 5 films for 2006 and a 8/10 rating from me Thanks for the article smartypants.Interesting thoughts as well
smartypants Quote \| Reply \| This message was updated on 10/17/2006 1:51:42 PM by smartypants	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/17/2006 1:42:07 PM rdb effects . this is a LANDMARK judgement . bbc news articles on this case: Singh convicted in Mattoo rape-murder justice delayed but not denied A young and lively Delhi law student is raped and murdered in her house by a fellow student who is an IPS officer's son. He walks free. Justice has finally been served No matter who you are or how powerful you are, you cannot get away with murder. That was the message of the Delhi High Court, which found Santosh Singh guilty of the rape and murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo ten years ago. Santosh will be sentenced on October 30. He may spend the rest of his life behind bars or be sent to the gallows.
Stalker_012 Quote \| Reply \| This message was updated on 10/17/2006 2:02:11 PM by Stalker_012	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/17/2006 2:01:02 PM I do like this movie a lot and am very happy for the buzz and effects it had. but its a tad overrated in my books. Just a tad Id give it a bit less then MoR id give it 7.5.
smartypants Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/17/2006 2:09:35 PM stalker , the resolution and ending was laughable but the underlying message was to stop cribbing and whining and taking responsibility for state of affairs and that has come through loud and clear all across india since jan 2006 .
moo moo Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/18/2006 3:53:00 PM Quite a shocker. I liked it very much especially since it introduced me formally to Aamir. While the ending is a bit on the wild side, do any of you think it's a good idea to use it to introduce a newbie to Bollywood? It seems to be a blend of both BW and HW. Having quite a HW taste so that the newbie doesn't get "home-sick" and a dash of BW to make the newbie understand just how great BW is. And I want to start her on something "easy".
SuperSonic77 Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/18/2006 8:10:34 PM quote: Quite a shocker. I liked it very much especially since it introduced me formally to Aamir. While the ending is a bit on the wild side, do any of you think it's a good idea to use it to introduce a newbie to Bollywood? It seems to be a blend of both BW and HW. Having quite a HW taste so that the newbie doesn't get "home-sick" and a dash of BW to make the newbie understand just how great BW is. And I want to start her on something "easy". I think this movie was a great vehicle... It introduced Siddarth to Hindi audiences even though he is/was a superstar in Tamil films. Also, it basically launched Kunal Kapoor's career, right? I mean, that is one beautiful man. Even though he was a model and aspiring actor before this, he will definitely get more looks now. I really like this formula of having one superstar rather than have the movie be dominated by superstars. Do you think you would have liked it less if other superstars were slated to play the other roles? I know for me, the answer would be yes. On the other hand if you had a movie that was just filled with newcomers, than it would affect 1) how the movie was made and 2) the audience's reception. Again, Ms. Bhatjia made reference to this in her talk. (Okay, I need to stop referring to her in these posts but I can't help it... I am now a fan of hers )
veracious Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/19/2006 3:52:43 AM quote: do any of you think it's a good idea to use it to introduce a newbie to Bollywood? It seems to be a blend of both BW and HW. I showed it to a relative newbie (this was her sixth film) and it certainly did break what she had previously thought of as the Bollywood mold in many ways. She began referring to the movie as "that Bollywood where everybody dies". That was basically her biggest shock - everybody doesn't live on happily ever after! Also just the swift turn the film takes, it goes from feel-good with kids mocking around to political with kids mocking around with guns. She remarked, "This movie only really starts post-interval!". (From the fangirly point of view, the film has an abudance of cute guys - my friend ended up with a tiniest crush on Kunal..) I'm not sure if I'd use it as a first movie but it's a good movie to show that Bollywood is NOT all 3-hour romance, there are important stories to be told also in this very formulaic industry, and they can be told in a very interesting way. Also the way the songs are incorporated into the narrative is very fresh, not just choreographed sudden dance sequences. It's also not too escapist for Indian cinema - while not realistic either, at least here we have characters talking about the problems in India, and some of them are shown, like corrupt politicians.
SuperSonic77 Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/19/2006 4:55:48 PM Moo_Moo- It seems that I have misinterpreted your question. I have to agree and say that this is a great movie to introduce a newbie to Bollywood movies. It doesn't follow the traditional rubric that was often applied to movies and to some extent still being applied today. But I also think it depends on the person. I would ask what type of films HW or Foreign that the newbie likes as well as gut instinct. Best of luck!
darshana Quote \| Reply \|	Rang De Basanti replied on: 10/20/2006 12:48:03 AM I think Rang De Basanti is a good movie for a newcomer who has preconceptions based on, say, song videos in restaurants, as it can dispel them - though unless you think it's not her kind of movie, I'd put Dil Chahta Hai over this one, because of the problem with the ending of this one.
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