Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti (2006) is turning 20 tomorrow on Republic Day.
The film served as a social critique of the prevailing situations of the country.
It portrayed the awakening of responsibility among a group of college students, sceptical about Indian politics and corruption.
Rang De Basanti At 20 | Atul Kulkarni Interview: “A Cult Film From Which There’s Still Much Left To Learn”
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's cult film Rang De Basanti (2006) is turning 20 tomorrow on Republic Day.
Summary
“Art is the great democrat,” wrote John F. Kennedy.
Art makes society see injustices, raise awareness for issues, challenge perceptions, spark debates and discussions—a catalyst mobilising the public for socio-political change.
The mid-2000s in India saw serious socio-economic disparities. Political discontent, corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency were endemic. There was a growing sense of disillusionment and alienation, especially among the youth. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti (2006)—a social critique of the prevailing situations of the country—was like a breath of fresh air. The film portrays the awakening of responsibility among a group of college students, sceptical about Indian politics and corruption. What makes RDB significant is that it draws parallels between the sacrifices made by freedom fighters of the past and the sacrifices needed in the present to expose corruption, negligence and apathy of the establishment and reject the status quo.
In a conversation with Garima Das for Outlook India, Atul Kulkarni, who played a pivotal role in the classic, which completes 20 years this Republic Day, opened up about his character Laxman Pandey, the current cinematic landscape and a lot more. Edited excerpts:
It has been 20 years since Rang De Basanti. Why does it continue to hold social and political relevance even today?
Rang De Basanti is about corruption, and if it holds relevance, then it's unfortunate.
Rang De Basanti cast with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra IMDb
In the current scenario of hyper-nationalistic narratives in mainstream cinema, do you feel the narrative would have changed had it been made today?
Art and culture is something which flows; it’s not constant. And it always depends on what is happening in your education, social and economic systems.
Art is never in limbo. Cultural choices are always a result of all these things. We make the mistake of taking the entire audience of the country and treating it like one audience. It is not so, especially not in India, because if we take a cross-section of the Indian population, there are so many layers economically and socially. So, for every audience, it is a different kind of journey, and 20 years is a long time for any country. Culture is always flowing, like language always changes.
When we say a film is an eye-opener for the youth, then it is about the youth more than the film. It is up to them what kind of cinema should work and what kind of social scenario should be encouraged or opposed. Today, if a film is made where the youth feel this should be celebrated, then I think they'll definitely watch it.
Rang De Basanti is a cult film for a reason and is remembered after 20 years for a reason. Not many films are remembered like that. They are remembered because they should be watched again and things should be learned from films. Not every successful film is a cult film.
It holds its message not only about social points but also about filmmaking and script writing. It will remain a cult film for many years to come. Even film students need to learn from films like RDB as to how a story can be told.
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The film celebrated student activism, giving agency and vocabulary to the youth and made a strong case for dissent and rebellion against a corrupt and failed system. Do you think it would be difficult to make such a film in the current political environment?
I don't know if it's difficult. One needs to make a film like this and check if it's possible.
Rang De Basanti cast IMDb
Coming to your character Laxman Pandey, how did you prepare yourself for this role? How much do you agree or differ from the character's political views?
I'm an actor. So whenever a character is given to me, I give importance to the story, the placement of the character and the scope of performance. As far as the preparation goes, I think the script was written so wonderfully that even if you could understand the character from what it was written, you didn't need much preparation.
One of the most moving aspects in the film was the friendship between your character, who is a young leader of a right-wing political outfit, and Aslam, and how their relationship blossoms despite a stark contrast in political views. Why is such a relationship rare in today's cinema, where we see the 'othering' of Muslims on screen, or we portray them as antagonists?
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Rang De Basanti is an iconic film for a reason. It is celebrated after 20 years for a reason. Every message it wanted to give is in the film, and that is why it is still relevant.
Laxman Pandey's transformation as Bismil and helping Pandey evolve from being a jingoistic Hindu nationalist to being a proud Indian is quite significant. It shows that being anti-government doesn't mean you are anti-national. But today, once you raise your voice or express diverging political views, you become anti-national. Your take?
Laxman Pandey is all about realisation. His character starts with a stock reaction, what has been fed in his mind by mentors and when he actually spends time with the actual people, he realises what the truth is, and that is why he comes and says sorry to Aslam about whatever he was thinking. So that is what that character is about—you have to experience yourself and not just rely on whatever is spread.
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Rang De Basanti blended multiple genres—history, drama, romance, comedy, and other elements. Was it challenging for you to seamlessly transition between different times?
No. I just had to follow the script.
A still from RDB IMDb
Many people were uncomfortable and still some think that the film propagated violent means to end the corruption in the system. Where do you stand on that?
It's a story. Any film or a story tries to make a point and that point is important. That is why the film was loved so much, because people got the point. What was imitated from the film was the candle march.
Do you think that regional cinema can reclaim the critical impulse that mainstream Bollywood has lost?
There is an assumption that Hindi cinema has lost it.
We take out one or two films and apply them to the entire industry. We need to check if that is true. When Rang De Basanti came, it was the sixth film about Bhagat Singh. There were four or five films before on Bhagat Singh and those kinds of themes. But people remember Rang De Basanti now, out of those films. We tend to just concentrate on one or two films and then blame the entire industry, all the filmmakers and the audiences. I don't think that is true.
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