Mohe Tu Rang De Basanti (Colour me the colour of Spring!)

What makes some people more attractive than the others? It is not the clothes they wear or the accent they spout. It is not their looks, not their car, not even the money they have. Instead, it is the sheer energy and the sense of Life they radiate. Shah Rukh Khan is sexy, unbelievably attractive. I don’t think the magnetism lies in his looks or style. It is how vibrant he seems on and off screen. He seems to radiate pure energy and that is damn attractive. Energy, enthusiasm, creativity, optimism – these are qualities one often associates with youth. Yes, youth is the age of beauty, enthusiasm, creativity, plain energy – brilliant and luminous. Why else did Dorian Gray want to remain eternally young, ever charming, strong and beautiful? Watch Rang De Basanti and you’ll know what I mean. The film is filled with all the wonderful colours of youth.

The screen is like a picture canvas splashed with the brightest colours possible. Little wonder that the title song goes,

‘Thodi si dhool meri dharti ki mere vatan ki,
thodi si khushboo bhor aayee si mast pawan ki,
Thodi si bhonk niraali(?) dhak-dhak dhak-dhak dhak dhak saansen,
Jin mein ho junoon junoon woh boondein lal lahoo ki,

Yeh sab tu mila mila le
Phir rang tu khila khila le
Aur moha tu rang de basanti’

(Take a little dust from the earth of my nation,
a little fragrance from the wind,
a little …..
that has the passion of the drops of crimson blood,

Mix all of these and bring up the colour and colour me the colour of spring!)

That’s a lousy translation but English is generally not the best tool to translate the regional languages. Maybe someone can do a better job!

The film tells the story of five youngsters studying in Delhi University. They lead a fairly humdrum student existence till a British film-maker visits them and from then on, their lives are irrevocably changed. Can’t reveal much about the film; you have to go watch it. Everyone has their own take on the film. For me, it is still sinking in. Saturday night, I was exhilarated, charged up, full of admiration. Sunday and Monday, bits and snatches of the film kept floating up into my consciousness. Sadness, awe, amusement, compassion – all these emotions welled up within one after the other.

The film is hugely entertaining. Wonderful camera work, good locations, smart dialogues, inspiring music and neat performances. Yet the film has its own share of seriousness also. While watching the film, I was thinking: India is one of the youngest countries in the world. We have one of the largest youth population in the entire world. Imagine what this huge powerhouse of energy can achieve if guided in the right direction. Cynicism, jadedness, negativity, pessimism – these traits are useless, to be abandoned and we should make sure that these qualities never enter our soul. Optimism, enthusiasm, creativity – these are not specific to youth alone. All of us have these in abundance within. As we grow older, they get submerged under the usual baggage of frustration, doubts and negativity. We only have to look towards the fathers and mothers of free India to get rid of these undesirable qualities. If they had let themselves be influenced by their inner demons, we wouldn’t be breathing the air of a free nation today. Today India is going through her fair share of change. Like a body of work coming to fruition, she
is gradually waking up to realise her whole potential. As any Indian would know, India has so much to offer the rest of the world. With pride in our past, faith in the present and in our selves, we will march into the years ahead with a song in our hearts and a smile on our lips. Tell me, is there any other way to be?

As for ‘Rang de basanti’, I think it will soon turn into the anthem of India today.

Update: I nearly forgot that today is the death anniversary of the Father of India, Mahatma Gandhi. Yes, Albert Einstein’s words ring far truer today than they ever did ‘Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood.‘. Like I mentioned earlier in jwadia‘s post, India is a lucky nation that someone as truly exalted as Gandhiji took birth on her soil. A truer karmayogi, the world has not seen. Words cannot express the depth of my admiration and reverence for the Mahatma. May we all carry a bit of that greatness within.