Om Shanti Om Movie Review

The smash hit Om Shanti Om oozes glitz and glamour. From the plot that is all about stardom to the 42 guest star appearances, Om Shanti Om is a Bollywood film extravaganza. There are some interesting features in the film that make it unique. One is how it incorporates horror movie themes near the end of the film along with the techniques used to create them. The most memorable aspect of Om Shanti Om, also the reason it became such a hit, is how it critiques Bollywood within a Bollywood movie. It is overall a fun movie. It stays away from controversial topics or social justice and really just focuses on entertainment value.

There are very few Hindi movies that are out an out horror flicks. They don’t do particularly well at the box office. Om Shanti Om uses horror themes creatively and ultimately benefits the movie’s appeal. Although the backbone storyline of the film does not support a truly diabolical horror theme that leaves audiences paranoid for days, the small effects meant to be scary were effective. The scene where Sandy appears as Shanti’s in a movie clip that OK and Mukhesh are watching is one example. Although it was a simple play to get audiences to jump a little, it worked! I found myself actually startled at Sandy’s expression and wondering where else she might pop up. In addition, there was an impressive plot twist at the very end of the film where the girl we think is Sandy acting as Shanti actually turns out to be Shanti’s ghost. Hindi movies are all fairly predictable, which is why I did not expect the ending that I saw. I predicted that the movie would carry out the plot it had set up where Sandy tricks Mukhesh into confessing. I was pleasantly surprised when the plot deviated from the most obvious ending and actually had creative finish.

Om Shanti Om is largely a playful critique of Bollywood cinema today. There is a lot of humor and inside jokes that entertain any Bollywood movie fan. Om Shanti Om could be one long skit of the Film Fare awards. In fact, the movie even ventures to the Film Fare awards and features many top rung Bollywood movie stars. Audiences can play “spot the star” during the song “Deewangi Deewangi” much like they do in any award ceremony. Many people watch the film itself, or just that song, to catch a glimpse of all the stars they have not seen acting in a long time.

This film does not have the moral lesson behind it like many of the other films we have watched. The plot is more superficial and highly unrealistic. All of the formulaic qualities present in Hindi films are also present in this film without any attempt to break these conventions, either. The aim of the movie is clearly to let the audience just have fun rather than teach them a new lesson.

For me, Om Shanti Om was a comic relief. It is really the type of Hindi movie I’ve grown up watching; there is hardly any substance in the plot but the humor and bedazzling quality of the whole film makes it a good watch anyway.

Maisha Mir

Om Shanti Om

Farah Khan has directed many amazing movies since she began her career, but I think Om Shanti Om (2007) has been one of her better works. It is a smooth combination of almost every emotion possible, a classic example of Bollywood’s famous “navras” theme. This movie does not address any serious social or political issues; instead, it focuses on the stereotypical Hindi cinema and its famous actors over the years.
The storyline of this movie is both unoriginal and very new. Although not an exact copy, the story is based off of the 1980 movie Karz (Subhash Ghai), in which a woman kills her husband after acquiring his wealth. This man comes back as a famous singer, and the rest of the story is very similar to the second half of Om Shanti Om. In my opinion, this older version of the story was not as cheesy and dramatic as the newer version is. It does not include the incredibly unbelievable plot twist of a man being born with the same exact name and face as the man he was in his previous life. This, I thought, was the weak point of Om Shanti Om. However, the originality of the film made up for this; making fun of Indian movies at the same time as conforming to their standards is not an easy feat, but these aspects put together made for an excellent film. What made it better was the fact that, the more you know about Bollywood, the more sense the movie makes.
The actors in the movie were the strongest point, in my opinion. Not only did “King Khan” (SRK) play two roles in the film, but actress Deepika Padukone made a debut and exceeded everyone’s expectations with her flawless performance and great on-screen chemistry with Shah Rukh. Along with these two, there were countless movie stars that made an appearance in the movie. For some, this was simply a publicity technique; for others, it was their chance to come back after disappearing from Bollywood for years. For example, during the song sequence right after Om Kapoor wins the Best Actor award ("Deewangi Deewangi"), a few old actors such as Dharmendra and Rekha did a small dance as a tribute to their own years spent in Bollywood. Also during this song, many of today's most popular actors did their own parts in the dance to contribute to Hindi cinema's increasing talent and their devoted fans. I thought this song was exciting for this reason, and I also really enjoyed the other songs in the movie; almost every one of them had colorful and fun dances to make them even better. A big contribution to this film's success was the innovative idea of making Om and Shanti seem as old as they are supposed to be by putting SRK and Deepika into scenes from multiple old movies. This was creative and new for Inda, and it gave the movie a new dimension.
For the reasons stated above, Om Shanti Om was able to appeal to both young and older audiences. Other than a little bit of controversy over the ethics of disrespecting old Bollywood actors (such as Manoj Kumar), this movie was an overall success. It was an old story renewed and made somewhat "modern" while still sticking to the roots of Bollywood culture. Although its drama aspect was over the top in some parts, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anyone who is willing to test their knowledge of Hindi cinema.

Om Shanti Om

Rachel Young

Farah Khan’s 2007 film Om Shanti Om is an outrageously funny, tongue-in-cheek tribute to the past 30 years of Bollywood cinema. Filled to the brim with parodies of popular movies, film stars, production companies, and Hindi film as a whole, and then topped off by an enjoyable storyline, this movie is an engrossing treat for audiences. However, there’s more to the film than its snappy plot and the special appearances of many of Bollywood’s famous movie stars. Hidden beneath the excitement, viewers can still find some of the staple messages that have appeared in Hindi films for the past fifty years.
Om Shanti Om begins with the introduction of Om, a ‘junior artist’ (he plays extras in all of his films and cannot seem to get a lead role), who lives in 1970s Bombay and is trying to become a movie star. His mother and friend Pappu are also actors (although his mother retired when she had Om) and they support him in everything. Om is head-over-heels in love with the famous movie star, Shanti Priya, but can never get close to her, as he is only a junior artist. One day on the set of one of her films, Shanti gets trapped among burning haystacks (a homage to the film Mother India), from which Om saves her. They soon strike up a friendship, and Om begins to think that she might love him too. After filming one day, Om follows Shanti as she storms off to her dressing room. Om hides in an adjoining room and overhears Shanti talking with the film’s producer, Mukesh. Om is shocked to learn that Shanti and Mukesh are secretly married and that Shanti is expecting a baby. Later, Om follows Mukesh and Shanti as they go to the set of their film, Om Shanti Om, where Mukesh starts a fire and locks Shanti inside to die. Om tries to save her, but in the ensuing struggle between himself and Mukesh’s men, and then an explosion from within the building, Om is thrown onto a road and hit by a car. At the hospital, the driver’s wife gives birth to a baby boy just as Om dies. Coincidentally, the driver is Rajesh Kapoor, a famous actor, and Om is reborn as the child (and renamed Om, oddly enough).
Thirty years later, Om has grown into the most famous actor of his day, able to make his own rules and run his films exactly the way he wants. Now calling himself ‘OK’ (for Om Kapoor), Om is haunted by images he doesn’t understand, such as a fear of fire and remembering an acceptance speech he made in his past life. Pappu realizes who OK is and goes to visit him, releasing all of Om old memories. OK returns to his past-life’s mother, and together with Pappu, they decide to get Mukesh back for Shanti’s murder.
OK contacts Mukesh and asks him to remake Om Shanti Om, and at the same time, OK finds an actress named Sandhiya (who is Shanti’s doppelganger) to play Shanti’s ghost. Filming begins at the old ruins where Shanti was burned to death, and Sandhiya appears spookily to Mukesh to scare him. After seeing Sandhiya bleed, Mukesh realizes that the whole thing was a set up and he confronts OK. At the same time, Sandhiya shows up to give her final reprimand to Mukesh. OK tries to tell her that Mukesh knows everything and to drop the act, but she’s really in character. As she curses Mukesh, a large chandelier falls and crushes Mukesh. The next moment, Sandy and Pappu rush into the room, revealing that Shanti’s ghost had actually been the woman in the room moments before, and now she has her peace.
There are several little messages tucked into this storyline. For example, when OK is reborn, he is a selfish, rich kid who has everything handed to him on a silver platter. As opposed to his hard working previous self, who was kind to everyone and had a heart of gold, OK is self-centered and rude. On top of that, OK refuses to show up to sets on time, won’t do double-takes, and practically takes over for the directors. Once he realizes who he is (or was), OK returns to his first mother and becomes a cooperative actor who cares about other people. There seems to be a message here that only famous people can be famous; that no one can become a movie star in Bollywood unless they have connections. (This contrasts to Shahrukh Khan himself, who seems to be one of the only examples of self-made famous actor) The movie might be trying to say that Bollywood is full of ‘old blood’, made up of actors who may not be the cream of the crop, but are famous through association. Perhaps the film is making a slight suggestion that Hindi cinema make an effort to establish new stars, although this seems odd in a film filled with famous movie stars from famous families, the exact type of actors the movie cuts down.
There is also some focus on female actors in Bollywood and the struggles they face dealing with marriage and having children. Om’s mother mentions at the beginning that she gave up her career in films when she became pregnant with Om, and Mukesh kills Shanti because he knows that once she has a baby, she won’t be able to land roles as a heroine in films. Shanti and Mukesh also discuss their hidden marriage, which must be kept a secret from the public because audiences won’t support a married female lead. These small points seem to suggest that women in Bollywood are unfairly treated and shouldn’t have to give up their careers when they get married, that in fact forcing female actors to behave in this certain way can lead to detrimental side effects in their personal lives. All in all, this film is really enjoyable, although I suggest that viewers find a list of all of the spoofs hidden within the movie; otherwise they may not understand much of the comedy.

Om Shanti Om

Uday Reddy

India is known for its flamboyance and glamour, something that certainly transfers over to Indian Cinema. Released in 2007 throughout the world, Om Shanti Om was a tremendously successful film both in India and abroad. Even in the United States, it was greatly popular while only opening in a select amount of theaters. Directed by Farah Khan and produced by Gauri khan, Om Shanti Om served as a parody on many of the quintessential stereotypes of Indian cinema. It was not a hostile film, as most of the stars being parodied actually appear in the film itself. It served to pay tribute and respect to the “Bollywood Greats” that laid the foundation for modern Indian cinema. Om Shanti Om is an excellent melodramatic-comedy that plays on all of the stereotypes we love to hate about Bollywood.
Om Shanti Om starts out by introducing the main character, Om Prakash Makhija (Shahrukh Khan), a struggling actor in Bombay during the 1970’s film boom. He and his friend Pappu (Shreyas Talpade) both are aspiring to become big stars in Bollywood. Pappu, knowing that Om is very much in love with the accress Shanti Priya (Deepika Padukone), swindles his way into getting tickets for her new movie Dreamy Girl. The movie turns out to just be scenes from old movies, combined and re-marketed as a new one. Never-the-less, Om is overwhelmed by the on-screen images and soon begins fantasizing himself in the movie; dreaming that it is he that Shanti desires. Not wanting to accept reality, he proceeds to get intoxicated and rambles to Pappu and some local street kids about how he is going to one day become a huge star. While perusing his dream of stardom, Om finds himself on the same set as Shanti. To his luck, a fire breaks out endangering Shanti and the opportunity to become a hero presents itself to Om. After a moment of shock, he leaps into action and pulls her out of the fire’s reach. He playfully tries to seem like a big-shot but the nervousness of being around her leads to him becoming truthful. They become friendly, but the next time they meet he is shrugged off. He follows Shanti to her dressing room and learns the dark secret of the movie.
Shanti is actually married to the producer of the movie, Mukesh Mehra, and is pregnant with his child. Mukesh is a very seedy businessman, and must appear to be married to another woman to promote his new movie, Om Shanti Om. We learn that the marriage between Shanti and Mukesh is a secret, and Shanti demands that it be revealed to the public. Mukesh refuses, and Shanti reveals to him that she is pregnant with his child. Overhearing all of this, Om’s heart is naturally crushed. He finds that his love is trapped in a relationship with a scoundrel, and pregnant with his child.
He spends many days anguishing in this new revelation and one night notices Shanti and Mukesh going to the set of his new movie. We see Mukesh telling Shanti that he will honor all of her wishes and his duty as a Hindustani by declaring their marriage in public, cancelling the movie, and having a very grand and flamboyant wedding. His affection turns to anger though, and he ends up furious with Shanti. He blames all of his recent problems on her and in a fit of rage sets fire to the set, imprisoning her inside. He leaves her to die, with his men are guarding the set. Om rushes in to try and save her but is stopped by Mukesh’s goons. The set finally explodes, jettisoning Om into the street where he is hit by a passing car. As it turns out, this passing car is owned by Rajesh Kapoor, a well known actor. He is taking his pregnant wife to the hospital, and Om is rushed there as well. Unfortunately, Om dies of his injuries just before Kapoor’s son is born. The boy is named Om.
The film then shifts to the newly born Om’s early life. He is seen to be the re-incarnation of the original Om, but better. The new Om, or Om 2.0, is a successful actor living in luxury in modern day India. But whereas Om 1.0 had heart, the new Om is cast as the shallow and uncaring modern day Indian actor. Going by the nick-name “OK”, Om Kapoor constantly has flashbacks of the old Om, so much so that it affects his public actions. The movies shifts to a modern day film awards ceremony, where the movie shows its parody shift. The actors, nominated for the “Best Actor” award, are mostly cliché performances and OK’s films, being nominated for two movies, are basically the same thing. The movie finishes after OK, starring in a much older Mukesh’s comeback to cinema, manages to trick him into confessing. They re-make Om Shanti Om, where many “incarnations” of actors is seen, and they come up with the idea of tricking Mukesh into thinking he is seeing the ghost of Shanti. It somehow works despite their terrible coordination, until Mukesh sees that the ghost Shanti is not actually a ghost. He is knocked over by a falling chandelier. In a final twist, the real ghost Shanti appears revealing that she did not actually die in the fire, but that Mukesh returned to the set and buried her beneath a fallen chandelier. In a predictable twist of irony, Mukesh is killed in the same spot in the exact same way, by a falling chandelier.
Om Shanti Om’s songs are both comedic and honoring of the songs that have impacted so many lives both in India and abroad. I really liked all of the songs, they were very funny and entertaining. Most other song and dance scenes got boring and repetitive but the ones in this film were fresh and entertaining.
In the film, SRK was obviously cast to play a double role, as Om and OK. The first half of the film sets the groundwork for which the second half is based, and OK is blatantly shown to be the re-incarnation of Om. Pappu and Om’s Mom pretty much knew, and were confirmed after OK suggests they team up to show Mukesh’s true nature. OK displays many twitches and characteristics of the old Om.
Om Shanti Om embraces all of the stereotypes that we see in the movie, which is why I think it’s such a great film. Throughout the film, significant nods are made toward reoccurring Bollywood themes and ideas. There are many sneak appearances of Bollywoods most famous actors and the songs that incorporate everyone are really nice. The film is definitely a parody of traditional Indian cinema stereotypes, but not in a hostile way. Shah Rukh Khan, the star of the film, makes fun of himself during the awards ceremony and many of the actors that were parodied in the movie actually appear in the song and dance sequences. I, for one, really enjoyed this film. It served as a sort of “end credits” for this Hindi cinema class because so many of the actors and actresses that we have studied over the course of the semester are paid tribute to, or appear in this film. Om Shanti Om was a fantastic film to end the semester with.

Om Shanti Om

Mark Wiebers

Om Shanti Om

Om Shanti Om (2007) was one of the years smash hits with a successful soundtrack. Traveling in India during it’s release it was impossible to miss. The songs were being played in what seemed like every galli, ricksha, dukan and radio. The bright movie posters with Deepika and India’s beloved Shah Rukh Khan were plastered everywhere. The magnetite of the movie produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s wife Gouri Khan was impossible to miss. Knowing little Hindi, I went and saw the film but did not understand what all the fuss was about. The aesthetics and music were outstanding but I did not get something. Three years later I watched Om Shanti Om again after increasing my knowledge of Hindi and Bollywood, but this time I saw the light. The film is packed full of numerous absurdities, jokes and insights into the industry past and present. This review is about discussing some of those inside (almost all Indian viewers) attributes and parts I liked about the movie.

Shah Rukh Khan has a double role in the film. First he is a poor junior artist named Om Prakash Makhija trying to make in the film industry. He inspires to make it big and says that if you want something enough then the universe will provide it. He then is hit by a car and dies, only to be reborn into a well to do Bollywood industrialist family. Shah Rukh Khan in his later incarnation is named Om Kapoor. This is ironic three levels. First, the Kapoor family in reality is actual one of the Bollywood industrialists and pass on the acting tradition to their children. In Om Shanti Om through reincarnation Shah Rukh Khan goes from rags to riches through two lifetimes. The second irony is that Shah Rukh Khan in real life is one of the only actors to make it big in Bollywood, who is not from a established family. Third, in reality it only took Shah Rukh Khan one lifetime to reach the top of stardom.

In Om Shanti Om there were many cameos that was pretty much the who’s who in Bollywood. During the dance sequence to the films title track, the group of Bollywood stardom seem to have a wonderful time. There is actors, producers and directors alike that all join and dance during the number. This scene especially is an example of the feel good flavor of most of the film.

Comic relief in this feel is seen throughout the film. My favorite comedic scene when Om Prakash is shooting his movies as a junior artist. These scenes make fun of two elements in Bollywood. First, Shah Rukh Khan’s acting is above and beyond the normal exaggeration seen in Bollywood film. The effects of him flying through the air were also what some my refer to as “cheesy” as flys through the air. This whole time a hippi is saying wow what acting, wow what flying and so on. The hippi repeated this for almost every overemphasis move Om Prakash made. Second, it pokes fun at the smaller film industry such as the B industry and other Indian languages cinema. This is done by the showing the ridicules nature and topics of the film. The next topic is irony in randomness in Bollywood film.

When Om Kapoor goes into the studio for the first time he is late and lax. Then to make the movie he is acting more exciting and appealing, he says we need a disco number. The director does not understand but magically a modern disco number is pulled off. The dance sequence to Dard De Disco is a smash hit, but in Om Shanti Om and the movie being filmed in Om Shanti Om, there is no relevance. Yet this is another irony that Om Shanti Om pokes fun of Bollywood. Thus, the film craft fully makes fun of itself.

As mentioned above there are so many inside references in this movie to mention in this review. But the thing that makes Om Shanti Om so brilliant is that it has the ability to make fun of the some of the ironies in the industry. The film produced by Gouri Khan (Shah Ruhk’s) wife was truly a film made by an insider made for the insider with knowledge about Bollywood.

Sydney Blach

Film Review #5

May 3, 2010

Om Shanti Om

Om Shanti Om, a Farah Khan film, was released in 2007. The film is a story packed full of drama, excitement, and above all humor and satire. At the start of the movie the audience is introduced to Om (Shah Ruhk Khan), an aspiring film hero living in Bombay as a B-film, “junior actor.” On top of the dream to become a hero (not just a film-star and not just famous, but a hero) Om dreams of marrying the mega-star Shantipriya, commonly referred to as Shanti. Recalling a famous Bollywood moment, Shanti is trapped in a burning field of hay while on set filming a new movie, just like Nargis was trapped while filming Mother India. Remembering that after she was rescued from the fire Nargis married her hero, Om acts as the hero and leaps into the fire to rescue Shanti. Though the love in this case is one sided, Om and Shanti become good friends. There is a connection between the two, allowing for the thought that maybe one day the two would surpass a mere friendship. This is all turned upside-down however when the audience get to overhear, thanks to Om's spying, a conversation between Shanti and her unexpected husband, Mukesh, a corrupt film director who is producing the film Om Shanti Om. Shanti reveals to Mukesh that she is aware of his relationship with another woman, and that she is pregnant with his child. Shanti is seen begging Mukesh to reveal to the public his relationship with her, but Mukesh refuses using the excuse that “No one will fund a married heroine's film” and that he will marry her in front of everyone after the debut of his huge debut film. As it turns out, Mukesh is the corrupt jerk he seems to be and misleads Shanti into believing that he has planned and elaborate wedding for them at the set of his film. This proves to be a con when he sets the place on fire, locking Shanti inside. Om is a witness to all of this and attempts to save Shanti from the fire once again, but this times is beat and killed by the Mukesh's comrades that he sent to make sure Shanti doesn't survive. While attempting to find help, Om is hit by the car of the famous Kapoor, who is on the way to the hospital as his wife is in labor. At the same instant the Kapoor baby is born, Om dies, and Kapoor decides to name his new baby son, “Om.”

Fast forward about twenty-five years and the audience is introduced to Om Kapoor, the very famous movie star, who goes by the name “OK.” It is here that the comedic relief of the film is introduced. Many comments about Bollywood are made such as the mother as an overly dramatic character, Shah Ruhk as the same character in every film, the fact that you have to be a Kapoor or a Bacchan to be an A-list actor rather than a B, and the ridiculous stories that are written by directors.

Om, as well as the audience realize that Om Kapoor is a reincarnation of the old Om when OK's dad has a party for him to celebrate his winning of the film-fare award. Here he is introduced to “Mike” and told that “Mike” is a largely successful Hollywood director and would like to work with OK. The trick is that “Mike” is actually Mukesh. When Om realizes this, he has a recollection of all the events from his past life, of Shanti, and of his family. He then reconnects with his family, and schemes up a master plan to get back at Mukesh and avenge the death of Shanti.

In order to do so, he searches for a Shanti look-alike, finding Sandy, and tells Mike he has the perfect place for the set of the film they will make together. He takes Mike to the burnt down set of Om Shanti Om and immediately starts playing with Mike's head, using Sandy to make him believe he is seeing the ghost of Shanti. As the film is wrapped up the master plan is set into place, though none of Om's plans actually work out. Instead, there is a divine intervention and Shanti really does appear as a ghost, killing Mukesh under the chandelier that he claimed he would marry Shanti under but instead buried her dead body underneath.

Om Shanti Om

Sabrina Lee
Laura Brueck
Review #5
May 3rd, 2010
Om Shanti Om
A film that debuted to wild success not just due to the presence of Shahruku Kahn, but almost every major star in Hindi cinema, Om Shanti Om is one of the more interesting and certainly fun films of the selection in the semester. The first time in Hindi films there is a ghost takes place in this film as far as anyone in the class seemed able to figure out, this seemed like a hint of western influence, but Shanti's ghost also followed a slightly trite plot one might find in the west. That fact took away some of the interest in the character of the ghost, given she plays a very small part during the beginning and only shows up later to help the hero who got to be reincarnated finish off the evil producer. Some conventions of Bollywood films are broken, such as women being vengeful and taking out their spite in a murderous form, but this seems all tied to our old friend the evil influence of the west and America which shows in how OK later acts, and how the producer always behaves so wickedly in the tie to his western and apparently evil counterparts that are never seen. The only way the west is shown tends to be through OK and his backup dancers, and the two bald men he seems to own as bodyguards. How camp the movie is in this case happens to be half the fun especially when they are filming the fake movie that OK stars in as a cripple that somehow starts to dance in the middle. The songs were enjoyable, and the one following the Filmfare awards simply seemed like a fun excuse to get as many stars as possible together to enjoy themselves and make sort of a party for the industry as a spectacle. The end of the film has no wedding, there is no real love story after the main characters die, as OK has a singular mind, but it still feels like a very large rip on the Hindi film experience as seen by the people who make the world's biggest film industry possible.

Om Shanti Om

Kaely Mayes
May 1, 2010
Hindi 2441

Om Shanti Om

Om Shanti Om, 2007, was only the second film produced by Farah Khan and validated her position as a leading director in the industry. This tribute to the Hindi cinema industry is ornate production of sly spoof of Bollywood’s inhabitants, and as a homage to the films of past, present and future. This ridiculously funny comedy combined with moving melodrama come together to create an unforgettable film. The only negative to this film is that due to its many “inside” jokes, someone who is not familiar with Bollywood would not thoroughly enjoy this film. Yet, for those who are familiar with Bollywood films and their actors, this movie is hilarious. This parody is similar to the idea of Roasts in Hollywood. A Roast is when Hollywood wants to honor an actor, especially comedians, by having a show on TV where the “Roastee” has many of his close friends and other celebrities bash on him. While these can get fairly vicious at times it is still a huge honor to be chosen for this event. This movie shows the same concept of making-fun of Bollywood as an honor.

Om is your average young actor looking for the big times as a hero, but until then he struggles as a Junior Artist hoping to be noticed. It is made light that even his parents who were once Junior Artists and still failed to become famous, but that doesn’t stop the dream and even makes to strengthen Om’s purpose. He is joined in his aspiration by his friend/partner-in-crime Pappu and his dream to marry his imaginary girlfriend, actress Shanti Priya. At the premiere of Shanti’s new film Om gets his chance to meet his true love, after his shirt sleeve gets caught on her outfit, and get her attention, when after sneaking in with Pappu and starts to dance in the middle of the theater only to be chased out by security. He is once again lucky to meet Shanti on the set of her next film when a scene goes out of control and she is stuck in a sea of fire. Once Om realizes that no one is trying to save her he himself jumps into the fire and ends up rescuing her. Om’s luck turns for the better when he meets up with her on another set and she agrees to go to dinner with Om. They have a beautiful and romantic night and Om thins that she is now his, but that does not last very long. The next day when he tries to talk to her she ignores him and so he follows her to see what the problem is. He ends up finding her arguing in a room with her producer, Mukesh Mehra, over the fact she doesn’t want to keep their marriage a secret anymore, especially now that she is pregnant. Mukesh is upset because he has a new film lined up ,Om Shanti Om, and that he needs to be publicly engaged to another woman for funding, he can’t afford to let the engagement go. Om is devastated, but being the amazingly sweet guy he is says that he is ok with it, due to the fact that if she is happy he is happy. One night while Om is wandering around the studio premises he stumbles upon Shanti and Mukesh on one of the sets. Mukesh starts to gush about how he loves Shanti and wants to finally tell the world about them, but everything is not as it seems when Mukesh explains his real reason to be out there. Mukesh doesn’t want anything to get in his way of becoming a famous and rich director, especially not some pregnant wife, and he proceeds to light the set of the new film Om Shanti Om on fire and lock her in. Om tries desperately to save Shanti, but just as he gets to her he is thrown through the window and is then run over by a car. Om dies shortly thereafter in the hospital and the set that Shanti is trapped in explodes. There is a small miracle in work though, as Om was hit by famous actor Kapoor and as Om dies, Kapoor wife gives birth to a son. It is then shown that Kapoor’s new son is the reincarnation of Om; even so much as to take on not only the same physical features, but the same name. The only difference between the two is that the new Om, called OK by his fans, is a spoiled movie star. During the filming of a new film of OK’s, he is taken to the set which is the old burned down studio and he starts to have flashbacks to Om’s past. OK does not know what is going on with him, but during the after party of an Awards night, he is bombarded with all the memories surrounding his previous death. Then to rub salt in the newly opened wounds, Mukesh walks into the room after 20 years producing in Hollywood. When OK finds out that Mukesh is producing his next film Ok has the idea to get Mukesh to confess to his crimes, so he suggests that they re-do Om Shanti Om. Mukesh refuses at first to do the film again, but Ok manages to convince Mukesh to produce it. OK then enlists the help of Pappu and Om’s mother, the two had a suspicion that OK was Om all along, and they come up with a devious plot to get revenge. After holding auditions for the part of Shanti, they find Sandyha who is practically a double of Shanti. The time has come for revenge, Ok and everyone sets up an elaborate scheme to use Sandhya to play the ghost of Shanti to scare Mukesh into spilling his secret. It starts working and Mukesh is terrified enough to try and run away, but Ok stops him by asking Mukesh to stay for only a couple more days. Once more they create an elaborate set, which is the exact copy of the one that burned down, and Ok sets up a song sequence called Daastaan-e-om Shanti Om, in which Ok tells the tale of Shanti’s demise at the hands of Mukesh. The song coupled with glimpses of “Shanti” starts to work and Mukesh starts to get scared. Everything goes as planned until Mukesh sees that “Shanti” can bleed and thus uncovers the plot against him, but he is in for a surprise when the chandelier swings down on top of him, knocking him unconscious. When he comes to, Ok is waiting and reveals that he knows what Mukesh did, yet it back fires when Mukesh also reveals he knows about the ploy to get him to talk. It is a surprise when “Shanti” appears as according to plan and is taken back when “Shanti” tells about what happened after the fire tore the building down, when Mukesh came back to make sure she was dead. Yet, when Mukesh came back he found her still alive, so he proceeded to strangle her and bury her under the chandelier. After the revelation, Ok is surprised once again when the chandelier falls again, this time all the way on top of Mukesh, successfully killing him. As Ok watches “Shanti” he is taken back when Pappu and Sandhya run into the room, thus Ok realizes that the woman before was the actual ghost of Shanti.

This film uses many scenes of past films and present characters to show the underlying theme of recycling and repeating storylines in Bollywood films. For example, in the scene where Om rescues Shanti from the out of control set fire is a parallel to Nargis, of Mother India, and her very own fire disaster. Just as Om saves Shanti by jumping into the fire, Sunil Dutt also jumped into the fire to save Nargis. It also uses double meanings to show how the Bollywood industry is full of reoccurring themes. This is accomplished by using references to show that what is going on now has been used before. An example would be during the song Dhoom Tana when Farah Khan uses superimposed shots of previous films and of Shanti singing and dancing. Then to switch in Om as the past males, using it as more of a dream sequence. Another example would be during the award ceremony when they are showing the clips for best male actor and both of OK's films are shown to be the exact same theme, just different names. It is also making fun of how not only does OK play the smame roles, but Shahruhk Khan also plays the same roles over and over again.


This film is a must see for any Bollywood fan!!!

Om Shanti Om by SHRESTHA

Aasish Shrestha

Review #5

Om Shanti Om

2007’s Om Shanti Om is the second film by Bollywood’s only successful female filmmaker, Farah Khan. It is also her second film that we watched as a class after 2004’s Main Hoon Na. The two were the most hilarious and entertaining films that we watched this semester, including K3G, and all starring Shah Rukh Khan. SRK also produced MHN and OSO with his wife, Gauri Khan. I liked how we watched MHN as our first film as an introduction to Bollywood and ended the class with OSO after we’ve learned so much and now a lot familiar with the film industry and its stars. OSO had more stars in the film than all of the stars combined in the 13 movies we saw over the semester. I don’t know whether to say if the movie was a parody or a tribute to Bollywood… maybe both. It was also the first time that I saw in a Hindi film that the term “Bollywood” being emphasized as it was in OSO… but in a good way.

SRK plays Om Prakash Makhija in the first half of the film. Om is a struggling junior artist who wants to make it in the Bollywood film industry as its biggest star. He is madly in love with the industry’s current leading actress, Shantipriya (Deeepika Padukone, who was phenomenal opposite SRK in her debut film). The two finally meet on set when Om rescues her from a burning field of fire. This is a reference to Sunil Dutt rescuing Nargis from a fire during the shooting of 1957’s Mother India. Om and Shanti become acquainted afterwards, however, Shanti is in love with her selfish and manipulating husband, Mukesh aka Mike (Arjun Rampal). Mike betrays Shanti after she tells him that she is pregnant with his child. Mike leaves her to her burning death. Om witnesses all this but also dies trying to save her. He is reincarnated as the child of a famous lead actor, Rajesh Kapoor. 30 years later, Om Prakash Makhija becomes Om Kapoor aka OK. He is now the spoiled star child who cares less about being a good actor and is only in the film industry due to his last name and status. He suddenly has a recollection of his past life during one of his shootings on the same set as Shantipriya’s incomplete film. Then, as he is announced the best actor in the Filmfare awards ceremony, everything about Om Prakash Makhija comes back to him. OK sees Om, the junior artist, giving an acceptance speech and realizes how fortunate his current life is. He also remembers Om’s family and what happened to Shantipriya. With the help of the old Om’s family, OK plots to make Mike pay for his sins. OK, an Om look-alike, also runs into Sandy, a Shanti look-alike. They try to scare Mike as much as possible at first, but the cunning Mike soon finds out about their scheme. However, to everyone’s surprise, the real ghost of Shantipriya shows up to kill Mike once and for all. The film ends, but the “picture is not yet over, my friend.” Farah Khan’s signature ending credits style is again displayed in OSO with every single cast and crew making a cameo. It is always fun to watch the people behind the camera who worked so hard on the film get a chance to appear on screen. All in all, it was a great Bollywood motion picture.

The soundtrack to OSO is amazing. I personally love all the songs. There are songs like ‘Ajab Si’ and ‘Main Agar Kahoon’, which are just great to listen to, and then there are tracks like ‘Dhoom Taana,’ ‘Dard-e-Disco,’ and ‘Deewangi Deewangi’ which makes you want to get up and dance. The video for ‘Dhoom Taana’ was extraordinary. The special effects are remarkable. The inserts from classic Bollywood movies are well done. I think this was a first for Indian cinema. The last song called ‘Dastaan-e-Om Shanti Om’ summarizes the entire first part of the movie. The music video for this song is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Phantom of the Opera because of the cinematic style and costumes. The costumes in the first half of the film were well put together. The make-up and costumes really made it seem like it was set during the 70s. Other videos like SRK’s sensual, abs exposing, dream sequence, male item number for ‘Dard-e-Disco,’ and the who’s who of Bollywood cameo, multi-starrer “Deewangi Deewangi’ were modern and illustrated the culture and fashion of today.

The film contained numerous intertextual and filmic references that made the film so interesting and amusing to watch. The movie referenced many classic and popular Bollywood films, famous actor and actresses, film characters, dialogues, and cinematic styles. After watching so many films in class, OSO seemed funnier, relatable, and the clichés and inside jokes were comprehensible.

Rang De Basanti Movie Review

Rang De Basanti is an entirely new kind of Bollywood film. It does not use conventional Bollywood filmic techniques and even deviates from the formulaic nature of Hindi films. In fact, it resembles Western films in several ways and seems to have a goal of harmoniously combining the two cultures. Nonetheless, there are still residual features of classic Hindi films such as the reverential mother figure or loyalty to country. Rang De Basanti is a platform for more serious issues in India to be displayed without as much sugar-coating. It takes a long, hard look at patriotism in the 21^st century and actually transfuses the old passion that existed in Indian citizens into the apathetic youth of today.

One of the most noticeable changes in Rang de Basanti is the camera work. Without getting very technical, the movie has more sporadic, quick movements of the camera than the traditional smooth and flowing filming. Camera work in Rang De Basanti resembles filming done by real human hands, like in a documentary. It has the same kind of flaws a human might make in the filming process like shaking or angling the camera slightly off. It seems to me like there is a goal of creating life-like conditions and this camera style is one way of doing so. Another change from the norm is how this film uses collages, time-lapse clips, and the blurred, picture-like images to represent memories. The scene where Ajay proposes to Sonia and the group of friends celebrates is an example of all of these techniques. The scene is filmed as if it is a snapshot of a memory, with a collage of images sown together and some of them slowed down for a crisp illustration while others are fuzzy like an escaping memory. This type of editing creates the feel of a documentary rather dramatic setting of a regular Bollywood film.

While Rang De Basanti appears revolutionary on the outside, it still perpetuates some of the classic trends and themes in Bollywood cinema. One obvious example is how the mother figures are still viewed as the moral center and held in great esteem. Another common trend that we see once again in RDB is how women are pushed aside by the end of the film in order to make room for the male characters to develop. Sue, who was the center of the action for a majority of the film, disappears near the end and is left totally out of the loop. Then there is the matter of patriotism. RDB is based entirely on patriotism like many of it’s predecessors in the Hindi film industry,

One of the more innovative features of the film is it’s attempt to reach out to youth culture. The whole movie is catered to young people and their interest. Sonia and her friends engage in behavior that is considered risky and hip which causes younger audiences to at least be interested. It combines the older, more traditional theme of love for one’s country and puts it in a modern context. Personally, I found it hard to relate to all the notions of undying patriotism as well, but the movie put into perspective how I can interact with the emotion as well. RBD addresses youth’s apathetic nature and then clearly shows how and why they should change that around.

There is an unveiling of India in RBD that we’ve never seen in previous Hindi movies. The rot under the shiny exterior is visible in this movie and acknowledged. India is not portrayed as a perfect and moral example of how a socially conscious nation should be. Instead, there is direct confrontation of the corruption rampant through the country but there is also evidence of the things that make the country a place worth saving and loving. The only other movie I can think of that has been so candid about the state of India is Slumdog Millionaire. Both films seem to be applauded for their brave presentation of the truth.

There is also less emphasis on the song and dance sequences than normal. I have taken the stand that RBD would have been better given more eloquent and descriptive songs. While it is a refreshment getting a break from all of the lengthy songs we see in every Bollywood film, I believe a Bollywood movie needs to have adequate songs in order to be effective. I realize that RBD was going for a more realistic angle and a dream sequence would just ruin the style of the movie. There are other ways to go about creating a meaningful song within the movie and keep the realistic feel. They could have made the music more inspirational than anything, kind of like Lagaan. The songs in Lagaan helped the movie and it’s message immensely; I can only imagine it would have done the same for Rang De Basanti.

Overall I enjoyed the movie. The first time I saw it, however, I didn’t like it because I just was not used to the new format of filmic RBD employed. I found it difficult to adjust and simply decided not to like the movie. Having watched it again, I realize that the new style is opportune for promoting the morals that RBD advocates. The different style complements the message and makes it better understood. I also really appreciate how practical the film is. It inspires youth, teaching them what can be done to make the world a better place instead just how to fantasize (mostly about the opposite sex). Although I wouldn’t want every Hindi film to emanate the techniques used in Rang De Basanti, it does make a great addition to the vast collection of great Hindi movies.

Maisha Mir

Rang de Basanti

Uday Reddy

Rang de Basanti, directed by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra in 2006, tells the story of a British woman making a documentary about India. Inspired by her Grandfather’s diary, Sue (Alice Patten), travels to India to recreate the story of early Indian freedom fighters. She recruits five college kids to star in her film, and they reluctantly agree to cooperate. Her friend Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) helps her find four guys to play the part of the revolutionaries, Daljit or “DJ” as he is referred to (Aamir Khan), Karan (Siddharth Narayan), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor), Laxman (Atul Kulkarni), and Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) are all cast to fill the roles. Filling their days with partying and shenanigans, the group is very representative of modern day youths in India. They are not really concerned with social issues, or political issues, or anything other than childish things really. They participate in things that the previous generation considered seedy, such as being flirtatious and bribing police officers. The one exception, though, is Laxman who is inspired and is able to identify the problems with corruption India is facing. He thinks that India’s youth is far too concerned with popular culture than social issues.
The next big plot shift in the movie happens when Ajay, Sonia’s fiancé and also a Flight Lieutenant in the Indian Air Force, is killed when his plane crashes. The government insists that it was caused by a pilot accident and that Ajay is to blame. Sure of Ajay’s abilities, Sonia and her gang suspects that foul play has occurred and investigates. Eventually, they learn that the reason for the crash was due to faulty parts that the corrupt defense minister signed off on as part of a political contract, and in a shocking turn of events they learn that it was actually Karan’s father that was behind the faulty parts, the defense minister was only in it for the money.
Shocked by this new discovery, the gang decides to take action and protests in New Delhi. The police and protesters clash, leaving many injured including Rathod’s mother. The gang is even more fired up and realizes that the only way that they will get through to the government and the media is to assassinate the defense minister. Karan embarks on his own vendetta, against his father and ends up killing him as punishment for his corruption. What the gang didn’t think of is if the public would realize why the two have died, and instead the defense minister is considered a hero by the Indian people. The gang takes things to the next level when they storm a local radio station. Unfortunately for them, the radio station is evacuated of all employees, making the Police’ job of storming the building and killing all the freedom fighters that much easier.
While the gang isn’t exactly the most elite group, they definitely show many important themes and ideas throughout the movie. The group is used to show audiences that even the most uninspired Indians can come together for the greater good of the country. The group shows that even though one may die while fighting for one’s cause, it is still the just thing to do. Ajay is an obvious hero in the movie, dying for his country and serving as a catalyst for all the change that the group fights for. Even in the beginning of the film, Ajay is always pro-India, and the others (especially Karan) are decidedly anti-government. I feel that Karan is definitely the end hero in this movie though. He always is becoming the “better man”, and during his speech at the end of the movie, actually encourages joining the military and government to fight corruption from the inside out.
Sue was a critical part of the introduction of the film, but I feel that she really takes a back seat role in the film as it progressed. The film started being less about the previous revolutionaries and started shifting to the modern day issues that plague India. The song and dance in this movie were quite different than previous Bollywood movies, they were much less glamorous and much more heart touching and meaningful, in my opinion.
Rang de Basanti inspires and captivates audiences. I really enjoyed this movie because it showed that one does not have to be violent to get their point across. And actually, if they were not violent they would probably still be alive. But at the same time, they probably would have not been as successful. Nevertheless, Rang de Basanti is a great movie that really mashes past mentalities, with modern day controversies and issues.

Rang De Basanti

Grace Hennessy
HIND 2441
26 April 2010
Rang De Basanti
Written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Rang De Basanti was released in 2006. The movie begins by telling the story of a young British girl, Sue McKinley (Alice Patten) who aspires to travel to India to make a movie following the events of her grandfather’s journal. Her grandfather was stationed in India during the early 1920s and witnessed the start of the independence movement, with a small group of freedom fighters. She becomes inspired by the will of the young men and hopes to find similar characters to play the roles on her visit to India. With the help of her friend Sonia, (Soha Ali Khan) she meets a young group of college students, begins to make a movie, and falls in love. She casts Daljit (Aamir Khan), Karan Singhania (Siddarth Narayan), Alsam (Kunal Kapoor), Laxman Pandley (Atul Kulkarni) and Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) as the young revolutionaries: Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Ram Prasad Bismil.
At first the group of young college students are uninspired. They come from priviledged lives and have never had to fight for anything before. However, as the movie progresses they learn about the sudden death of Sonia’s fiancée, Ajay Singh Rathod (R. Madhavan), caused by cheap, faulty airplane purchased by the government. After this, the characters’ feel the intensity felt by the original freedom fighters they were scripted to play. Further injustice is held against Ajay’s family and friends when their family is forcibly removed from publicly mourning his death. Everyone is injured, and Ajay’s mother slips into a coma. From here, the group begins a plan of action. They decide to bring justice to Ajay’s death they will have to murder the corrupt Defence Minister (Mohan Agashe). After nothing is brought to light on the corruption regarding Ajay’s death, they decide that in order to bring light to the situation, they must publicly announce it to India. Fortunately, they have a friend who hosts a talk show for All India Radio, and the group decides to hijack his morning program. On live radio they reveal their secret of killing the Defence Minister and their motivation, and crowds gather outside, along with the military. The movie ends with all of the young men being shot.
So far, I feel like this is the most modern movie we have watched. The way the young college students are portrayed, with the drinking and smoking seemed realistic. I thought that it accurately displayed the injustices of India’s government and left you feeling with the hope that it can change.

Rang De Basanti

Rang De Basanti was released in 2006 and for the most part was well received. It stars Aamir Khan as DJ, Siddarth Nayaran as Karan, Soha Ali Khan as Sonia, Kunal Kapoor as Aslam, Sharman Joshi as Sukhi, and Laxman Pandey as Atul Kulkarni . The leading character is played by British actress Alice Patten as Sue. Sue travels to India to film a docudrama about five individuals who gave their lives for the independence and freedom of India. With help from her friend Sonia she recruits four guys to play her lead characters- Dj, Karan, Aslam, and Sukhi, Sonia of course lends a hand in the film and later Atul comes in. The interesting thing to note with these characters is that they all come from very different backgrounds. Aslam is a Muslim who appears to come from a family that could be considered lower class. Dj is a Sikh and his family background seems to be middle class. Karan is a Hindu who very wealthy, we are not shown Sonia or Sukhi’s background but it is safe to assume they are middle class/upper middle class Hindus. Then you have Atul who belongs to the Hindu right and is not shy about showing his contempt for Muslims. All are good friends except for Atul who clearly does not like Aslam because of his religious beliefs. While filming at first does not go well, not everyone is taking it seriously and then you have the tension with Atul; but then things start to come together. One begins to see the characters become their “characters”. Everything changes when Sonia’s fiancé, Ajay, dies in a plane crash. It is then revealed that his death among many others pilots before him were a result of a corrupt government. Because of the government’s refusal to take responsibility for Ajays death, the group of friends plan a “sit in” I protest. This of course creates a riot resulting in almost everyone getting hurt and Ajay’s mother winds up in a coma.

While Sue was a central character in the first part of the film, we don’t really see her in the second half. It is in the second half that we see these six characters take on the “freedom fighters” personas. They decide that they must kill the defense minister, because he would never take responsibility and he had to pay for his corruption. In a rather quick transition the minister is killed and the guys decide to turn themselves in. It is never explained why Sonia is not an active part in the killing. The guys hijack a radio station so that they can tell their story. Swat teams storm with the order to leave no one alive. The audience watches as each of the men die. This is to mirror the men they were playing in Sue’s film. Life was imitating art and well history.

This film had some really great moments; however, it was not perfect. While in the beginning Sue has good intentions it seems as if she lives too much in India’s past (in her grandfather’s journals). It seems irresponsible that she would go to India and engage with people about politics, without understanding the political situation. She also seems to not even try to understand why these guys act the way they do. Her ignorance does not help her situation, it is also strange that no one explains the situation to her and why everyone is acting the way they are.

Despite the reenactments being rather cheesy, one look at Aslams (from a female perspective he was by far the best looking of the bunch –swoon-) face and they are forgivable. While at first I was irked at the thought that once again we have a situation in which a white foreigner comes in to teach the people their own culture/heritage/history, however, sometimes it takes looking at things from another perspective, or rather someone shaking you to see what is in front of your nose.

This is not your typical Bollywood film. Yes there are songs and dancing, however, there is nothing flashy about this film. This film touches on situations that are likely to happen. One can see Bollywoods/ Indian cinemas turn towards realism with this film. It is a definite must watch!

-Sonja

Inquilbad Zindabad, Youth Culture and Recognition of History in Rang De Basanti

Mark Wiebers

Inquilbad Zindabad, Youth Culture and Recognition of History in Rang De Basanti

In contemporary India there is a constant reminder of the revolution for independence and empowerment. A picture of Gandhi or Nehru is on many walls in government offices, Gandhi’s face is on all rupee notes, and there are thousands of statues of Gandhi, Neru and Ambedkar. All only material remnants with symbolic left over ideals of the empowerment of all Indians. The phrase Inquilab Zindabad (long live the revolution) seems to have as much meaning in the present as the past. The revolution of the empowerment of all Indians and to end their suffering is still in effect. But in the current day this idea has seemed to passed as the Indian youth are becoming more cosmopolitan. This is similar to how some groups during the Independence movement are emphasized, and others like the Hindustan Socialists Republican Association and Subas Bose are put to the background. These groups that used violence were also a part of the revolution. Rang De Basanti was a monumental film, that targeted the young Indian and challenged them the recognize other groups in Independence movement, and realized that Inquilab Zindabad was still in effect.

Rang De Basanti starts with a British filmmaker (Sue) whose grandfather was jailer of Bhagat Singh. The jailer received Bhagat Singh’s journal. The jounal was going to be used for Sue’s film. Sue learns Hindi and goes to Delhi University to find the cast for her movie. She soon finds that college students now days are much like their Western counterpart enjoying partying and being with friends. She has a difficult time finding the characters but soon finds DJ Sonia Karan Sukhi Laxman Ajay, and Aslam. They were going to play members of the Hindustan Socialists Republican Association. After some trials Sue makes the crew realize that they are doing more than a movie, they are reenacting their own history. Through making the movie and by their best friend dying during duty with the air force, they transform their perception about their country, empowerment and their inquilab. Then during a candle light visual for Ajay (air force pilot) Ajays mother is beaten to death by the police. Interesting enough, the students at this point realize Bhagat Singh’s writings.

In Bhagat Singh’s writing he warned about tyranny. Bhagat Singh explained that the changing of power from the White Sahib to the Brown Sahib, maybe would only pass the tyranny on. Thus the true empowerment of the people would be impossible. In the film, after the police beatings, the students understand the writings of Bhagat Singh, and the slogan Inquilab Zindabad. The revolution was not over nor a piece of history. The students decide to take action and destroy a radio station giving miss information. In their quest they are shot and killed by the police. Like during the HSRA movement, like the character the students played, all sacrificed their life for their revolution.

One very interesting aspects of this film is that it was partly made for a renascences in history. The main characters were like many contemporary Indian student. Because of this the movie spoke directly to students, reminding them of their lesser known or publicized history. The film also brought up the point that empowerment preached by revolutionaries of independence has not been met. And the revolution is not over, nor will be over until the goal is met. The phrase Inquilab Zindabad was used in the film numerous times, possibly with the hope that it will re-resonate with the youth, so that the dream of revolution and empowerment will not end.

Rand De Basanti

Sydney Blach
April 26, 2010
Bollywood; TR 3:30-4:45
Film Review #4

Rang De Basanti

Rang De Basanti is a unique story about a group of young friends living in India during the late 90’s and the journey they embark on, the lessons they learn, and the risks they take. While the film is set in the present, much reference to India’s past is referenced and introduced to the characters by the unsuspecting English woman, Sue. Sue is visiting India to fulfill her dream to make a film about the diary of her grandfather which tells the factual story about the prosecution of the group of Freedom Fighters led by Bhagat Singh. On her quest to create her movie, Sue befriended Sonia, a young Indian girl who introduces Sue to her country and serves as her assistant in making the dream of the film turn into a reality. Upon Sue’s arrival, the two hold auditions to find the perfect caste members to personify Bhagat Singh, Ramparasad Bismil, Rajguru, Ashfaqualla Khan, and Chandrashekhar Azad. After the grueling auditions, feeling a bit discouraged the girls decide to take a break from work and go to the “classroom” where Sue and the audience are introduced to DJ, Sukhi, Karan, and Aslam. After a night of introductions, partying and feasting Sue has an epitome that these are exactly the young men she is looking for to represent the freedom fighters in her film. Within this scene we are also introduced to Laxman who will also eventually be apart of the group despite that he is the one that breaks up the party at the “classroom” suggesting that this generation is hopeless as they are much too influenced by Western culture.
The next day the group gets to work but it is hard for them to focus because they are much too disconnected to the feelings the freedom fighters had, and the devotion they had for the country. It’s not until later in the film, after the death of Ajay, Sonia’s future husband and best friend to the group of boys, that there is passion and meaning behind the characters they are representing. Ajay was a flight lieutenant for the India Air Force, and was constantly telling the boys that no country is perfect, but he is proud to fight for his because he is proud of his country regardless. Despite his true patriotic nature and heroic deed in saving a village from death and destruction in exchange for his own death, the Defense Minister calls him a “rash pilot,” ultimately taking the blame off of himself and onto Ajay. These insults infuriate the group of friends, and just like the freedom fighters, they begin on a quest for revenge starting as a very peaceful protest against the corrupt government. They begin by holding a candlelight vigil in Ajay’s honor which is violently disrupted by the police sending Ajay’s elderly mother into a coma, and leaving Aslam viciously beaten. This is the very instance the morality of the group changes, inciting in them passion to be the change they want to see.
There is a clear transition in the film when we see DJ sleeping and Sue’s lap and Sue thinks to herself “maybe DJ wasn’t sleeping, maybe none of them were, maybe they were all waking up.” The last part of them film is about their transforming into the Freedom Fighter they were acting as in Sue’s film and the actions they take in order to seek justice from the government. The very next scene is a flashing between a conversation between Bhagat Singh and his men and DJ and his men on the top of the roof discussing what the only thing left to do is to kill the source of the problems. This is when the boys decide the best way to avenge Ajay’s death and the abuse they have received ever since in to kill the Defense Minister himself, and so they shoot him on his morning walk, and there is an uproar in the country about the terrorist acts. Disappointed with the reactions their actions receive, they then decide to broadcast over the radio and explain that the reason for the assassination was not an act of terrorism but instead an act of justice. When government officials get word that the Defense Minster’s assassinators are at the radio station they send patrol with the orders to kill them all. Police bombard the radio station in the midst of live news broadcasts and do exactly as told, first they shoot Sukhi, then Aslam and Laxman die next to one another, and last Karan and DJ are killed while sharing a last joke about the color of DJ and Sue’s kids’ skin.

Rang de Basanti

Kimberly Crater
Movie Review: Rang de Basanti
Rakesh Omprakash Mehra’s 2006 film, Rang de Basanti, combines the stories of a modern-day group of friends and a pre-independence era group of freedom fighters. Rang de Basanti was nominated and won several awards, including its nomination for an award in 2007 from the British Academy of Television and Arts.
Sue (Alice Patten) is a novice British filmmaker who, inspired by her grandfather’s journal, goes to India to make a documentary based on the lives of pre-independence freedom fighters, Chandrashekhar Azad (Aamir Khan), Bhagat Singh (Siddharth), Rajguru (Sharman Joshi), Ashfaqullah Khan (Kunal Kapoor) and Ramprasad Bismil (Atul Kulkarni). Sue’s grandfather had been an officer in the British army who captured, tortured and eventually killed some of the freedom fighters. Once in India, Sue meets a group of self-described rebels and casts them in her film. Daljeet/DJ becomes Azad, Karan R. Singhania is cast as Bhagat Singh, Sukhi as Rajguru, Aslam for Khan and Laxman as Bismil completes Sue’s cast. However, when their friend dies in plane crash due to faulty parts provided by the India government, the group of friends, who had once cared about nothing but drinking and staying out of trouble, begin to embody their historical counterparts in a plot to avenge their friend and inspire a generation.
Rang de Basanti is riddled with irony. Sue, who is quintessentially British, is the granddaughter of a colonial British jailer who worked against the revolutionary movement in the 1920s. Yet, Sue chastises DJ and his friends for not caring enough about their history. Despite her unforgettable connection to the colonial past, Sue lectures the boys on the importance of remembering the men who died for their freedom. However, as DJ, Karan and the others begin to embody their historical counterparts, Sue fades into the background of their lives. When they decide to kill the Defense Minister, Sue is noticeably absent from the meeting; even through it was her movie that inspired their bold decision.
DJ and his friends are, at first, carefree and uninterested in the problems facing their country. They are quick to join in the corruption as they bribe police officers to avoid punishment. Karan even excitedly anticipates going to America for school and leaving the problems of India. When Ajay enters as a patriotic pilot in the Indian Air Force, everyone seems eager to refute the notion that anyone would be willing to die for the country. Dejected, the boys imply that the corruption is rampant from the head of the government trickling down to even the local police force. Karan leads the others in a decisively anti-government, anti-army mentality. Ajay is the opposite believing that by joining the army; anyone could make a difference and fix what is wrong in the country. He is adamant that it would be an honor to die for the country. When his plane malfunctions due to substandard parts, Ajay proves his dedication to his country by sacrificing his life to save civilians. Following Ajay’s death and subsequent dishonoring by the government, DJ, Karan and their friends are inspired to fight the corruption and kill the Defense Minister and Karan’s father who they see as responsible for the faulty parts that led to Ajay’s plane crash. However, during Karan’s final speech at the radio station, he admits that killing the Defense Minster was not the best choice of action, acknowledging that politicians are elected by the people. Karan implores the youth to take appropriate actions to fight what they see as wrong in the country. Instead of murder, Karan encourages joining the military, police and take other government positions. News interviews near the end of the film showed that Karan succeeded to inspire a generation to do what he, just a few days prior, was steadfastly against. Despite blaming the government and military for Ajay’s death and the police for the beating of Ajay’s mother at a peaceful protest, Karan passionately pleads for people to join those agencies as a way to fight the corruption inherent within them.
Rang de Basanti is an inspiring political film taking aim at unbridled political corruption and the lackadaisical and apathetic attitude of the youth.
Works Cited
"Rang De Basanti (2006)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. Apr. 2010.
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Rang De Basanti. Dir. Rakesh Mehra. Perf. Aamir Khan, Siddharth. 2006. DVD.

Rang De Basanti

Sabrina Lee

Laura Brueck

Rang De Basanti

April 26th, 2010

Ministers and Mothers

The popularity of Rang De Basanti is not surprising, it has everything most

Bollywood films do, but while being politically charged it takes a few steps away

from the typical formula which has been on display all semester. The most blatant

example is the inclusion of a foreigner that is not seen in a humorous light, the

only other instance of that being in Lagaan though it could be argued. One of the

main characters shoots his father, and violence is a major part but it is violence

directed at the state instead of for the overall interests of the state as they

appear to be. It could be argued they did it in the interest of the state, but

killing corrupt ministers is still something that brings the laws of a bollywood

film crashing down on their head by the end when gunned down at the All India Radio

station while Sue can do nothing but fret and worry in a taxi cab. The fact that

during the scenes with flight there is not actually very much centering around the

accident before it occurs makes the drama focus on the group of friends, more than

the crash itself though it might have had to do with the immense budget of staging a

scene like that without it looking entirely gimmicky like the bus crash scene in

Veer-Zara. The irony is that after seeing this film, it has been announced of

massive corruption in the biggest success of the biggest national sport, the IPL

involves a foreign minister in the government. The effects of the film are intended

to spark some desire in the middle class to enter into public service to change it

from the inside, but the desire not to be faced with the poverty that challenges so

many Indians may not be able to stand up to the emotional force of the movie. The

plot is slightly manipulative, namely the scene at the Delhi gate, where the mother

is beaten while mourning for her fighter pilot son? The romantic job of the fighter

pilot has long been on the imagination of many nations, and it is simple to pull at

the emotions of the audience when giving someone the light of a martyr, powerful and

effective for the plot of the movie which takes a bizarre turn after the patriotic

movie finishes filming. Sue could have had another ten minutes on screen after the

boys all died in the radio station where she releases the movie to grand reception,

but the nationalist streak takes hold and overrides the plot as it often does at the

end of any bollywood film as if it is a prerequisite. The standard plot that is fun

and games before intermission, and then a dark turn after also applies, which also

detracts slightly from the flow of how things were going. A story about people

became a story about the country, however the film about the Kakori robbery might as

well have been that element without the addition of making the death of fighter

pilots the fault of the Russians, and the Indian government. The US would not arm

countries that were becoming strong in the cold war without strategic interests,

thus India went with the better and more inexpensive Soviet government for defense,

and still does to this day as Pakistan receives huge amounts of military aide from

the US. The introspective look at the cost of being a modern power at the end of the

film felt forced, and more manipulation which cannot be blamed entirely on the

government. This film was released only years before the first Indian developed air

superiority fighter was announced, and newer migs are being bought but they

shouldn't be in active service, and that point of the film was well delivered I

felt. A mig-21 is generally a plane that has not even been in operation in Russia

for twenty years, so the argument of strategy of air power cannot be engaged when

pushed against the outrage present in the film. It is certainly a youth film, from

the poor and especially to middle class children of college age who are not certain

about their prospects in the country when being an diaspora in a more developed

country is such a tempting thing to be.

Rang De Basanti

Allie Padnos
Film Review
Rang De Basanti

Rang De Basanti is an inspiring political film that has made a tremendous impact on Bollywood cinema and society in India. Sue, an English woman, is introduced immediately in the film and we learn she is planning on making a documentary drama in India about the revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement that took place in the 1920’s. The documentary was structured around her Grandfathers Diary, who was a British officer during the revolutionist movement. Rang De Basanti is unique because there are two different coinciding stories occurring through out the movie. The parallelism is significant because one plot focuses on the historical events in the 1920’s, while the other plot is about college students who become inspired by the freedom fighters and the documentary they are creating. This film differentiates from other Bollywood productions since the focus is primarily on youth political war, but still displays typical themes of national identity/self-sacrifice, religion, and tradition.
When Sue arrives to India she meets up with her friend Sonia, and she is quickly introduced to Sonia’s boyfriend and group of guy friends. The close group of friends all attends a university, but display different college characteristics then typical Bollywood films since they do not spend time at school. Immaturity was displayed by the group of boys and they did not want to become part of reality and the real world since there days were full of having fun and partying. The group consisted of six males; DJ, who was very popular, Karan, who was the son of a man highly involved with the government, Aslam, the Muslim of the group, Sukhi, who was depicted as the baby of the group, Laxman, who believed the political system created betterment for India, and Ajay, a flight lieutenant for India. DJ developed a crush on Sue decided that the group would help act in her documentary. At first it was hard for Sue to create the movie since the boys were taking it as a joke and always goofing off in serious situations. She was astonished the college students knew very little about their Indian history. Half way through the film reality hit the group of boys which forever changed there lives, and led them to develop new characteristics and forced them to take on a new perspective on India.
The tragic death of Ajay created a huge impact on the group. Ajay died in a plane crash because the parts of the plane were poorly put together. He was a hero of India because he flew the plane elsewhere which prevented many deaths of innocent citizens, which displayed national pride and his honor of putting his nation before his own life. The Government depicted his death as reckless and non-heroic which degraded his honor of a flight lieutenant which tremendously upset his family, friends, and fiancée Sonia. The group used the documentary as inspiration and the fight for freedom seen in the 1920’s served as their foundation to politically fight the corruptness of the Government. Their mind-set drastically changed to the ideal of bettering the country through political movements to advocate change. In order to make the corruption apparent, the group had a memorial for Ajay in a populated public area. The Police started beating innocent people and even Laxman started to become aware of the corruption, which changed his initial standing point towards the Government. In order to create a bigger impact, the group decided to kill a head official of the Government, and then later announce they were the killers and what prompted them to become involved. This broadcast was done at the local radio headquarters. In the end the group of five was gunned down at the radio station, once they unfolded their story to the public. They truly self-sacrificed themselves for the betterment of the nation, which is a traditional Hindustani theme.
Religion was displayed in Rang De Basanti because there were scenes from the documentary showing how the freedom fighters would pray in jail to help them get through their harsh conditions. Also their publicly displayed memorial for Ajay was a religion reference. DJ’s mother was often seen praying throughout the film. Although Ajay appeared to be the only one with Hindustani values of the nation state in the beginning of the film, his friends proved they would die for their country in the end. The film showed self-sacrifice was evident for the group of people because they wanted change for the betterment of the people of India. The idea of self-sacrifice has been traditionally seen in Bollywood films.
The music was significantly different then any Bollywood film we have watched yet. It did not seem to emphasize the major themes of the film and was not sung by the actors. The music was recorded and would intensify the happiness of the group as they danced with each other. Overall the music did not add a significant effect to Rang De Basanti.
At first I did not like the film because it was complex to follow who everyone was in the beginning. I thought the first half was extremely slow, but once the second part started I changed my overall standing on the film. I ended up really liking Rang De Basanti because it was action packed and had a great structure in the second half. I did not like the music because I like the traditional type of singing and dancing. The making of the movie and special effects were very modern which made the film too western based influenced. I enjoyed the emphases on political corruption and the connection of traditional Bollywood thematic ideas. Overall Rang De Basanti took an interesting new direction in Bollywood film, making the film highly successful.

DDLJ

Grace Hennessy
HIND 2441
15 March 2010
Roja—Film Review
Released in 1992, originally as a Tamil film, Mani Ratnam’s Roja stars Arvind Swamy as Rishi Kumar and Madhoo as Roja. The movie opens to set the tone of the movie: a Kashmiri separatist group is being chased through the hills of Northern India by the Indian army and the capturing of Wasim Khan. The next scene cuts to a South Indian village, where happy melodies are being sung and the young Roja is shown dancing through fields and waterfalls with her younger sister. These two scenes, intentionally meant to contrast each other, set up the two plotlines within the movie: the threat of the Kashmiri separatist group and a love story. Rishi Kumar has travelled to Roja’s village to marry her older sister. However, after they meet, she begs him not to marry her because she has already promised her heart to someone else. Rishi cannot leave the village empty handed and humiliated, so he chooses Roja as his bride instead. The two are married and they move back to his flat in the city. Initially, Roja refuses to love Rishi because she believes she has stolen her sister’s groom, but after the confusion is cleared up, she becomes a devout lover. A week after their marriage, Rishi, a ‘cryptologist’ working for a government contractor, is sent to Kashmir, in place of his boss, to de-code messages being received from the separatist group. Roja insists that she comes along as well, and they treat it as a mock-honeymoon. Upon their arrival, Roja immediately notices the lack of people and military presence. Rishi explains that it is a dangerous place and that there is a curfew, drawing Roja closer to him. The night after they consummate their marriage, Roja heads to the temple to thank the gods for such a wonderful husband, and in looking for her, Rishi is captured by the same militant group. The rest of the movie focuses on the rescuing of Rishi from the group, and Roja’s battle against the military to save her husband. This part of the movie is compiled of scenes in which Rishi attempts to defend India’s honor while being held captive and Roja with the guide, Chajoo, pestering officers of many different ranks. The movie ends with the release of Rishi by softhearted terrorist Liaqat, and a grand reunion between Roja and Rishi.
Roja instills a strong sense of national pride within its Indian audience as well as a fear of Islam. It presents a one-sided account of the Kashmiri separatist group and fails to comment on the atrocities India has committed against Kashmiri civilians. The separatist group is represented as extremists and a threat to India’s well being. They are incapable of separating religion from state, or practicing religious tolerance, and are depicted as praying to Allah with their guns next to them. The scene introducing Kashmir in the movie is a compilation of scenes of a military base, bombs, and the group of terrorists doing their morning prayers alongside their automatics. The separatist group is further represented as irrational extremists when Liaqat reveals that they are fighting a ‘jihad’ and that they want to be separated from India. Rishi, who they have held captive, in hopes of the release of Wasim Khan, defends the Indian nation state at all opportunities. When held up to a recorder and told to ask for the release of Wasim Khan, Rishi responds ‘Jai Hind!’ repeatedly, even after severe beatings. The ultimate scene of Indian patriotism is a scene in which the Kashmiri separatists light an Indian flag on fire. Rishi runs out of the small hut, kicks the culprit in the face, and rolls on the Indian flag until the flames are transferred to his clothes. He then continues to fight the terrorist and the patriotic song by Subramania Bharati about the unity of India plays in the background.
After watching Roja I was somewhat put-off by the portrayal of Islam and the Kashmiri separatist group. The overall movie made me feel uncomfortable and it left me with the question of whether or not the film invoked the same feeling of national pride within its Muslim viewers as it Hindu ones.

Roja

Grace Hennessy

HIND 2441

15 March 2010

Roja—Film Review

Released in 1992, originally as a Tamil film, Mani Ratnam’s Roja stars Arvind Swamy as Rishi Kumar and Madhoo as Roja. The movie opens to set the tone of the movie: a Kashmiri separatist group is being chased through the hills of Northern India by the Indian army and the capturing of Wasim Khan. The next scene cuts to a South Indian village, where happy melodies are being sung and the young Roja is shown dancing through fields and waterfalls with her younger sister. These two scenes, intentionally meant to contrast each other, set up the two plotlines within the movie: the threat of the Kashmiri separatist group and a love story. Rishi Kumar has travelled to Roja’s village to marry her older sister. However, after they meet, she begs him not to marry her because she has already promised her heart to someone else. Rishi cannot leave the village empty handed and humiliated, so he chooses Roja as his bride instead. The two are married and they move back to his flat in the city. Initially, Roja refuses to love Rishi because she believes she has stolen her sister’s groom, but after the confusion is cleared up, she becomes a devout lover. A week after their marriage, Rishi, a ‘cryptologist’ working for a government contractor, is sent to Kashmir, in place of his boss, to de-code messages being received from the separatist group. Roja insists that she comes along as well, and they treat it as a mock-honeymoon. Upon their arrival, Roja immediately notices the lack of people and military presence. Rishi explains that it is a dangerous place and that there is a curfew, drawing Roja closer to him. The night after they consummate their marriage, Roja heads to the temple to thank the gods for such a wonderful husband, and in looking for her, Rishi is captured by the same militant group. The rest of the movie focuses on the rescuing of Rishi from the group, and Roja’s battle against the military to save her husband. This part of the movie is compiled of scenes in which Rishi attempts to defend India’s honor while being held captive and Roja with the guide, Chajoo, pestering officers of many different ranks. The movie ends with the release of Rishi by softhearted terrorist Liaqat, and a grand reunion between Roja and Rishi.

Roja instills a strong sense of national pride within its Indian audience as well as a fear of Islam. It presents a one-sided account of the Kashmiri separatist group and fails to comment on the atrocities India has committed against Kashmiri civilians. The separatist group is represented as extremists and a threat to India’s well being. They are incapable of separating religion from state, or practicing religious tolerance, and are depicted as praying to Allah with their guns next to them. The scene introducing Kashmir in the movie is a compilation of scenes of a military base, bombs, and the group of terrorists doing their morning prayers alongside their automatics. The separatist group is further represented as irrational extremists when Liaqat reveals that they are fighting a ‘jihad’ and that they want to be separated from India. Rishi, who they have held captive, in hopes of the release of Wasim Khan, defends the Indian nation state at all opportunities. When held up to a recorder and told to ask for the release of Wasim Khan, Rishi responds ‘Jai Hind!’ repeatedly, even after severe beatings. The ultimate scene of Indian patriotism is a scene in which the Kashmiri separatists light an Indian flag on fire. Rishi runs out of the small hut, kicks the culprit in the face, and rolls on the Indian flag until the flames are transferred to his clothes. He then continues to fight the terrorist and the patriotic song by Subramania Bharati about the unity of India plays in the background.

After watching Roja I was somewhat put-off by the portrayal of Islam and the Kashmiri separatist group. The overall movie made me feel uncomfortable and it left me with the question of whether or not the film invoked the same feeling of national pride within its Muslim viewers as it Hindu ones.