The Rang De Effect

Films have stopped making a difference, we say. They are commercial 'products', all about packaging and hype. But then, something like Rang De Basanti comes along and rewrites the rulebook.

From the Jessica Lal verdict to the anti-reservations protests, students appear to be galvanised by the Aamir Khan starrer into believing that they have a voice, and they should be heard.

• A lot of rage, a little Rang De

The new cry is 'take it to the streets' and RDB director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is obviously pleased. "It has served as a catalyst. As a film, it can't be the reason for people to raise their voices but, somewhere, it has entered the deeper conscience."

It's not just kids watching Rang De to goad themselves on though. Aren't more young people getting actively involved as a direct result of having identified with the film? "People want to take action, but they need one final motivational push and mass media, especially films, have been doing that for ages, teaching us good and bad habits."

With Bollywood, driven always by a herd mentality (the current flavour of the season being sequels), a film like this might actually snap a positive message on to an increasingly synthetic industry. Maybe they'll try and make meaningful films now, if only to emulate RDB's success? Rakeysh disagrees. "That's not necessary. It's important to remember that we should not make it into a formula for success. Rang De was inside me for 7, 8 years. We made it after things fell into place. The team believed in it with complete sincerity, and it caught the angst of the nation today."

There are reports that Mehra wants to make a documentary on The Rang De Effect -- a look at how youth are taking a positive stance as a direct fallout of the movie. Is he? "I think it should be documented, definitely, in some way or the other. A lot of people have been asking me to do it. But I'm not a documentary filmmaker; I don't know if I will be able to do it. I want someone to come forward and take it up."

• Special: Showcasing Rang De Basanti

The Effect, so to speak, has moved beyond India. Mehra is stunned by the reception he got touring with the film in US campuses. "It was a feeling of complete surprise and pleasure. The local students there, the goras -- not just the ethnic Indian community -- could identify with it. After screenings, we had long question and answer sessions, for 2, 2.5 hours!"

"They contextualised the film with their own issues -- apartheid, race relations, the growing disparity between rich and poor, social security, the anti-Bush feeling, crime on the streets -- and they kept discussing these parallels. In fact, at one place, they even enacted a small play. Overall, it was definitely a learning experience because what they deduced from the film was unique. Some of them really surprised me with their observations. They caught minute points I didn't expect anyone to pick up. These are really subtle bits that, as a director, I didn't expect people to notice. It was very heartening."

Mehra's friend and leading man Aamir Khan is currently in the middle of a storm centring around his comments on the Narmada dam issue in Gujarat. The director, as a colleague who joined Aamir in Delhi for the protests, feels very strongly about the issue. "My take is very simple, in big and bold: either the people of Gujarat do not want the tribals and poor farmers to get rehabilitated, or they are saying we are doing this under coercion. We are afraid of the ruling government. They will beat us up, burn theatres, posters, and cause losses of assets. They have scared us."

The fallout of this frankness is that Rang De screenings were stopped in Gujarat, posters vandalised and property destroyed. Rakeysh continues: "Thirdly, the establishment is saying we have legalised lawlessness. Anybody can come on television and say we are the youth wing of the BJP, and that you can't dare show this film in this state -- and this is being said on the national news! Still, the law does not arrest these people. They haven't arrested anyone for burning Rang De hoardings and posters in the state. In my opinion, that is illegal. We are so desensitised that we let it happen, and the people let it happen. This is my stance. Finally, the people of Gujarat as such are completely happy and satisfied with what they are doing, especially the men out there -- accepting the diktat and not coming out and voicing their dissent. It shows the kind of fear that the establishment exerts and the fear the people are used to."

And what of Rakeysh now? Any word on his new film, a reportedly-autobiographical Delhi 6 about his growing up in Chandni Chowk? "There isn't one project I'm working on, there are several. And it remains to be seen which of them gets to first see the light of day. Many coins have to fall into place, not just one or two. It's a collaborative kind of a thing. The right things need to happen. Most importantly, you need to feel ready. That is crucial."

And all these rumours about Delhi 6 starting by the end of this year with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead? Rakeysh laughs. "They are all half truths. People base news reports purely on speculation. No one has come to me, had a cup of coffee and discussed the project. They are writing what they feel like."

After a mega-success like Rang De, the industry's doors must be wide open. "I have to admit that financially, I'm breathing a lot easier while discussing the next project,"he says. "Also, there are many more interested ears, casting-wise. But you have to feel ready. Rang De has been a cathartic experience because it is a super-duper success. That doesn't mean you jump into anything just to cash in." So, with all the balls in the air, does he think he'll start Delhi 6 this year? "I honestly don't think so. It's too early."

Speaking of RDB's success, there was a bit of a controversy after Rakeysh's ads celebrating the success of his film were the subject of heated industry debate. Senior producers like Karan Johar and Rakesh Roshan objected to his calling Rang De the second highest grosser of the decade. "I don't see the conflict. We celebrated the success based on figures available on the Net. The sources were 9 web sites, all the public domain."

"We are proud of the film's commercial success, especially its Indian theatrical performance. That is a very difficult nut to crack. Overseas, it has done well, with record amounts for satellite rights. The DVD is well on its way to being the highest-selling Indian DVD ever. Now, if there is anything to challenge here, there are the figures, for which you must contact the source. Producers have been taking out ads like this for years. The difference is they took their ads out in trade publications, and we went ahead with it in a national daily."

Does he expect to face a lot of friction as a result? "I think the market forces are shifting, so there will be a lot of pull and push as things evolve."