Rang De Basanti

The movie released today after a lot of hype and controversies. I went to see it expecting it to be a little different from the standard escapist fantasies churned out by the Indian film industry (of which I am not a fan). What I got was something so very different from what I had envisioned. The humor,the clichés, the nonchalance of youth, the culture, religion,politics... are all there and the best part is that it works. The storyline though is stretched a bit (we Indians need that) but the message is loud and clear. Throughout the movie a great sense of humor is maintained.The performances are all excellent.

I have given this movie a rating of 10 solely on the basis of the originality of the story. While this movie is definitely not Kurasawa or Satyajit Ray, it is one of the few movies from India which I feel will appeal to both the mainstream and discerning audiences. A movie not to be missed.