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WHAT THE TEAM REVEALS MAKES IT TIMELESS
SHARMAN JOSHI RAKEYSH OMPRAKASH MEHRA KUNAL KAPOOR PRASOON JOSHI
Played Sukhi Ram
Rang De Basanti is one of the films closest to my heart. The subject is still topical and it will always be, as in the struggle of people with the government. It turned out to be a cult film and it had so much to offer, in terms of entertainment and social message. It was an exceptional film but a difficult one, too.
We did discuss the screenplay and how it would translate onscreen, but Mehra did it beautifully. The difficult part was how the past and the present would work out, the characters are shooting a play and they start relating to it and begin living the
Director and co-producer
RDB has grown to be more than a film. Even when it was released, it had a huge impact — not just on cinema goers but on the collective consciousness of the nation. It also travelled well all over the world — not just in festivals but in educational institutions, management studies and film schools — and found its way to various facets of life. The film has remained young and evergreen, and I don’t know how to describe it but it is a humbling experience to see your work remain relevant.
It was a salute to young generation characters. It was done exceptionally well. There’s one scene I remember; when we are in a jeep and all of us are high on alcohol and Aamir turns to his left and sees Chandra Shekhar Azad riding on a horse. It was so beautifully imagined and shot. To say, present characters relate to the past but to bring it on celluloid is difficult.
I’d auditioned for this part, and back then, in the early days of my career, it was a dream to be cast there and then. After acting for two-three scenes, I got an okay from Mehra. I was so happy that I went to my car and started screaming with joy. along with being a wake-up call. That the film is completing 15 years, one part of me is so happy, yet there is a part which is not very happy because the film is still relevant. The cause it spoke about, the voice it had, if you look around, it looks like so much has changed but nothing has changed. Things like tolerance for each other, social and political awareness, the absence of young participating in the running of the country and the corruption which has dogged for so many years... It is an endless work and I am not blaming or pointing fingers but I hope one day, RDB becomes irrelevant. It says, a lot needs to be done and we need to participate in the idea of India.
Played Aslam Khan
I’ve always believed the best kind of films are the ones that not only entertain but also have something important to say. Something that makes you look at the world around you in a different way. RDB had both. We always knew it was a special script, but what we didn’t know at that point is that it will go beyond just being a film and become a movement. I think, for me, the most important message in the film is that it talks about not being cynical & complaining but taking responsibility and bring about change. And I think that really struck a chord. I remember going for theatre visits after the release, and we had so many people who said that they had people in the families and friends that were so affected by the film that they had decided to leave their jobs in other countries and come back to India to try and contribute to the country. It’s very rare that a film can stir that sort of emotion.
I actually used to be an
Lyricist and dialogue writer
I was collaborating with Aamir for a product campaign, and he asked me to write the dialogues. Simultaneously, Rakeysh sort of talked about the lyrics. It’s a challenge, writing lyrics and dialogues together. I remember, I was in Goa and finished the dialogues in 15 days, and cracked the mukhdas. While thoughts were coming to my mind for the songs, I was clear I won’t write them, as it would be repetitive.
Picking one song is very difficult, all are special for special reasons. I remember Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji watched the film, came out and gave me a hug and told me, ‘Sooraj ko main nigal gaya’ (lines from the song Rubaru). He was repeatedly telling me that line. He himself was a poet and was very moved by the line. The song, Luka Chuppi, was originally not in the film. There was just a background score that was supposed to play during R Madhavan’s character’s funeral. I was sitting with Rahman and told him, what if this was a game of hide and seek between a mother and a son. This song was then written to
composition. assistant with Rakeysh, and I was an assistant when the script of RDB was being written. So I was looking forward to working on the film as an assistant. But then I decided acting was what I was most passionate about and joined a theatre company. A year-and-a-half later, they were casting for RDB and I called Mehra and told him I’d like to audition. He thought the audition was great, put me through a couple of more auditions after that, and I was finally on.