What you don't know about Rang De Basanti

By IndiaFM News Bureau, January 23, 2006 - 23:03 IST

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This Friday is going to be a big day for all the Bollywood fans worldwide. The reason being the release of one of the most awaited films of the year, Rang De Basanti, scheduled on the 26th of Jan. The film is being directed by Rakyesh Mehra and stars Aamir Khan in the role of a youth.

Here we serve you with some interesting tidbits on the film that you might be unaware of.

• One month of readings and rehearsals were conducted at Mehboob Studio that started in Jan 2005. It was an open house for discussions, developments as the actors became the characters in the film.



• Binod Pradhan (the DOP) started attending the sessions, and from thereon started the blocking, shot breakdown of the film.



• During those months, all departments came together under one roof to give life to the papers of hard work. There were dress rehearsals, look tests and meetings with the entire crew.



• The film's first shoot day was special as it was at the Golden temple in Amritsar. After 15 years, for the first time a film crew was allowed to enter and shoot at this holy pilgrimage place.



• The title song of the film 'Rang De Basanti' was picturized in three days. There was a crowd of about 3000 people around. Also the shoot had all the actors along with a crew of 200 people. The extreme cold climate was another member to join in during the shoot. There were dancers who had been got to Mumbai to rehearse with Aamir Khan for the Bhangra dance. But due to a sprain Aamir was unable to carry out the sessions. When the song was to be shot, Aamir spontaneously broke in to dance on the thumping number. The number one bhangra group of Punjab got something to learn looking the ace Aamir Khan performing. The dance has already caught the fancy of the youngsters as they are catching the glimpses of it in the promos.



• Nihangs are the warrior community of North India. They are known for their horse riding. But when Aamir takes on the horse for one shot, the entire unit is spellbound as he surprises everybody by leaving his hands as he rides the horse. The Nihangs' jaws drop! The shot is one of the classic!



• Aamir Khan shot for the first time in North India. He adopts a Punjabi dialect in the film, which is something to watch out for. Aamir was trained to be as authentic as possible, and watch out as Aamir Khan plays DALJEET SINGH in the film



• Prasoon Joshi penned down the songs which show respect for the taste of the youth of our country. The lyrics do not sacrifice the content for modernity.



• The film also had its share of controversies. The film first faced problems as it depicts the frequent crashes of the MIG-21 aircrafts. Madhavan plays one of the pilots who loses his life in one of these crashes. The issue became critical at a point. Also, in the film, certain politicians are shown taking bribes. The issue was then solved when the makers of the film organized a private screening of the film where Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, director Rakeysh Mehra and actor Aamir Khan were present. After seeing the film, it was felt that the scenes were not objectionable.



• As soon as the film got clearance by IAF, the film got in a soup again! This time animal activist and Lok Sabha MP Maneka Gandhi accused the makers of not taking the necessary permission from the Animal Welfare Board of India before filming animals in the movie.