Nothing has really changed?

Rang De Basanthi (Colour me with colours of spring, Colours of Sacrifice, Hindi; 2006)

The story is the same, irrespective of the times. It is always the own people going after their kind. The people in the lowest of the pecking order are still the victims. The leaders cajole the general public to agree on something. It then becomes a decree. Failing to conform to the law is classified as high treason and death become a justified form of punishment to the lawbreakers. The modus operandi is always the same. Only the setting differs.

This movie is said to be a milestone in stirring the nationalistic spirit commonly found in modern-day India. The culture of speaking out in the open against the powers that be, candle vigils and on the spot media coverage of 'breaking news'seems to have permeated into modern day living so seamlessly.

Creatively, this film tries to portray how the general public just ends up being slaves. If we look at a time before Independence, the people are taken for a ride by the colonial masters, depriving them of their rights and dignity.

They thought Independence would change all that; that Indians would be their own master, free to do things as they wished. They thought life would be different. Surprise, surprise. Sixty years (then) into independence things remain the same. If before, it used to be that public had to resist the tyranny of the foreign invaders, now it is the powerplay of political leaders, religious zealots and unscrupulous businessmen. The struggle is the same, the issues are the same but only the time is different. Earlier it was the Indian Imperial Police playing running dog for the British to maintain law and order, now it is the Indian Police Service doing the same for the rulers of the day. In the eyes of the public, both leaders seem to be doing the same thing - robbing the nation in broad daylight and using rhetorics, jargons and media to whitewash their actions.

Maybe it is a wakeup call to the dwellers of this nation too. People cannot depend on our leaders to change our destiny. Only we, the people can improve our lifeline and headline with changing our leaders like diapers regularly. Eventually, they would all be soiled and stink to high heaven.

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