Atul Kulkarni

DCP Anant Shrivastav 'The Professor,' a police officer in the winter of his career, a failure in the establishment's eyes and more important, in his own. Now on the eve of his daughter's wedding, Shrivastav was being given an crucial assignment. This was his one last chance to do something. Make a difference. Sr. Inspector Shekhar Sachdev. Street-smart, brave, but rotten to the core. An unscrupulous, amoral and self-serving officer for whom the line between good and bad, right and wrong had blurred a long time ago. He didn't want part pf any suicide mission, but he had no choice.

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra merges two plots in Rang De Basanti. The first is about a group of friends, their bonding, the carefree lifestyle they lead. The second plot pertains to the past, when freedom fighters sacrificed their lives during the pre-independence era. Without doubt, Mehra's intentions are noble, since portions in the film do succeed in pricking your conscience. Mehra draws parallels between Indians ruled by the British and Indians ruled by corrupt politicians today. The message is subtle at first, but echoes piercingly before it reaches its finale.