Kunal Kapoor

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.

Girl from a large town wants to pursue her career in dance instead of get married to a local. She runs away to the USA with an American. Years later she returns to a place that judges her for that choice. For the wishes of her now deceased former dance teacher she tries to save an open air stage from demolition. The deal is that if she can stage a production from the locals and win them over, the authorities will rescind the order to demolish it. Madhuri Dixit's return to movies and it is built for her. The dance and staging is exceptional in this piece.