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Roja
or Rang De Basanti ? |
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By
Behindwoods News Bureau. |
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Patriotism
is an emotion that is not seen in cinema very often
but when it does come, it lights up our hearts, ignites
the dormant patriot within us. At least for a moment,
we want to live, even die for our country. It does take
great skill to effectively translate patriotic scenes
onto celluloid, for patriotism is not an emotion that
we identify with, not something that crosses our minds
every day. |
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The
average Indian (and this is not an accusation) may feel
the true spirit of patriotism, the feeling that he belongs
to India precisely twice a year. One falls on the 26th
of January and today is the other day. The same day,
60 years back, set our country free. Well, there are
far more experienced and wise men who can say much about
what our country has achieved and has missed in this
time. We, not being really qualified to do that decided
to take you down memory lane and relive some patriotically
stirring moments created in Indian cinema for the past
fifteen years.
Recall Roja, the 1992 Mani Ratnam masterpiece, which
started it all in a way. When a man who knows that but
for a faint glimmer of hope his days are numbered, still
retains the Indian in himself. When the militants set
the tricolor to fire he throws himself down on the flag
to keep it from burning. (If anyone felt like smirking
at the scene then they have not understood the real
meaning of patriotism).
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It
does take a master to create such scenes and it had
to be Mani Ratnam again. Bombay, it came at a time
when the secular nature of our nation was facing questions.
The scars of the incidents that followed have still
not healed and the courts of our country have just
finished handing out the verdicts. Bombay made us
realize that it takes just a moment for us to forget
differences and hold hands. The scene where a person
identifies himself as an Indian, when asked about
his religion and the final scene where everyone holds
hands (symbolic to the start of the healing process)
did touch our hearts.
Then Mani Ratnam came back with Yuva-Ayudha Ezhuthu,
all about youth and the future of the country. We
can’t cite examples but we can say for sure
that this movie did make some youngsters who had applied
for their US visas at least think twice before the
movie went out of theaters.
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Another
movie that was made almost on the same lines but on a much
more revolutionary scale is Rang De Basanti. Both these movies
reportedly sparked off many youth activist groups across the
country, including the not so long ago highly sensational
Lok Paritran started by a group of young IITians. |
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Though
all these movies mostly dealt with social problems,
they had lot of undercurrent subtle patriotism. That’s
what made them even more special. We also had movies
like Laagan and Swades which had patriotism and nationalism
projected in a different sense and taste.
Now on to the most powerful patriotic scene to be
filmed. No points for guessing, this scene; not belonging
to any one film in particular, has come and gone many
times on screens, in front of our eyes but the impact
remains the same every time – The martyr of
war being brought back home, the tricolor covering
his body and the mellow tune of the trumpet and the
twenty one guns that go off together to salute the
son who gave up his life for his motherland.
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Today
on Aug 15 2007, our sixtieth independence day, if you think
you have some time to grab a DVD, we can suggest a list
of movies from which you can select. Forgive us if we have
missed any of your favorites, but if you are yet to see
any of these then try to get hold of them today because
this day will not return. And if you have already seen them,
do you need a better reason to see it once more?
• Roja
• Bombay
• Ayudha Ezhuthu
• Prahaar (Hindi- Nana Patekar)
• Rang de Basanti ( Hindi – Aamir Khan )
• Lagaan ( Hindi – Aamir Khan )
• Swades (Hindi-Shah Rukh Khan)
• Border (Hindi- Sunny Deol, Suneil Shetty)
• Chak de India (Hindi-Shah Rukh Khan – In theatres
)
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