Rang De Basanti (transliterated as "Colour Me Saffron") is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. The film draws a parallel between the lives of Indian revolutionaries of the freedom struggle and a group of contemporary college-going youth in Delhi who are politically disengaged until a personal tragedy galvanises them into action. It is widely regarded as a culturally significant film of the 2000s for its impact on youth political consciousness in India.
| Title | Rang De Basanti |
|---|---|
| Director | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra |
| Writers | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Renzil D'Silva, Kamlesh Pandey, Prasoon Joshi (dialogue) |
| Producers | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Ronnie Screwvala |
| Production companies | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures, UTV Motion Pictures |
| Music | A. R. Rahman |
| Lyrics | Prasoon Joshi |
| Cinematography | Binod Pradhan |
| Editing | P. S. Bharathi |
| Language | Hindi (with English and Punjabi) |
| Release date | 26 January 2006 |
| Country | India |
Sue McKinley, a young British documentary filmmaker, travels to Delhi to make a film based on her grandfather's diary. Her grandfather, a former officer in the British Indian Police, had recorded his encounters with revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Shivaram Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil. Through her friend Sonia, Sue casts a group of carefree young men—DJ, Karan, Aslam and Sukhi—along with the politically conservative Laxman Pandey, in the film.
As the friends rehearse the roles of the revolutionaries, the death of Sonia's fiancé, Indian Air Force Flight Lieutenant Ajay Singh Rathod, in a MiG-21 crash exposes a defence procurement scandal. When a peaceful protest at India Gate is met with police violence, the friends—mirroring the path of those they were portraying—take radical action against the corrupt Defence Minister.
Mehra developed the script over several years before securing finance through UTV Motion Pictures. Filming took place largely in Delhi and Punjab, including locations at the University of Delhi, India Gate, Humayun's Tomb, and Amritsar. The dual-period narrative used a desaturated palette for the freedom-era flashbacks, contrasting with the warmer tones of contemporary scenes. The film involved Indian Air Force cooperation for sequences depicting Ajay's flying career, and the climax was set within the studios of All India Radio at Akashvani Bhavan.
The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. The album was released by Sony BMG Music in January 2006 and became one of the best-selling Hindi film soundtracks of the year. Notable tracks include:
The film was released theatrically on 26 January 2006, coinciding with India's Republic Day. It received broad critical acclaim for its screenplay, performances, music and direction, and was a major commercial success in India and overseas markets. It was screened at international festivals including the Locarno International Film Festival.
Rang De Basanti is frequently cited as one of the most influential Hindi films of the 2000s. The candle-light protest sequence at India Gate is regarded as having anticipated, and inspired, real-world youth-led demonstrations in Delhi, particularly the 2006 protests demanding justice in the Jessica Lal murder case and later movements such as the 2012 Nirbhaya protests. The film helped reframe the popular memory of pre-Independence revolutionaries for a younger Indian audience and stimulated wider debate on civic responsibility, defence procurement, and political accountability.
The depiction of MiG-21 accidents drew public attention to the Indian Air Force's ageing fleet, an issue that had been the subject of parliamentary discussion through the 1990s and 2000s. The Ministry of Defence reportedly raised objections to certain scenes during certification, but the film was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification after review.