Rang De Basanti

Last night the boys and I watched a Bollywood movie called Rang De Basanti, about a bunch of college kids shooting a movie about 1930s Indian freedom fighters. Despite the "Bollywood" categorization, the movie didn't have too much of the excited (campy) dancing/singing that Bollywood is typically associated with. And while I did enjoy the music and dancing that was there (I like that kind of thing), mostly I was impressed because it was a really freaking good movie.

I laughed, I cried. It was close to three hours long (there was even an intermission), but I was enraptured the entire time. Of course, there were some ridiculous moments (some of which really felt like some bizarre dream sequence), but they weren't so ridiculous that they took away from the movie -- they had some purpose in the overall story.

Technically, I loved the colors and the cinematography and the music. The acting was incredible, and the characters and their stories were riveting. Definitely one of the best serious movies I've seen in a while. It's a little political, which might turn off some viewers, but I think the message is clear enough to speak to everyone.

I'm definitely very glad Andrew recommended it. I was expecting the usual Bollywood fare (and I would have been fine with that), but I got so much more.