Termed as Mr Perfectionist, Aamir Khan proudly wears the title like a badge of honour. The actor, who recently celebrated his 60th birthday and introduced everyone to his new girlfriend Gauri Spratt, has never shied away from discussing the nitty gritty of filmmaking. During a recent chat on the Just Too Film podcast, he recalled working in Rang De Basanti and changing the climax of the film, which was based on an idea he had during the 1980s. He even delved deeper into the meaning behind the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directorial.
For those who don’t remember, Rang De Basanti was not only a critical and commercial success at the time of its release on January 26, 2006, but it was also nominated for BAFTA in the foreign language film category. The film follows the journey of a British student coming to India to document the story of five freedom fighters of the Indian revolutionary movement. She befriends a group of friends and casts them in her documentary, relating the tragic past to the happenings in their presence; it inspires them to fight against their own government.
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The ensemble cast includes names like Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor , Soha Ali Khan, Atul Kulkarni, R Madhavan, Alice Patten, Waheeda Rehman, Kirron Kher, Om Puri, Anupam Kher, and Mohan Agashe, among many others.
Talking about the film, Khan revealed that the climax of the film in the script was quite different from what was shown in the film. He explained that in the original script, after shooting the minister, the friends scatter since they didn’t want to get arrested. However, each one of them eventually gets caught and then killed. He added, “My fundamental question was that why are they running away if they don’t believe they’ve done something wrong? They shouldn’t run.”
Rang De Basanti is my favourite patriotic movie. It connects even today with the youngsters. Your thoughts on this beautiful movie.
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In the final version, all the characters come together after killing the minister. Since the minister gets honoured posthumously, they realise that their plan didn’t work. After an argument they decide to go to a radio station, as they feel that they need to talk to people, to share their side of the story. “Like Bhagat Singh did during his time, they do via the radio. Very importantly, they explain that they also thought that violence is the solution, but it actually isn’t. It’s the first film that verbally tells you that violence is not the answer,” Indian Express quoted the actor saying.
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Aamir goes on to explain that the main message of the film was that while no country is perfect, one must become a part of the system to bring a good change in the society. He said, “No country is perfect. You have to make it perfect. Outsiders won’t clean the filth in your country, you have to get your hands dirty and clean it yourself. Become a part of the system and change it from within was the overall thought (behind the film).”
Ek khalbali, ek tabdili, ek junoon
How did the young & spirited characters of Rang De Basanti undergo an ideological transformation?
Aamir revisits the film that broke the mould of societal perception.To rewatch Rang De Basanti & several other Aamir Khan blockbusters, head to… pic.twitter.com/yHVicIdFQU
— Aamir Khan Productions (@AKPPL_Official) March 21, 2025
The 3 Idiots actor also shed more light on them reworking on the climax. He explained how the radio station sequence was inspired from a story he had written for himself in the 1980s. He suggested the filmmakers that the scene be added in the film. “We reworked the climax, so that instead of running away, they go to the radio station, where they do get killed. But they make their point before they die,” he concluded.
On the work front, Aamir Khan’s next film will be his upcoming production Lahore 1947, starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta. He will also be seen in Sitaare Zameen Par, a sequel of his film Taare Zameen Par. The film also stars Genelia Deshmukh in a pivotal role. It was reported earlier that he will be making a special cameo in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie. The film also stars Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, Reba Monica John, and Junior MGR.