Rang De Basanti turns 20: Poet Prasoon Joshi once wrote anti-establishment anthems; is now the establishment himself

The film by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, which released in 2006, starred Aamir Khan and it acted like a spark – of rebellion, of opposition, of questioning those in power and demanding answers, rightfully. The film was ably supported by AR Rahman’s music and Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics who made songs like ‘Roobaroo Roshni’ and ‘Khoon Chala’, which became anthems of rebellion. So it is now ironic that the man who wrote these poems of revolution, is now the current face of the establishment.

ALSO READ | Started as Raj Kapoor’s employee with Rs 500 salary, became his ‘Pushkin’ at whose feet RK always sat; died of a broken heart

The rebel turns into the cause for rebellion

Prasoon Joshi’s ‘Roobaroo Roshni’ introduced the youth to the power they hold. From nurturing a ‘gumshuda khwab’ (missing dream) to realising that they have the ‘aag’ (fire) to go against the system, this song beautifully communicated how passion and purpose, combined with a mission, can ignite change in the world. This spark is, now, sadly, missing from the cinema we consume today. Prasoon is presently serving as chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and has been in the seat for almost 9 years now, which is the longest any chairperson has served since the CBFC’s inception in 1951.

Films have always been used as a medium of propaganda by the government. After the 1962 war between India and China, Jawaharlal Nehru wanted films to center the emotion of patriotism and so, Chetan Anand made Haqeeqat. When Lal Bahadur Shastri wanted to spread the message of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’, he asked Manoj Kumar to make a film on the subject; the actor-filmmaker delivered Upkar. This sentiment, albeit in a cruel fashion, continued through Emergency as well. But while the film industry was serving the establishment, they still had the power to question them. Many times, films were banned but on many occasions, audiences did walk out of theatres questioning the government. Raj Kapoor’s films like Shree 420 and Jaagte Raho are examples of the same. In the recent past, films like Sarfarosh, Swades, did the same.

But in the last few years, this power seems to be disappearing. So much so that a film like Ikkis, which talks about the casualties of war has a disclaimer that warns audiences against Pakistanis. A film like Dhurandhar has an entire track that teases the rise of the hero who will save the country, and amid all of this, the spark of rebellion has been completely extinguished.

‘Unless you criticise the government…’

Prasoon, who serves as the head of the CBFC, which basically controls what the masses consume, has immense power. One can only assume if Prasoon is the only decision maker here, or there are other parties who pull the strings through CBFC, but what seems to be crystal clear is that there is no room for rebellion.

The recent troubles of Jana Nayagan, where the film was held back just days before the release hint at a bigger problem that’s plaguing the system. The lack of transparency and the system with which this body operates is almost authoritarian. A few months ago, writer-comedian Varun Grover, who made his debut feature All India Rank, shared with The Lallantop that showing an incorrect national flag on a cake in his film led to a huge debate at the censor board. This, in the larger scheme of things, seems minuscule but it does hint towards the nature of the system where speaking about any religion, leader, city, state, community, that does not align with the idea of what they want to convey, is quashed without discussion.

Rang De Basanti emerged as the voice of rebellion in 2006

A few years ago, when Prasoon Joshi was asked about his lyrics in Rang De Basanti, he said that the film was speaking about revolutionaries of the independence struggle. While the film had their story as a strong backbone, it also spoke about a lot more. He then said something which made his stance very clear. “It’s not like you are not doing the right thing unless you criticise the government. You can also join hands and make a constructive contribution to things which you feel you can probably make a difference to,” he told Cinema Express.

One can only assume that the man who raised ‘Sawalon ki ungli’ (Fingers that raise questions) with ‘Khoon Chala’ two decades ago was once led to believe that he would be the agent of change. In the nine years since he became the chairperson of CBFC, Prasoon hasn’t worked much in the movies. But in this period, the movies have certainly changed. Prasoon isn’t the only one responsible for that change but when decades from now, our future generations will examine the art of this era, they would definitely find it ironical that the man involved in making one of the most uniting and revolutionising films of the 2000s, eventually merged himself into the system. They would also wonder if the times were so tough that he had to do so or was it just the easier path to take.