Colourful (film)

''Rangeela'' () is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written, directed and co-produced by Ram Gopal Varma. It stars Aamir Khan, Urmila Matondkar and Jackie Shroff. The film was A. R. Rahman's first Hindi film with an original score and soundtrack, as his previous Hindi releases were dubbed versions of his Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films.

''Rangeela'' released on 8 September 1995 and proved to be a major box office success. The film received critical acclaim upon release, with particular praise directed towards the film's soundtrack and Matondkar's performance, thus proving to be a breakthrough for her. It was screened at the mainstream section of the International Film Festival of India.

At the 41st Filmfare Awards, ''Rangeela'' received a leading 14 nominations – Best Film, Best Director (Varma), Best Actor (Khan) and Best Actress (Matondkar), and won 7 awards, including Best Supporting Actor (Shroff), Best Music Director (Rahman) and Special Jury Award (Asha Bhosle for "Tanha Tanha").

Plot

A street-toughened orphan by the name of Munna (Aamir Khan) is befriended by some kind folks, whose effervescent daughter Mili (Urmila Matondkar) soon grows to be his best buddy. Both gravitate toward the Mumbai movie industry. While Mili finds occupation as a movie extra, Munna earns his livelihood selling movie tickets in the black market.

Mili has ambitions of becoming an actress. Fortune glances her way when she dances her way into a movie star's attention. This actor, Raj Kamal (Jackie Shroff), arranges for her to be auditioned for the heroine's role in his upcoming film called ''Rangeela''. Mili's shortcomings amount to distractions, but thanks in no small way to Munna and Raj, she lands the role.

Raj and Munna both fall for Mili, but Mili is too busy making the movie to notice any of this. She starts spending a lot of time with Raj during the filming. Munna tries many times to tell Mili that he loves her, but he is unable to, or Raj gets in the way. Eventually, feeling inferior, Munna decides to leave Mili to Raj, who can give her a better life than he can. The matter is not resolved though, as Mili learns of this on the film's opening night after reading the letter that Munna left for her. After learning that Munna is also leaving the town, she emotionally runs out of the function to find Munna. Raj is initially angry at Mili for leaving the function midway. Mili tells Raj that Munna has written in the letter that he loves her but has misunderstood their relationship and left the town for good. Raj is taken aback when Mili tearfully tells him that she too loves Munna and can't think of a life without him. Having realized his mistake, Raj decides to reunite Mili and Munna.

Mili and Raj manage to stop Munna midway. All the misunderstandings get cleared up. Finally, Mili and Munna reunite with a hug.

Cast

* Aamir Khan as Munna
* Urmila Matondkar as Mili Joshi
* Jackie Shroff as Raj Kamal
* Gulshan Grover as Steven Kapoor
* Avtar Gill as P.C.
* Reema Lagoo as Mrs. Joshi (Mili's mother)
* Achyut Potdar as Mr. Joshi (Mili's father)
* Rajesh Joshi as Pakya
* Neeraj Vora as Drunk party guest (bluffer)
* Rajeev Mehta as Restaurant Steward
* Nitin Chandrakant Desai
* Ram Mohan as Make-Up Dada
* Shammi as Gulbadan's mother
* Tarun as Tough guy at the shooting
* Suman as Motilal
* Himanshu
* Aditya Narayan as child singing
* Saroj Khan as herself (choreographer)
* Remo D'Souza as a background dancer in title song
* Shefali Shah as Heroine Gulbadan (special appearance)
* Madhur Bhandarkar in a special appearance.

Production

Ram Gopal Varma once loved a woman named Satya Polavarapu, who he claims did not love him back since she preferred a wealthier, better-looking man; this inspired him to write ''Rangeela''.

Soundtrack

''Rangeela'''s soundtrack featured 7 songs composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics penned by Mehboob and an instrumental theme song. The audio was released in 14 May 1995 by Rahman's mother Kareema. It is listed in almost all lists of best Bollywood soundtracks. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 32,00,000 units sold the soundtrack became the third highest-selling album of the year.

The soundtrack fetched Rahman two Filmfare Awards – Best Music Director and R. D. Burman Award for New Music Talent. Mehboob got two nominations for Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist, for the tracks "Kya Kare" and "Tanha Tanha". Swarnalatha, Shweta Shetty and Kavita Krishnamurthy were nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for their respective tracks.

Asha Bhosle received the Filmfare Special Award that year for her rendition of the song "Tanha Tanha".

The song "Yaaro Sun Lo Zara" was originally composed for a Telugu film ''Super Police'' (1994) as "Baabu Love Cheyyara". The soundtrack was also released in Tamil, with title, ''Rangeela'' itself and lyrics penned by Vairamuthu. However, the reused track "Yaaro Sun Lo Zara" was not included in the Tamil version. The soundtrack rights are now acquired by Tips Music Company.

Hindi

Telugu (dubbed version)

Tamil (dubbed version)

All the tracks were written by Vairamuthu.

Reception

''Rangeela'' opened to critical acclaim and was declared a blockbuster at the box office, grossing 33.4 crore. It was the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of 1995. The film marked a major turning point in the careers of several individuals associated with it.

Urmila Matondkar became an overnight sensation and established herself as a leading actress in the industry. Her performance, along with chart-topping songs like "Tanha Tanha" and "Rangeela Re," significantly contributed to her newfound stardom. Costume designer Manish Malhotra also rose to fame for his contemporary styling of Matondkar, influencing fashion trends in Bollywood.

The film also proved pivotal for Aamir Khan, with critics and audiences appreciating his chemistry with Matondkar. The choreography, led by Ahmed Khan and Saroj Khan, was especially praised for its vibrant and innovative sequences. Ahmed Khan won the Filmfare Award for Best Choreography for "Rangeela Re," though some critics and Saroj Khan herself believed that her work on "Tanha Tanha" was more deserving.

Saroj Khan reportedly faced disputes with the producers regarding credit, as she was listed as a guest choreographer despite having choreographed four songs in the film.

The film’s soundtrack, composed by A. R. Rahman, achieved immense popularity and was credited with significantly contributing to the film’s commercial success. ''Rangeela'''s music was notable for outperforming the soundtrack of ''Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'' at several major award ceremonies.

Cultural significance

''Rangeela'' is widely regarded as a landmark film in Hindi cinema, often credited with ushering in a modern sensibility in Bollywood during the mid-1990s. Its narrative style, vibrant visuals, and contemporary music marked a departure from the melodramatic and formulaic storytelling common at the time.

Urmila Matondkar’s portrayal of Mili redefined the Bollywood heroine, blending sensuality with independence. Her styling, designed by Manish Malhotra, became iconic and influenced fashion trends in Indian cinema. The film is considered instrumental in launching Matondkar into stardom and reshaping the portrayal of female leads in mainstream films.

Aamir Khan’s role as Munna, a street-smart ''tapori'' from Mumbai, was a significant departure from his earlier romantic roles and is regarded as a turning point in his career.

The soundtrack, composed by A. R. Rahman, was his first original score for a Hindi film. It became one of the highest-selling Bollywood albums of 1995 and is credited with modernizing the sound of Hindi film music. Songs like "Rangeela Re" and "Tanha Tanha" showcased Rahman's signature blend of Indian and Western elements and remain popular decades later.

The film also launched or elevated several careers behind the scenes. Choreographer Ahmed Khan won the Filmfare Award for Best Choreography for "Rangeela Re," while costume designer Manish Malhotra became one of the most sought-after stylists in the industry.

''Rangeela'''s success and stylistic innovations have led critics and filmmakers to consider it ahead of its time, with director Shekhar Kapur describing it as “the film of the 21st century.”

Accolades

References

External links

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1990s Hindi-language films
1995 films
1995 romantic comedy-drama films
Films shot in Rajasthan
Films directed by Ram Gopal Varma
Films scored by A. R. Rahman
Films about Bollywood
Indian romantic comedy-drama films