The late-sixties and mid-seventies brought the scent of rock ‘n roll and flower power, but were also a political ordeal for India. President Indira Gandhi declared a state of Internal Emergency in 1975. The government was very authoritarian and those who opposed it were imprisoned. The film depicts both sentiments – the rock ‘n roll and the Emergency, with the turbulent Naxalite political movement and the widespread distrust and anger, especially among youngsters. For the first time this political period is seriously discussed and transposed to cinema in all its complexity. Indian intellectuals and even the Indian film circuit received the film with great appreciation. Director Sudhir Misra is known for his success with both popular and art productions. The red thread of the film is actually a love story and a romantic drama concerning three college friends who opt for opposite directions in life. They get stuck in their separate ideological views. The story brings to the surface the passion and the courage of those who hold on to their dreams. The director delicately lays bare all layers of the agony, but also the joy, of a nation’s search for its identity. With very well written dialogues the film balances between an intimate drama, a passionate love story and a devotion to a certain political ideology. (RS)
