Gen Z protests expose Bollywood’s disconnect: Why the youth had to look back at Rang De Basanti, a forgotten Amitabh Bachchan film on hunger strike, while Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan showed the way of achieving balance
The last 20 days were dominated by the Gen Z protest, which began in Delhi but soon spread to Mumbai and several other cities across India. What stood out was not just the entertainment quotient of Gen Z’s Instagram posts, but also the songs they used in their Stories and Reels. One film that featured prominently was Rang De Basanti (2006). From the title track to ‘Roobaroo’ and ‘Khoon Chala’, its songs have enjoyed a stunning renaissance over the last 10 days. The film itself centred on youngsters revolting against a powerful system, while its tagline, ‘A Generation Awakens’, perfectly captured the spirit of the present movement. Meanwhile, Satyagraha (2013), a largely forgotten film, began to be discussed again. It featured Amitabh Bachchan’s character going on a hunger strike, prompting people to draw immediate parallels with Sonam Wangchuk’s ordeal. The film’s song ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ also returned to the trending charts. Yuva (2004), a fine film but which is not particula...