This was one of our heaviest episodes. Rang De Basanti didn’t just spark conversation—it stirred something in all of us. Khilli brought this one in as a formative pick from his teen years, a film that helped shape his political outlook and introduced him to the power of protest cinema.

The discussion kicked off with us joking about who in the group is the most nationalistic (spoiler: not any of us), but it quickly got serious. This film flips between past and present—using the stories of Indian freedom fighters to mirror a modern group of friends sleepwalking through life, until they’re jolted awake by real-world injustice. That structure hit all of us hard, especially when we started comparing it to what political apathy looks like in our own countries.

Winnie pointed out how the emotional shift of the film—from college hijinks to full-blown tragedy—mirrors the disillusionment many young people face when they try to change the system. Nicky brought up how rare it is to see a movie that doesn’t just mourn the state of things but actually challenges you to do something.

Adam kept coming back to how unique this is within Aamir Khan’s filmography. We’d already seen him in PK and 3 Idiots, but this performance feels raw and grounded. It’s not about being clever or quirky. It’s about waking up, facing consequences, and deciding what your legacy will be.

We wrestled with the film’s politics, especially around whether violence can ever be justified. But we also sat with the grief at the heart of the story—how it connects generational trauma, political anger, and personal loss.

There’s no clean takeaway with Rang De Basanti. But for a moment, we all felt like something cracked open—and that might be the point.