Mili is played by Urmila Matondkar (often credited simply as Urmila). As a child actress, she gave a memorable performance at the tender age of ten in her second film, director Shekhar Kapur's Masoom (1983). Urmila continued to act during her adolescent years, eventually making her first film with director Ram Gopal Varma in Antam (1992). Since then, Urmila has appeared in at least twelve films by Varma, a creative partnership that continues today, with two 2003 films in production -- Perfect and Bhoot. But perhaps one of Urmila's most important Varma collaborations was Rangeela, the film that transformed the former child actress into a glamour queen. It also paired her with Aamir Khan, a Bollywood superstar and accomplished scene stealer.
Khan is considered one of the most respected Indian actors of his generation. And has even been called "the Tom Hanks of India" because of his versatility. Like Urmila, Aamir Kahn popped up on screen a few times in childhood. But his acting career really began at age 23 with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). The movie was a first effort for Aamir's cousin, director Mansoor Khan. In fact, Aamir (and Mansoor) come from something of a Bollywood dynasty. Aamir Khan's father, Tahir Hussain, is a respected producer (despite an apparent fall out between father and son in recent years) and uncle Nasir Hussain was a well-known director prior to his death in 2002. Nonetheless, the next generation in this family of filmmakers is still going strong. Mansoor took up the directorial reigns from his father, and Aamir continues to impress audiences with his performances. Most recently, Aamir Khan has turned to producing. Lagaan (2001), the first film Aamir produced (he also starred in it), was nominated for a 2002 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, making it the third Indian film to receive an Oscar nod (The other two were Mother India (1957) and Salaam Bombay!, 1988).
But the star power behind Rangeela isn't limited to just the acting. The movie, whose title translates to "Full of Color", is just that - full of vibrancy, life and movement, thanks in large part to the innovative score by A.R. Rahman. A versatile musician, Rahman has been called "the Indian Mozart;" he began practicing the piano at age four and, later at the age of eleven, played keyboards with a touring group. He also studied Western music at Oxford and composed advertising jingles before moving to Bollywood film productions. Rangeela was Rahman's first Hindi film album and its success led to other chart toppers like Bombay (1995).
Fusing Rahman's music with dance is Rangeela choreographer Saroj Khan. The movie's many fantasy sequences are reminiscent of classic Hollywood musicals. There is a dance scene on a movie set very much like Debbie Reynolds' ladder scene in Singin' in the Rain. There's a red leotard clad dance number that has the feel of a beachside Flashdance (1983), a night time confrontation that winks at West Side Story (1961) and an opening that screams 80's MTV music video.
Producer: Ram Gopal Varma
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Screenplay: Sanjay Chel, Ram Gopal Varma
Cinematography: W. B. Rao
Music: A. R. Rahman
Cast: Jackie Shroff (RajKamal), Aamir Khan (Munna), Urmila Matondkar (Mili), Gulshan Grover (Steven Kapoor), Reema Lagoo (Mili's Mom)
C-144m. Letterboxed.
by Stephanie Thames
