Five protests in films Indians students can take a cue from
1. The candle light vigil - Rang De Basanti
The group of five friends organise a peaceful candle-light vigil at India Gate to protest how the death of a close friend reveals the apathy, corruption and inefficiency of politicians and their ministries.
When fighter jet pilot Flight Lt Ajay Rathod, played by R Madhavan, dies in a crash, the aviation minister falsely blames the entire episode on Rathod's foolhardiness, instead of admitting that the model of the plane had been defective.
The peaceful protest is eventually violently disrupted by the police.
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A popular form of protest off screen, the candle light vigil is an ubiquitous feature in Bollywood. Think No One Killed Jessica.
2. The street-performance - Court
While Chaitanya Tamhane's Court traps you in its Kafkaesque universe and the languid, apathetic legal system are its central theme, the work of the frail Narayan Kamble (played by Vira Sathidar) is a significant form of protest in India.
The Dalit poet-activist or street-performer, whose evocative songs that are a powerhouse of resistance, cut across language and stay with you long after the film.
Arre raan raan
raan chala uthvu saare raan re
(Oh brother,come on, come on, wake up!)
Jaan jaan jaan
jeheri dusmanala jaan re
(Get to know who your enemy is)
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3. Beat them at their own game - Lagaan
(Spoiler alert) One of the proudest moments in Indian history (yes, okay, fictional Indian history) was when Captain Russell backpedals and realises he has caught the ball beyond the boundary line, and so the team of farmers from Champaner led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) have won the cricket match.
The match, set up as a wager to waive off the exorbitant tax rates imposed on the residents of the drought stricken village, was an unexpected victory (yes, okay, we know it's a Bollywood film) given how none of these farmers had ever played cricket before taking on the arduous task of learning a game invented by the British, that could potentially harm their livelihoods. People from all castes came together to take on the arrogant Englishmen.
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4. The hunger strike - Satyagraha
The inspiration behind this form of protest is clear from the title of the film. Gandhi's satyagrahic hunger strikes were back in the news because of Anna Hazare's 2012 movement on Lokpal (and recently OROP, land acquisition and what not).
In Prakash Jha's film, Satyagraha, the idealistic 70-year-old Dwarka Anand (Amitabh Bachchan) goes on a hunger strike to rid the system of corruption and get the government to meet the demands of the district.
5. Learn from life
While the protests on screen are inspiring and often a reflection of what goes on in real life, there are some protests associated with Bollywood that no one should ever take a cue from.
Read here.