How Rang De Basanti inspired a generation

How Rang De Basanti inspired a generation

Author: BBC World Service March 12, 2026 Duration: 10:37

Released on India’s Republic Day in January 2006, the Hindi film Rang De Basanti, exploded onto the cultural landscape.

In its first week, it shattered box office records and inspired thousands of young Indians to pour into the streets, marching for justice.

The movie's message became a rallying cry, sparking conversations about patriotism, political apathy, and the belief that ordinary people can drive extraordinary change.

Reena Stanton-Sharma speaks to screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey, about his passion project which took years to bring to the big screen.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: Amir Khan who starred in Rang De Basanti wearing a T-shirt with the film's slogan in 2005. Credit: Sebastian D'souza/AFP via Getty Images)


Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most...
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Witness History
Podcast Episodes
South Africa's luxury train [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:12
In 1986, South African businessman Rohan Vos was sitting in the bath when he decided to pursue his passion and launch a vintage railway business. However, the venture nearly bankrupted him, and he was forced to sell his…
The American Freedom Train [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:37
In April 1975, the American Freedom Train set out on a tour across the United States to celebrate 200 years of American independence.On-board were more than 500 priceless artefacts, documenting important moments in Ameri…
The longest musical composition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:25
On 31 December 1999, a piece of music started playing in a lighthouse on the River Thames in east London. It’s called Longplayer, and it’s set to keep going, without repeating, until the year 2999. It was created by Jem…
Radio Free Europe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:36
Seventy-five years ago, Radio Free Europe started broadcasting news to audiences behind the Iron Curtain.It initially broadcast to Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania and programmes were produced in Mun…
SMS: The invention of text messaging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:02
In October 1984, as the market for mobile phones was just opening up, one man decided it would be useful if the new technology could be used to send and receive short, electronic messages.But colleagues of Friedhelm 'Fre…
Creating the board game Catan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:45
In 1995, Klaus Teuber’s board game Catan launched in Germany. The board is made up of hexagonal tiles, and it's a game about strategy and collecting resources.It's since sold over 40 million copies and been translated in…
Tamagotchi is born [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:43
The Tamagotchi was first released in Japan in 1996 after it was developed by Akihiro Yokoi and his colleagues at his toy development company.Measuring just a few centimetres long, the egg-shaped digital gadget was home t…
How the hoverboard was created [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:36
It was Back to the Future II that made a generation of children dream of travelling by hoverboard.In the 1989 film, the hero Marty McFly escapes from his arch nemesis Biff by jumping on a flying skateboard.But it wasn’t…
Inventing Play-Doh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:34
In 1956, one of the world’s most beloved children’s toys went on sale for the first time, but its origins were surprising.The modelling clay had started out as a household cleaning product. In the days when homes were he…
The invention of Jenga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:51
It's just over 30 years since the brick game was introduced to the world at a department store in London. Made of 54 wooden blocks stacked into a tower in rows of three by three, each player takes a turn to remove a bloc…