Overview
- Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says Rang De Basanti was effectively banned before being cleared following a screening for the Defence Minister and the Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs in Delhi.
- The Defence Ministry objected to explicit references such as naming a MiG and a Defence Minister, with officials warning of delays if scenes were not altered.
- The film’s release shifted from January 19 to a January 26 opening after the dispute, which the director describes as a consequence of refusing to cut factual material.
- Mehra recalls severe financing strain during pre-production, including mortgaging his office and then his Pali Hill home to keep the project moving.
- In a contemporary parallel, Vijay’s Jana Nayagan missed its January 9 Pongal date after the CBFC sent it to a revising committee, prompting a petition to the Madras High Court, which has reserved its order as the producers cite stakes exceeding Rs 500 crore.