RRR

THE PASSIONATE PERFORMANCE GIVEN BY MR. CHARAN WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE HIM AN IDEAL CHOICE TO STAR IN A REMAKE OF "A PASSAGE TO INDIA." ALTHOUGH I LIKED VICTOR BANERJEE IN THE ORIGINAL VERSION, I THOUGHT THAT THE FILM TENDED TO DOWNPLAY THE SEXUAL ALLURE THAT HIS CHARACTER WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE. I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS BECAUSE DIRECTOR DAVID LEAN DIDN'T THINK THAT AMERICAN AUDIENCES WERE ABLE TO ACCEPT A SEXUAL ATTRACTION BETWEEN AN INDIAN MAN AND A WHITE WOMAN, OR BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT IT WOULD CAUSE WHEN SHE LATER ACCUSED HIM OF RAPE. NOWADAYS, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE WILL BE ANY CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE INTERRACIAL ATTRACTIONS, AND, SINCE PEOPLE ARE NOW MUCH MORE AWARE THAT RAPE IS AN ACT OF VIOLENCE, THE FACT THAT THE WOMAN WAS INITIALLY ATTRACTED TO A MAN SHE LATER ACCUSES OF RAPE SHOULDN'T BE AS CONTROVERSIAL. IF THERE IS A REMAKE OF "PASSAGE," I HOPE THAT WHOEVER DIRECTS IT WILL ALSO FIND A ROLE FOR NT RAMA RAO, JR. HIS PORTRAYAL OF BEEM WAS TRULY HEART-BREAKING- ESPECIALLY IN THE SCENE WHERE HE IS FISR REUNITED WITH HIS KIDNAPPED SISTER, AND SHE BEGS HIM NOT TO LEAVE HER BEHIND. THAT WAS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMANCES THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN FROM A CHILD ACTRESS.

I DON'T USUALLY GO TO ACTION FILMS, BUT I WENT TO THIS ONE BECAUSE THE STORY OF INDIA'S FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM ENGLAND HAS ALWAYS FASCINATED ME. I HAVE VERY FOND MEMORIES OF SEEING "GANDHI" WHEN IT WAS FIRST RELEASED, AND ONE THING THAT DISAPPOINTED ME WAS THAT THIS FILM DIDN'T OFFER ANY INFORMATION ABOUT GANDHI'S NON-VIOLENT PROTESTS- WHICH IS ESPECIALLY IRONIC SINCE THERE WAS ALWAYS MORE PROGRESS MADE BY NON-VIOLENT PROTESTORS LIKE GANDHI, DR MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR, DR MEDGAR EVERS, JOAN BAEZ, THE BERRIGAN BROTHERS, & BENNY AQUINO THAN BY TERRORIST GROUPS LIKE THE IRA, THE UDA, THE IRGUN, THE STERN GANG, THE PLO, HAMAS, FALN, OR THE BLACK LIBERATION ARMY OR WEATHERMAN TERRORISTS. HOWEVER, THE FILM WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AT SHOWING HOW THE BRITISH ARMY AND ARISTOCRATS WERE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH MISTREATING THE INDIAN PEOPLE. I AM GLAD THAT THERE WERE TWO POSITIVE DEPICTIONS OF ENGLISH WOMEN IN THE FILM. I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN AT LEAST ONE POSITIVE DEPICTION OF AN ENGLISH MAN, BUT I GUESS THERE IS STILL A LOT OF RESENTMENT IN INDIA ABOUT HOW THEY WERE TREATED BY ENGLISHMEN. I THOUGHT THAT RAM CHARAN GAVE A VERY POWERFUL PERFORMANCE AS THE INDIAN SOLDIER IN THE BRITISH ARMY WHO IS ORIGINALLY CONSIDERED TO BE A TRAITOR BY OTHER INDIAN MEN, BUT THE SCENE OF HIM BEATING AND KILLING OTHER INDIAN MEN IN HIS FIRST SCENE IS CERTAINLY HARD TO TAKE.