Rangeela

Mili works as an extra in Mumbai and dreams of a lead role. Her childhood friend Munna sells tickets on the street, has no education and plenty of confidence. When her luck turns and she catches the attention of the star actor Kamal, Mili is caught between two lives: inside her class and outside it. Ram Gopal Varma's film counts among the signs of a change of register in 1990s Hindi cinema. It shows the film world from inside and sardonically at once, and constructs its heroine as someone who chooses rather than someone the men choose. Its most lasting element is the music. Rangeela is the first Hindi film for which A.R. Rahman wrote an original score; his earlier Hindi releases were dubs of Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. It opened on 8 September 1995 and was a large box office success, and it made Urmila Matondkar's career. Who it's for: Viewers who like 1990s Hindi cinema, A.R. Rahman, and stories about the film business. Who it's not for: The narrative is loose and the comic passages have dated. The camera's approach to the female body may also be uncomfortable.