Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Kunal Kapoor Reminisces About Rang De Basanti on Independence Day
A friendly Bollywood actor named Kunal Kapoor made a famous movie called Rang De Basanti a long time ago, in 2006.
In the movie he played a young man named Aslam Khan and also a real freedom fighter from history named Ashfaqulla Khan.
On India's 80th birthday, called Independence Day, he shared memories about making the film.
He said making the movie felt like hanging out with friends, not like doing work.
He didn't know that people would still love the movie 20 years later, but they still do.
What stayed with him most was the idea that a country is not something you get for free, it's something you are responsible for.
For his Independence Day plans, he said he would watch the flag being raised at his apartment complex, spend time with family, and go back to work in the evening.
He also said that independence means doing what you believe in, even when you aren't sure how people will react.
It means living in a way that is most true to who you are.
Kunal Kapoor, on India's 80th Independence Day, recollected his experience of shooting the 2006 film Rang De Basanti.
He played the roles of Aslam Khan and freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's blockbuster.
Kapoor said the film didn't feel like a film while making it, but like hanging out with friends creating something they believed in.
He revealed that what stayed with him was the idea that 'the country isn't something you inherit, it's something you're responsible for.'
His Independence Day plans included a flag hoisting in his complex, family time during the day, and returning to work by evening.
- Who
- Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor, who starred in Rang De Basanti, in an exclusive interview with FPJ.
- What
- Kunal Kapoor recollected his experience of shooting Rang De Basanti and shared what independence means to him.
- When
- On India's 80th Independence Day in 2026, about 20 years after the film's release.
- Where
- India; the specific location was not mentioned, though he referred to a flag hoisting in his residential complex.
- Why
- To share memories of the cult classic film on Independence Day and reflect on the idea of responsibility toward one's country.
- Actor
- Kunal Kapoor
- Film
- Rang De Basanti (2006)
- Director
- Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
- Kunal Kapoor's roles
- Aslam Khan and freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan
- Occasion
- India's 80th Independence Day
- Notable co-star
- Aamir Khan
- Lasting takeaway
- "The country isn't something you inherit, it's something you're responsible for."