So, the fairy-tale story teller is back upto his tricks, directing again after an 8 year, 2 month hiatus. Let's go over the history here first for those that aren't in the know.
Diwali of 1995 came his directional debut: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. A story that expanded its audience-base by encompassing the NRI (Non-Residential Indian) within its central character base. At the time, this wasn't unheard of, but it wasn't a common occurence. It's only fair to say it was widely appreciated & accepted as the new hip approach to films. Many numerous films have followed from here. Yet, nobody had expected the epic success the film would become. If you ask me, I'll admit that though it is an amazing film to watch, the success attached to it got out of control. Way out of control. It wasn't 'that' great. The closest example I can think of in recent times is The Dark Knight. There's no denying it was pretty damned good, but should it be labelled one of the best films of all time within minutes of its release?
Now when you've made a debut that is one of the longest running films of all time in the country (India), with cinema halls dedicated to showing it 'many years' later, the people's expectations are going to weigh pretty heavily. So, what happened? 5 years later, as the DVD for DDLJ had finally released, In Diwali of 2000, he brought us Mohabbatein. To a large extent he played it safe here. As well as making a pretty good feel-good film, he had another card up his sleeve that guaranteed the success & ofcourse the moolah.
Amitabh Bachchan (or Big B as he's fondly referred to) has been the icon that labelled Bollywood since the 70's with nobody matching that level of star value, except, perhaps in the last decade or so, Shah Rukh Khan. So what's to happen if the arguably 2 most popular & publicised faces of the Bollywood film industry, were to be sharing space on-screen for the first time? Damned straight, that Diwali there were fireworks & it raked in the money just as anticipated.
Another 8 years pass. Diwali 2008 -- Nope. For some reason the film isn't ready for a Diwali release, maybe he's thinking he hasn't got a good enough film for a Diwali release, or maybe I'm reading into it too much & they simply don't want to clash with other films being released by the same distributor (Dostana & Roadside Romeo were out around Diwali). Hmm ..
So, in front of Dostana, I see this trailer for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, having only seen the 2 posters up to this point. The story here appeared to be as simple as: Middle-class geek has makeover to impress the girl in the backdrop of Punjab.
I took this away & had a real think about it, will the film really just be that? I mean sure, that can work, but what about the expectations attached to this. Then it hit me, this film in some ways is all about notching the expectation mark lower. I read somewhere the next day that the entire feature is shot in India, and it only took 4 months to shoot, & like an epiphany it all now makes sense.
To a degree having seen it now, I was right, but where I was wrong came as a surprise. I almost underestimated its content. So having banged on about everything but the film, I'll now get to it.
A Match Made by God
Runtime: 164min 4secs
Tagline: There is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary jodi.
Language: Hindi (with English subtitles)
Written & Directed by: Aditya Chopra
Dialogues by: Jaideep Sahni
Synopsis
Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan) works for Punjab Power and leads a simple life, until his simple life is turned around when he meets & instantly ends up in love with young & bubbly fun-loving Taani (Anushka Sharma). In a rapid turn of dramatic events, she has lost her fiance to an accident & accepts Suri as her husband as wished by her dying father. [& this all in the first 10 minutes]
What follows is how this couple get on with 'married life'. From the very outset it's clear to the viewer that he's head over heels in love with her & she is oblivious to it. Ofcourse, at no fault of her own. She's had quite a traumatic time, losing pretty much all the family she ever knew & being thrown into the home of a stranger.
When initial house-warming & pleasantries are done with, they start living a relatively routine life together, where he sleeps in the attic & she sleeps in what was once his room. She cooks him food to take to work & they dine quietly upon his return, going occasionally to see a film at the local multiplex. It's at this stage she plucks the courage to ask him whether she could join a local dance class. Naturally, craving her affection & seeking a win in her books, he allows her this level of freedom & so we follow Surinder's journey to win her over haule haule (slowly slowly), but as films go, things can't be that simple - or can they?!
At the dance classes enters Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) -- an extrovert in every way that Surinder is not, he enters the scene with an overly energetic swagger, he flirts with her, he dances with her, he tells her all those things that Suri has suppressed deep within.
Uh wait, if you're wondering if it's yet another double role for SRK. Not quite! Explaining how this transformation happens would take away from watching how this happens, but let's say Suri decides to take it into his own hands as loving hubby to do all he can in his power, to reduce the pain in her life, to re-introduce the flamboyance & fun-loving spirit he once saw in her. A means to this end is who Raj is & this forms the main backbone of the story, but it doesn't quite end there. What happens when you end up competing with yourself for the affection of your own wife?! ;-)
Review
Those that have been eagerly awaiting Aditya Chopra's new film, but not watching any of the marketing, ie; not having any idea what you're walking into, you're quite likely to be disappointed. Why?! Well, the film is not as 'big' as what you may expect in terms of grandeur or complexity in it's story. Similarly, if you walk in clueless as to who this Aditya Chopra guy is, you'll probably enjoy it just fine. For once, the soundtrack, TV Spots, posters et al have told the viewer precisely what to expect. It encompasses the soul of the film.
The dance competition was in some ways the trojan horse in the marketing of this film. It was emphasised to the extent that it hinted at being the centre stage of the enterprise, however quite cleverly. the film doesn't revolve around it, but rather uses it as a mechanism to unfold the underlying situation into moments that progress the lead characters. The competition itself is a thing of the distant background.
I'll be the first to admit I had concerns about the content of this film fulfilling 'my' expectations. I knew not to expect a 'big' film, but I feared that to a degree it may be too simple a film to maintain any freshness for the average viewer, but after my 1st viewing this concern was washed away. I did laugh, I did cry, I did dance (other viewers weren't impressed), I did enjoy it. This is not to say that the film is flawless though.
There is the obvious glaring gap where it could be easily be unbelievable that Taani doesn't recognise her own husband in a new look, but the way this is handled allows it some suspension of belief. I mean compared to the Clark Kent / Superman scenario at least we also have a moustache within his disguise. ;)
Less obvious but more hindering is that the pace slackens after Raj has entered the picture, which is a little odd considering how much energy he oozes. The moments here seem a little strung together rather than flowing smoothly, but the last half hour rectifies a large part of this, allowing viewers to walk away with a higher point stuck with them, thus letting them forget & forgive the dip in the middle part.
Songs:
Haule Haule is what we first got to hear of this film in the 1st TV Spot. The song is situational & had it not been obvious already shows the intent, excitement & pain that Suri has. He hopes already that slowly slowly she'll fall for him. Within the song we see their progress as a married couple. It's very much a needed song, one that covers what otherwise would have been 15-20 minutes of scenes. A classic example of why Indian cinema having songs is an asset.
Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte at the pre-interval stage pays homage to the decades gone that if generalised could be labelled as eras of Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna & Rishi Kapoor respectively. Well choreographed with special appearances by Kajol, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Preity Zinta & Rani Mukherjee on a one per era basis, though not entirely crucial for the plot it does serve as a pleasant & memorable song.
Dance Pe Chance quite like Haule Haule is a let's pick up the pace and get from point A to B in the story through song. It's a cheesy number where Taani is teaching Raj how to dance while covering how things are looking on the home-front too.
Tujhe Mein Rab Dikhta Hai is the heart-warming number you'll take away as the theme of the film. Picturised on both avatars of SRK and Anushka Sharma, it surprises me that they didn't use this more in the TV spots of the film, but they too are now revealing themselves.
They may have not taken us to the sights of Scotland or Switzerland this time in their songs, but as always I can't fault the picturisation. It's as fresh as always from the choreography, art direction & music perspective. It fits the mood required to the tee. The Dancing Jodi theme on the soundtrack is used in the pre-climax & is probably the only track that I felt isn't given true justice.
Performances:
SRK as Suri is the reserved and subtle Shahrukh that we've seen in Swades & Chak De in the past years, SRK as Raj is the more commonly seen Shahrukh that we've seen time & again. Personally I wouldn't say either was his best performance to date, but this is not to say he didn't do a decent job of it. He was spot on for Suri & perhaps that tad bit over-the-top for Raj. Coming to think of it, I think if a geek were to go all out they too would be a bit over the top, so I guess this was suited behaviour.
New-comer Anushka Sharma is an extremely good find for 'this' role. I'm not sure how strong a hold she may have in future films though. Provided she chooses roles carefully, she's young enough to find her place, but I can foresee yet another Mahima Chaudhary scenario if she's not careful.
Vinay Pathak deserves a special mention. In the role of Suri's best friend & hairdresser, his character was almost as trivial as a board for Suri to bounce his thoughts from, but he's truly turned this role into his own space & you're likely to remember him afterwards.
The over-analysis [will contain spoilers - avoid if you haven't seen it & plan to]
As stated in the beginning of my review if you're unfamiliar with the Yashraj brand of films, this probably won't bother you at all but there were small things in the film that sort of bugged me.
What began as a pleasant surprise (in '97 seeing Akshay Kumar in a surprise special appearance in Dil To Pagal Hai) & since then what has become a bit of a trademark thing to do (Salman Khan in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai '98, Rani Mukherji & Kajol in Kal Ho Naa Ho '01) was taken to a whole new extreme last year with 31 stars in one song in Om Shanti Om. Though still a welcome treat, it doesn't have the same effect it once did & I think they should think up better ways to surprise a viewer.
Then there is the Raj-isms. Even where the name comes from.. with the play on Rahul .. Naam To Suna Hoga (again from Dil To Pagal Hai) has been used already, Kucch Meetha Ho Jaaye has somebody mention it to SRK (where he as a special appearance plays himself). Om Shanti Om in that award ceremony mocking his own films suggests it has been his trademark film after film & though in the current film it does work, it lacks the originality I crave to see.
Similarly the use of his little finger 'by mistake' & the trade-mark brushing of his hair with his hands ala Main Hoon Naa, it just leaves me thinking, come on guys, think up something fresh instead of using the tried & tested mechanisms for generating moments. Little things that I think need updating that are functional & won't bother newer SRK fans, but leave me semi-cringing.
Now I'm done with the down-side, the flip side, I have to applaud how the plot progresses. Anything that could have had a whole new dimension but was seen as unnecessary has been trimmed without leaving a gap. Take for instance the friendship angle between Suri & Bobby (Vinay Pathak). No history given, just a simple explanation by the character himself at Suri's door & we're off to go.
Suri's prior life at Punjab Power, again just left for us to assume. The interactions between Taani & others in Suri's life. The Punjab Power crew, even Bobby, is left out of the picture bar the one scene where she greets them all as 'the new wife'. All these angles could have added complexity & even depth to the picture, but they kept on course with the story they wanted to tell & all of the above being missing doesn't feel missing when you watch it.
At the intermission stage, ofcourse there is the large question of should he permanently 'change' himself for her that would have to be tackled? I'll side track a little for a moment. If you've got this far reading I'm sure you won't mind. A friend of mine had this as they GTalk status: "Women marry men hoping they will change. Men marry women hoping they will not. So both are inevitably disappointed!" I know a lot of people that would nod their head & think this amusing, yet kinda true. If I was to sum up this film, it's precisely the opposite to this statement, after all it's basically a fairy-tale of sorts.
She accepted & married him without any expectation for him to change, but he changed. He married her in hope that she wouldn't change, yet in their first decent conversation, she announces she will change,but in the end, she doesn't. As said a few times now, fairy-tales. :)
Back on track, there is one point that bugged me & I'm not sure where to place it in the positives or the negatives & this was the parallels between Raj & Suri. They are both big film fans. Suri takes her to the cinemas all the time & Raj is pretty much a film-dialogue throwing machine. [Both remind me of me .. lol] Then there is the way Raj announces his love to her, he would have had to have contacts in the Electricity Company to pull that off. Now, we the viewer are aware already that they are the same person, it would have been good for her to have a moment of doubt at this point at least- maybe .. I dunno, as I said I think I'm just reading into it too much now. So, Sshhh!
Overall Impressions:
For a simple story, it's very well written, I imagine it would have been easy to add unwanted complexities that took away from the overall impact, & in this respect it should be rewarded, this said there are some flaws in pacing that could have done with ironing out.
Does it finally lower the bar of expectation for Aditya Chopra films? Yes & no. I think he's delivered here, those that feel he hasn't will expect less next time, so I guess in the film-makers perspective it's a win win. For me, I hope he carries on shifting away from his roots & taking bounds into unchartered areas, just as he is doing as Producer. [New York looks potentially like it might raise a few heads.]
As for returns, he'll easily make his money back, considering it's not shot abroad costs must have been minimal (though not apparent visually). Simply having SRK on-board guarantees big bucks over that initial weekend, I assume full returns in 2-3 weeks at longest.
Overall, it's worth a watch for being a sweet little heart-warming film, but if you have no interest in seeing a commercial chick-flick, you should really know this before buying tickets. The amount of people that seem to have gone in knowing it & then walked out moaning about precisely that, amazes me.
Great review. I haven't seen the movie yet and skipped the "over-analysis" section - now that's what I call a true reviewer :-)
I like how each song is covered. And the synopsis is really good putting the expectations in context
I take it you did not see Amitabh Bachchan's interview with the BBC when he was last here for a stage show. The interviewer on the live programme said something about Bollywood and he stopped her sternly and said that words to the effect that she should know that the Indian film industry is bigger than Hollywood in terms of output and viewership so he categorically rejects the characterisation of it as 'Bollywood' and would like them to refer to it as the Indian or Hindi film industry. The look on the newsreader/ interviewer's face was priceless.
Why mention it here?
You mention the B-word and the Big B in close proximity in your post. Quick, edit before he sees it ;-)
I do remember that :) Moo-Tod Jawaab! Was good, however I think even he has had to come to terms with it over time. It's a label that's been given & though I agree it isn't fair, the fact of the matter is, whatever you call it is secondary, as long as we get our exposure to an audience outside our current audience each year & they enjoy our films, I couldn't care less what you decide to call it.
I'm pretty sure even Amitabh Bachchan wouldn't dispute my mentality here.
Thank you. I must admit I did miss writing up films in my little hiatus, but this was the problem. I was watching far more than I had the time to review 'in detail' & so the quality of writing was dropping in my opinion, but now being selective with which films I write up, I have a better motivation.