‘Rocky Aur Rani...’ captures hearts when it’s not inducing eye rolls

 Family, love, differences between the couple and lots of drama have always been at the core of umpteen love stories. So what’s new about Karan Johar’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’? There isn’t any, and yet there is some!

It’s so much that it’s ‘old wine in a new bottle’, and yet, there is a huge difference too. Besides the presence and the unique combination of veterans such as Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan, there’s the chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt that is easily the highlight of this nearly three-hour-long family entertainer.

And yes, there’s Pritam’s foot-tapping music too, though what the audience seems to be enjoying the most are some of the most popular Hindi film hits from the ’60s through the ’80s — these have them singing along loudly.

That’s not all that makes this film special. For once, Johar takes several leaps forward and tries to wedge in many life lessons into the script that would make people sit and take note of. After all, we love bittersweet doses of messaging in glossy packaging — these are far easier to swallow.

It looks earnest and determined to make audiences have fun all the way. It is an unabashed family drama (though, thankfully, not a tearjerker) that will capture hearts when it isn’t inducing eye rolls. It clearly states, “For lovers, the steering wheel may be in their hands, but it’s the family navigating as backseat drivers.”

Delhi boy Rocky Randhawa (Singh) is a loud and flamboyant Punjabi young man who has the onerous task of living up to the expectations of his father, Tijori (Aamer Bashir), and tyrant grandmother Dhanlakshmi (Bachchan) as the “eklauta waris” who would take up the reins of the huge mithai business that seems more like an empire.

His grandfather, Kanwal Randhawa (Dharmendra), suffers memory loss from time to time, allowing his wife to rule the roost. Demanding and a stickler for discipline, Dhanlakshmi commands awe within the family to such an extent that her daughter-in-law (Kshitee Jog) and granddaughter Gayatri (Anjali Anand) are petrified of her. Even her obedient son, Tijori, doesn’t have much of an independent opinion in any family matter.

All’s well within the controlled lives of the family until one day at a party Kanwal makes an embarrassing gesture of kissing a guest (Sheeba) mistaking her to be someone he knew as Jamini. Rocky uncovers the secret name and unearths a black and white torn photo of a young Jamini (Azmi) Kanwal had known way back in 1978.

That’s enough for Rocky to embark on a mission along with his best friend (Abhinav Sharma) to get to the bottom of his grandfather’s unrequited love. When the Internet helps him trace television anchor Rani Chatterjee (Alia Bhatt), who lives with her parents (Churni Ganguly and Tota Roychowdhury), and grandmother Jamini Chatterjee (Azmi), he must meet them and arrange a meeting between the two.

Writers Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy have underlined the distinctive routine lifestyles that the Punjabis and the Bengalis inherit, and what’s more, flaunt proudly. Not resorting to denigrating the values held dear by the two communities, the film treads softly onto the subtle and not-so-subtle dissimilarities and disparities between the two.

Interspersed with humour and songs, the backgrounds, ethnicities and ethos that the Punjabi-speaking family and the poetry-loving Bengalis bring to the table, the film uses every bit of this diversity with a flourish.

For once, Singh and his infectious energy are not tiresome. Talking the hindlegs of a donkey, he makes his way into the Chatterjee household with elan. As a Hindi- and Punjabi-speaking unpolished and unskilled daring dude, he enthrals with his smart-alecky one-liners.

Bhatt, on the other hand, is dignified and looks ravishing in sarees. A natural, she never lets her alluring charisma rule; rather, she blends effortlessly into a scene without any in-your-face dramatics. Together, they make a very adorable pair.

Viewers will simply adore and welcome back Dharmendra on screen after so long. They would recall how the Punjabi Jat loved shedding copious tears at the drop of a hat in emotional scenes. His wheelchair-bound presence in the film spells class even as he gets demonstrative recollecting his good old days in a manner affecting the audience’s lachrymal glands.

Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, both consummate actors and accomplished veterans, prove once again that it’s actors who can easily strike a balance between performance and posturing.

Johar is most comfortable dealing with love stories set against the backdrop of warring or disagreeing families. Has he broken the stereotypical recipe for a fresh start?

Not really. Once in a while, he might pat himself on the back with a ‘My Name Is Khan’ or ‘Lust Stories’ and the like to believe that he can, and has. broken the mould he has so arduously created over the decades, but if one is expecting him to add a nuanced dimension to an idea, it’s asking for a complete metamorphosis, and that would be altering his basic DNA.

To be fair, within the limitations, if he is adding shades and gradations gradually — rather gingerly — it is a great effort on his behalf! (IANS)

Also Read:  ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’: Alia forgets Bangla lines after rehearsing for Kolkata event

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