Rab Ne Bana De Jodi: The YRF Factor
Okay, so Jahan pipped me to the post for this one. After a wretched two weeks of Geology field work under a harsh sun, I came back home yesterday. Within a few hours of returning, I was on my way to catch the morning show of “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi”. Two and a half hours later, dull rocks and dreary scientific instruments were but a distant memory…..
Oops……was that too dramatic?
But seriously, while “Rab Ne Bana De Jodi” was not a great film, it was by all means a good one, a sincere effort(if sometimes self-indulgent) powered on by another champagne performance by Shahrukh Khan. And herein lies the rub. There has been a curious rush to trash the film in the media and the critics’ circle. Our very own Phoenix-da here wrote a scathing piece on Friday itself, in which objectivity was conspicuous by its absence. Following articles have been either dismissive or coyly defensive, as if defending a notoriously mischievous child. It was heartening to read Jahan’s article, especially in the wake of the ongoing assault on the film.
What really is it about the film that makes it cannon-fodder for the cinephiles here and elsewhere? Is it the wafer-thin plot? Or is it the chauvinistic patriarchal overtones? Was it “unrealistic” to a nauseating degree? Naaah…..don’t expect me to buy that one. We all cheered on when RDB veered from unreal to jingoistically surreal in its final 40 minutes or so. Madhur Bhandarkar has made a career out of “Fashioning” gimmicky characters and down-to-earth countryside hokum which masquerade as a plot. What can it be then? Hmmm….there’s a head-scratcher for you.
Perhaps it’s those three letters on the marquee which make the difference. YRF-those three letters…..God forbid we ever be polluted by those infidels…..how dare they defile us, the purest among the faithful? We, who so religiously worship cinema, we who have Scorsese for breakfast, the Coens for lunch, Oliver Stone for dinner and Charlie Kaufman for afters. Won’t messrs Kurosawa, Ray and Truffaut turn in their graves if they ever caught us actually enjoying a YRF film…..the Lord save us.
Now, I’m not saying that PFC or indeed the rest of the critics are all snobbish smug-faced bigots like the kind described above……but c’mon…it is kind of intimidating to stick your neck out for a YRF film when you’ve got guys like Anurag Kashyap as your fellow writers here, people who’ve built an alternative cinema movement from the ground up, who’ve given us some absolute gems along the way, who’re so strong today that they’re barely considered alternate anymore.
But enough about the PFC vs YRF rant, and more about the movie itself. Rab Ne begins on a bright note as we’re introduced to the character of “Suri”, Surinder Sahni(Shahrukh), a middle-aged Everyman who is coerced into marrying a young girl, Taani(newcomer Anushka Sharma), by her dying father when her groom-to-be dies in an accident. Suri is plain, mousy, bumbling, conforming very much to the underdog stereotype ,and yet having a refreshing originality about him. Suri falls for his new bride, but accepts the fact willingly that she’ll never love him back. In one of the best lines of the film, Suri says to Taani, “Isse bade pyaar ki mujhe naa to aadat hai, aur na hi zaroorat…”
The unlikely couple seem to have reached an equilibrium in their marriage of convenience when Taani decided to participate in a dance competition. Suri, in a desperate bid to appear cool and hip in front of his young wife, decides to go for a makeover with a little help from his barber friend Bobby(Vinay Pathak, brilliant as usual!) and becomes her dancing partner, not as Suri, but as Raj(what else?) a motormouth over-the-top Jat. Much of the film is about Suri’s dilemma in his dual role, his desperate attempts to woo her as Suri, and her growing attachment to Raj, his alter-ego.
The story is archaic, the plot dynamics predictable and the screenplay is efficient without being spectacular. But what makes it click is the innate simplicity and good-naturedness which shines resplendently throughout the film. After a long town, small-town delights have looked so adorable. Shahrukh plays the over-sexed wannabe dude Raj like only he can, but it is Suri, and not Raj who is really the trump-card as far as the film is concerned. SRK, with a frumpy hairdo and Clark Gable moustache delivers one of the best acts of his career as the soft-spoken, mild-mannered, endearingly clumsy guy. You’ll end up rooting for him, whether you like it or not.
Anushka Sharma makes a competent debut as Taani. While she looked a bit out of sorts in the more high-voltage scenes, it was a more than decent performance in a film dominated frame after frame by King Khan. Vinay Pathak is hilarious till he starts calling on “rab” every now and then. His role, especially his entry scene, reminded me curiously,of Joaquin Phoenix playing the comically crazed and faux-sinister Toby N. Tucker (T.N.T.) in Oliver Stone’s road flick “U-Turn”.
The constant referrals to past YRF and Shahrukh hits gets a bit old after a while. I, however, liked the “tribute song” Phir milenge chalte chalte, because of some splendidly choreographed set-pieces, especially the one where SRK plays Raj Kapoor. Kudos to veteran Shiamak Davar for that one… The film has some very charming moments, like the one where Suri, in an uncharacteristic fit of romance, leaves a rose stem for his new bride…. and then decides not to, on second thoughts!
Of course, the film derives most of its fuel from an effortlessly brilliant performance from SRK. He does tread on familiar territory, especially in the portions featuring Raj, but it is in the unassuming character of Suri where Khan excels. He lends an air of sincerity and makes the character adorable to bits.
I could go on a long rant about how the film makes you laugh and cry, or some such PR crap reserved for those long Thursdays before the big release, but instead I’ll only say this: Perhaps the most compelling argument I can make is that in a time of almost choking cynicism, this is a film which is unabashedly feel-good and manages to be entertaining to boot.
There, I’ve said it……..now let the curses begin.
Tags: Rab ne bana de jodi, Shahrukh Khan, YRF
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Haaaan Jeeeeeeeeee :D
I’ve already seconded You
Way to go buddy- nice to hear like minded thoughts anytime
Not many replies I note.
I think you’ve comprehensively covered the reasons why RNBDJ is held in such contempt by so many people who are “patrons” of Passion for Cinema.
I say let them live in their “narrow and exclusive world”. Perhaps if they let go of their “rigidly” held views, their lives will lose all meaning.
@Sasha: Hits but not responses…perhaps “they” can’t think of a good enough riposte…not yet anyway!
Perhaps no one wanted to waste time
However, I did, both on leaving a comment and watching the movie :(
BTW, I found a certain Salma Agha crooning ‘Come Closer’ more entertaining than RNPDT.
Why is there so much hoopla about Yash Raj films not being novel in their story-lines and going back to same formula over and over again!! Starting Chandani, every Yash Chopra directed film has been one or another type of manipulation of love triangle. I would go for his socio-romantic films even before that, but I don’t remember watching Kabhi Kabhie and Silsila after growing up.
So, why is it that suddenly we have started expecting new treatment, new stories from his production house in last two years or so! At least with Rab ne Bana di Jodi, they seems to have begun to get closer to reality.
sahsha srk+YRF is like HRADCORE porno for NRI population
they will eat up any shit this combo deliver
Hmm… YRF is the new Microsoft. The company everyone likes to hate.
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Adi bhai, (the writer of this post and not the director), I agree with you completely.
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I wrote somewhere but yeah the gist was that its got this innocence that captivated me as a viewer.
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The best take home from this movie is Suri, the character apart from that wide grin because of the end credits and of course, those tender moments.
Did I say I like this film :-)
@ Vishesh
As a techie, i still hate Microsoft, not because its cool to do so, but for the simple fact that their products suck, he, he.
I think its perception, in the IT world, hard core techies like me, who have to do the actual hands on work, detest Microsoft, because of the innumerable issues, their products have.
But for normal computer users, Microsoft, is everything, because it bought PC to common man. So when in IT world there is a division of opinion, its natural in the movie world also.
@Shashank: Awwww…. why bring poor Salma into our mess?
@Movie fan: We now know where your taste comes from
@Vishesh and Ratnakar: Interesting analogy there.. equating Microsoft with YRF
BTW, Ratnakar I know exactly where you’re coming from, living in a place crawling with techies, most of whom swear by their Linux and bay for Microsoft’s blood!
Good article Adi. I do not know about others, but I go to movies to ‘enjoy’ not find every single fault and trash it for the sake deriving sadistic pleasure.
You may like a movie because you got ‘thrills’ or you ‘laughed’ a lot or because there was an emotional connect.
Yes, there are many movies that bore you..or you just can’t stand them.
Is anyone aware of someone who might have left cinemahall while watching RNBDJ ? Why ?
Yes, its not a great film. I will not watch it for the second time..though maybe catch it again when it is shown on TV. I won’t mind if don’t watch it during my lifetime. But it is definitely not ‘trash’. Some genuine moments. And a character that people find different and will keep on discussing. A feel good watch that does not satisfy you completely.
Ek baat to clear hai, earlier I wasnt too sure if I need to watch the movie again.But with all this talk going on, I think that I’ll probably watch it again.Let me have a look at Surinder Sahni once again & see whether I’ve missed out anything the first time around
Aditya…I agree there were some touching scenes but that doesn’t make it a good movie. What bothers me the most is the laziness in scripting, inconsistent characterization and taking audience for granted.
Surinder can switch to Raj.. that too seamlessly!!…Raj can assert himself bindhaas (even berate garage-walah sardarji) to impress Taani…but Surinder can’t say no to his office mates for party (mind u he had a good reason…recent demise of Taani’s father etc)..
Surinder seems to understand Taani’s state of mind and he will do anything for her but he doesn’t want to change his behavior or lifestyle …instead he prefer playing Raj…he comes across as a sadistic character making Taani’s life difficult.
and the list goes on…I am of the opinion that most of these inconsistencies and flaws could have been corrected in scripting… Aditya Chopra is not a first time writer-director…it seems like he just doesn’t care…fine…but as an audience I am going to hold him responsible for such loopholes…I don’t think it is being snooty to demand tighter and honest script.
PS: IMHO, its not PFC vs YRF…I have seen articles, on PFC, criticizing TZP, for its emotionally manipulative second half.
@Vikrant: That was by far the most balanced criticism I’ve read about the film… much of what you say is correct…..I already said the film has a weak plot….the screenplay needs to be tighter, definitely…. but I dare say the film deserves a dekko purely because of Shahrukh’s act as Suri(NOT Raj)
Rose and Jack. Raj and Simran. These were the great romantic duos pre-millenium. Post-millenium – not one good love story. Kate and Leo are together again in “Revolutionary Road” but now they are desperately unhappy, trapped in a big suburban house full of broken dreams. Unke jodi is bilkul nahi made by Rab. Rab checked out.
you know, i find one thing interesting. lately there are no good and believable love stories. all comedies. movies that are about the movies. urban films on infidelity. bad marriages etc. after spending about a 100 years believing in love – suddenly the movies – everywhere – are out of love with love. sad.
yet, in small places, Rab De was intensely romantic. it made me believe in love. a little. just enough. imagine tanni – small town girl betrayed at the altar, forced to marry a nerd. dance is her way out. a means for dreaming. while dancing she meets raj. she is a little put off by him at first. but then he shows her his good heart when he says she should find another partner. that heart is suri’s heart. she falls in love with this man. it makes complete sense that her moment of revelation comes not when Suri beats the sumo wrestler (that is not who he is, he is not a fighter) but rather when he uses his professional ties to light up the city for her. that is who he is. he does what he is capable of doing. that is who she loves. she rejects him when he tries to be the hero that he is not. when he abjects himself with the wrestler. that scene is so difficult to watch for her because she actually already loves and cannot stand how pathetic he will be for love.
I think the amritsar setting is absolutely crucial to this. not village. not metro. but provincial town. a place that is a little bit modern but also a little old-fashioned. a place where one still believes that love is divine.
You are right, Sangeeta…we don’t have someone to match Jack and Rose or Raj and Simran in this decade yet…….. but there have been some love stories which are worth our praise… Aditya and Geet in Jab We Met for starters… I, for one, quite liked Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams(also James Garner and Gena Rowlands) in “The Notebook” …. also for a wildcard entry… how about Wall-E or Brokeback Mountain for that matter
thanks aditya. wall-e and brokeback are excellent examples. sweet and romantic films. i guess then the issue is the heterosexual love story is not that interesting — you know girl meets boy. i guess what has disappeared are all those old sources of conflict – class, family opposition, ethnic and racial difference. these are no longer sociologically resonant. but homosexuality or perhaps a hindu-muslim romance might be.
i think hindi films made great romances because the family and society were such important sources of opposition and that is no longer the case. yet, hindi cinema is yet to find sufficiently nuanced language of psychological conflict to generate the tension in love stories. “rab de” could have developed this angle more but it did not really go there. i know most people hated Kabhi Alvida on this website, but that film also tried to provide a psychological account of attraction. Most films stage romance as circumstantial. think of a recent example – “Sorry Bhai” – she is lonely. he has changed. she falls for the brother. honestly, the film seemed absurd to me. i think the premise was very rich – you know the whole “devar” thing that was so beautifully explored in Charulata for example. this whole issue is very resonant in Indian society — it could have worked. but this film – that is Onir’s problem – is so hyper liberal that it becomes unbelievable. You know liberalism is antithetical to romance. Romance needs repression.
I agree with a lot of what you said about some directors or actors or producers being criticized for the sake of being criticized or for not doing what we consider to be the best. Sad but true.
However, I disagree with you about the movie. I found it very boring except for the first half hour or so.
@Sangita: “Romance needs repression” Nicely put indeed
A psychological take on romance and its roller-coaster rides…..you’re right, one will be hard-pressed to find one in Bollywood… one of my favourite romantic films is “As Good As It Gets” …I think it managed to do this effectively…
P.S. I haven’t watched “Sorry Bhai” but for my money, it’s a tad unfair to compare it with “Charulata”….just a thought