Out of hundreds of directors of Bollywood, very few are adequately known to the common man and whose mere mention on the poster can draw in crowds. Karan Johar is one such personality. All of his earlier six directorial ventures have been worth watching, and a few of them are unforgettable. Hence, expectations are tremendous from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, his latest release. Thankfully, it turns out to be a fine entertainer and the director doesn’t disappoint yet again.
The story of the movie: Rocky Randhawa (Ranveer Singh) lives in Delhi in the grand Randhawa Palace with his mother Punam Randhawa (Kshitee Jog), father Tijori Randhawa (Aamir Bashir), sister Gayatri aka Golu (Anjali Anand), grandmother Dhanlakshmi Randhawa (Jaya Bachchan) and grandfather Kamal Lund (Dharmendra). Dhanlakshmi is the founder of Dhanlakshmi Sweets and today it is arguably the biggest mithai company in the country. In order to find more information about his handicapped grandfather’s past, Rocky happens to meet Rani Chatterjee (Alia Bhatt), a fiery TV reporter. She stays with her articulate and aristocratic mother Anjali Chatterjee (Churni Ganguly), Kathak trainer father Chandon Chatterjee (Tota Roy Choudhury) and grandmother Jamini Chatterjee (Shabana Azmi). Sparks fly between Rocky and Rani instantly and they fall in love. But realizing that their families and cultures are drastically different, they decide on an interesting idea. They decide to ‘switch’, that is, live in each other’s residences with each other’s families for three months. They are confident that they can make it work and make each other’s families fall in love with them too.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’s beginning shouldn’t be missed as it establishes the dynamics and equations in the Randhawa family. The entry scenes of both the lead actors are whistle-worthy. The circumstances under which they both meet also make for a great watch. But what happens from here on, especially with the old-aged characters, is seen to be believed. It’s bound to cause a frenzy in cinemas. The love story of Rocky and Rani also is interesting and laced with humour. The intermission point is dramatic. Post-interval, the film gets serious but never gets boring. A few plot points are not handled correctly but the makers compensate for it with some more clapworthy and maddening scenes. The pre-climax is superb. The ending, however, is underwhelming.
Speaking of performances, Ranveer Singh gets totally into the skin of his character. He has played a loud, Delhi chap before but here, he ensures that his act doesn’t look similar to any of his past performances. Alia Bhatt looks out of the world and as always, her performance is first-rate. Her comic timing is spot-on but watch out for her in the confrontational sequences. Yet again, she proves that she’s one of the finest actors in India today. Dharmendra is super-cute. In fact, him playing this sort of role is apt as it seems completely acceptable. The same goes for Jaya Bachchan. Thanks to her off-screen image, it is not difficult to imagine her in this role, which has shades of grey and even black. Shabana Azmi, too, leaves a huge mark. Tota Roy Choudhury is the biggest surprise of the film and hats off to him for pulling off the role with such finesse. Churni Ganguly leaves a huge mark. Kshitee Jog is dependable. Anjali Anand is fine. Aamir Bashir is okay initially but his act in the last one hour is worth watching. Namit Das (Somen Mitra) and Abhinav Sharma (Vicky) are passable. Lastly, Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday’s cameos in the song ‘Heartthrob’ are sizzling.
Pritam‘s music is fine but is not as memorable as the songs of the previous Karan Johar’s films. His directorial ventures have always had unforgettable music. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’s music is nowhere close to that zone. ‘Tum Kya Mile’ is the best of the lot in terms of tune and execution. ‘Dhindhora Baja Re’ comes next and is placed at a crucial juncture. Special mention should also go to Vaibhavi Merchant’s cinematography. The rest of the songs like ‘Heartthrob’, ‘What Jhumka?’, ‘Ve Kamlaya’, ‘Ro Len De’ and ‘Kudmai’ work due to the picturization. Pritam‘s background score is quite good. But to use recreated tunes of classic songs doesn’t work in all scenes.
Manush Nandan‘s cinematography is too good and enhances the cinematic appeal of the film. Manish Malhotra and Eka Lakhani‘s costumes are very appealing, especially the ones worn by Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. Amrita Mahal Nakai‘s production design is grand. Redefine‘s VFX is appropriate. Nitin Baid‘s editing is smooth.
Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy‘s story is promising. Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy‘s screenplay enhances the plot. The characters have been fleshed out very well and they have peppered the film with some very interesting and progressive scenes. There are several characters and they have tried their best to do justice to each one of them. Ishita Moitra‘s dialogues are one of the film’s USPs.
Karan Johar‘s direction is appropriate. He’s a pro when it comes to handling emotional scenes. In that regard, he hits it out of the part yet again. But what’s also praiseworthy is his execution in the comic sequences. Even in the past, he has scored on this front but here, it’s on a different level. He deserves the maximum praise for making an important comment on masculinity. It’s rare to see something like this in a mainstream Bollywood film.
Sadly, the film is not without its share of blemishes. Some moments give a déjà vu of movies like 2 States, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Life In A Metro etc. Some developments are forced like the track on trolling and the stock market. It is, no doubt, a necessary part of the film but the way it’s depicted seems superficial. Even the singing angle doesn’t come out organically and looks a bit childish as well. The fault lies here in the direction as on paper, it must have come across well. Lastly, the finale is weak. The fate of an important character is questionable towards the end.
On the whole, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is a progressive and entertaining family flick, and is laced with top-class performances, some well-written comic and dramatic sequences, a powerful message and a few lovely surprises.
P.S.: DO NOT MISS THE BEGINNING
My rating – *** ½ out of 5!