Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

This film has a simple and typically Indian premise, woven into a smart screenplay that remains focused and rarely meanders beyond the boundaries set by its premise. It creates the quintessentially Indian box office magic by turning the audiences into sentimental fools.

Whatever we say, the job of cinema is to turn us into idiots, who are made to believe in anything, in utopia or hell, in love and hate, in monsters and Martians. And if Aaditya Chopra describes his latest film as homely paratha, sarson ka saag, and lassi meal, it is an apt description by a helmer whose last film was an insipid copy of a classic Hollywood film.

So what’s the premise of the film? It is about how a simpleton wins the love and earns the respect of his fun-loving young wife. The story is simple and predictable. You can guess its probable turns and twists and its climax in the first few reels of the film. Surindar Sahni, an employee of Punjab Power in Amritsar, is married to a vivacious, inhibition-free, and honest girl Taani by the quirk of tragic fate. The girl tells him that though she has married him, she may not be able to love him ever, since her past love has brought her so much of suffering and pain, and that the real Taani is dead. Suri had loved the real Taani, the lively carefree girl, who he had first seen dancing with joy in her own marriage until the tragedy struck. He decides to do something that will revive the spirits of this girl who is his wife now.

He gets into a double role with the expert help of his friend Bobby, the stylist. He reinvents himself as a cool dude fun guy Raj, a character that can make Taani laugh, and rediscover love. This creates very interesting dilemmas and mental conflicts for him and Taani. The hook is if Taani will finally accept Suri, the simpleton, or will go for Raj, the cool dude, and betray her husband and her marriage vows. But are not both the same person? Fuck the logic man, screw the intellect, and watch the competition. And of course we know who will win the war -  who else but the perennial loser, the ultra-likeable Surindar Sahni. Taani will see God in him during a visit to the Golden temple, because he gives his love expecting nothing in return, and her moral dilemmas will be resolved instantly. And Suri will revive the old Taani, who he had fallen in love with at first sight, the vibrant and pure Taani, a gift of God. And that is how this ‘rab ki banaai jodi’ will hit box office gold.

Shahrukh’s double role is a very interesting and smart invention to carry forward the premise. However, while acting as Surindar Sahni he fakes it from frame one, with all those familiar pauses, facial contortions, and an obviously put-on awkwardness. It is a jerky and generally phony footagekhau act. He stylizes the role more than the usual, probably to enhance the contrast vis-à-vis his other role. There was no need for such idiocy. He should have been as natural, normal, and fluid as he is in the song ‘haule, haule…’ and it would have worked wonders. He makes up for his uneven acting in his other role though. He excels as Raj, the cool dude, so much so that at some point you take him as the villain of the film and want him to lose since the audience’s sympathies are with the good guy, the do-gooder and the loser Surindar Sahni of Punjab Power. This is a significant cinematic achievement of the director.

‘Rab…’ represents a genre that is known as Bollywood cinema these days. It is a feel good family film, eminently entertaining, good for your eyes, and great for your heart muscles, and a strict no no for brains. If you are always looking for logic in life, or some kind of existential or surrealistic experience that can be intellectualized, this film will destroy your peace of mind. Please don’t watch it unless you know how to keep your ever questioning logically thinking brain in a suspended state.

It is a well-written screenplay that does not dwell on anything beyond a point. It flounders a little in the last few reels since the director-writer is in a hurry to wrap up the story. He resolves all moral conflicts in a jiffy. The audience anyway knew the end so why bother about developing and detailing it. You are not making a film for the students of cinema. Interestingly, it is the end credits that have maximum emotional impact and you walk out of the theatre feeling good. They start rolling with juxtaposed stills of Surindar Sahni and family on Holiday in Japan, and a beautifully written, movingly funny Shahrukh VO describing the circumstances in which those stills were taken. This is inspired writing at its best.

It will be a major hit of the year for its heart-warming premise and almost simplistic narrative structure that does not tax your brains. Even the camera work is non-intrusive, and follows the action within a scene with minimal use of technical wizardry. The song ‘haule, haule…’ works well. It is effectively shot, well-performed and compliments the premise of the film. The other song, a tribute to the great romantic jodis of Indian cinema of the past, also works for sentimental reasons. And above all, Aaditya  Chopra  avoids overwhelming you with grand sets, extravagant costumes, breathtakingly beautiful locales like the Swiss Alps, and item numbers crowded with hot pant dancers. It is a minimalist Yashraj banner film in terms of its production costs and in every other way except of course the presence of two SRKs.  

And from an Indian cinema perspective, the film succeeds because it sticks to the basics – unabashed sentimentalism, beautiful characterizations, and a simple narrative structure and style that support a touching premise successfully.

So, it is a great Indian film. Ha. Hardly. I wonder why Aaditya Chopra took eight years to write and helm a film that can be written, produced, and delivered in three months.

RKS