Rocky Aur Rani - Karan Johar Pens A Beautiful Ode to Bollywood
Bollywood. What is Bollywood? Everyone has a different meaning for the word, everyone has felt different emotions because of it and everyone builds a different connection to the stories. But at its heart, when done correctly, Bollywood is a rollercoaster of emotions. A two plus hour spectacle that grips you and takes you on a journey with its main characters. A spectacle that Karan Johar nails repeatedly!
Say what you might about his media persona, Karan Johar the director has an eye for detail, beauty and grandeur. A self-proclaimed lover of the films, he understands movies from an audience’s perspective. And while he had drifted away from his style for a while, with ‘Rocky and Rani Ki Prem Kahaani’, Karan Johar shows that there is still place for the old-school, emotional filled, family drama and grand Bollywood love story. Think K3G - but with a much more modern outlook. The plot has no major surprises or mysteries. It takes almost all the turns you would expect it to, but it ensures that it nails every beat and takes you along on an incredibly fun and emotional journey.
The journey is guided by two actors that are clearly on the top of their game and know how to get the best out of each other. Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, as Rocky and Rani, take the movie on their shoulders and deliver sterling performances. Ranveer, playing a blingy, undereducated but kind hearted lover boy, is endearing from beginning to end. His energy on-screen is infectious, his charisma unparalleled and his outfits vivacious as always. A particular highlight is when he nails a minute of kathak on screen, a moment you can see he has put an incredible amount of effort into and put his superstar tag aside for. Alia is as brilliant as ever. She has become arguably the most dependable actor in the industry and produces yet another performance that has you rooting for her and feeling her emotions with her. Playing a well-educated, incredibly smart and strongly opinionated South-Delhi girl, she ensures that she delivers the messages with impact while still maintaining the softness of this love story.
The supporting cast is also in fine form. Bringing together seasoned veterans like Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan, Dharmendra, Churni Ganguly, Kshitee Jog, Aamir Bashir and Tota Roy Chowdhury ensures that the movie is never short of acting prowess and it is clear that the actors are feeding off each others energy and talent. Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan in particular, playing two contrasting styles of grandmothers remind the world of their incredible ability.
Lastly, no Karan Johar movie is complete without a beautiful soundtrack and stunning visuals. Karan leaves no stone unturned in ensuring that the sets look as grand, and vibrant as possible. Also, in bringing together the likes of Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Pritam and a few others, Karan ensures that the music ably supports the story and the performances on screen, adding in a layer of emotion and fun.
As I sat in the cinema hall watching Alia Bhatt dance to ‘Tum Kya Mile’ on snow-clad mountains in Kashmir dressed in nothing but a chiffon sari, I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. This was Bollywood as I knew it, this was the magical, masala, full family, popcorn love story and entertainer that everyone loves. The master of this genre had just penned a fitting and much needed ode to the Bollywood of old.
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