Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

Rocky Aur Rani is another addition to the gallery of Dharma films with cringe and wordy titles. Karan Johar is famous for making unapologetically formulaic potboilers with larger than life settings, unrealistic tropes, humour banking on audience's stereotypical and/or prejudiced mentality, scintillating chemistry, great soundtrack and score, extremely convenient resolutions and a buttload of melodrama. Rocky-Rani, however, does two things differently. It underwhelms on the music front and it ditches punchbag character-oriented humour for more progressive comedy.

The movie is filled with pop culture references, many of which were self-eulogising and relied on the feedback loop of celebrity culture whose torchbearer is Karan Johar himself. It also takes up certain plots that could potentially contradict each other and then dissolves them conveniently for the benefit of the main storyline that revolves around the lead pair. Half of the film's budget seems to have been spent on obtaining licenses to the many, many popular Bollywood numbers it used to set up the chemistry between its lead pair - something its average original soundtrack probably wouldn't have managed.

You walk into a Karan Johar film expecting all of this but where this film surprises is in its tonality. The movie feels like an Ayushmann Khurrana social comedy set in Karan Johar cinematic universe. You have a relatable, spoilt but receptive "raja beta" as the lead who falls in love with someone who transforms him into a progressive man. The main conflict then revolves around this man transforming the rest the regressive characters into doing better and the resolution is always acceptance and togetherness. Of course all of this involves extremely wealthy characters whose jobs turn demanding and non-demanding as per the plot's need. You even have a monologue or two by the leading man but Karan is calculative enough to know how much he should challenge this post-pandemic cinemagoing audience so he villainises the woman by making her impulsive at one point. He also chooses to dedicate one monologue to victimisation of the leading man who has been trying to change but the cancel culture would simply not let him catch a break!!! It almost felt like Karan was directly talking to those in the audience who have cancelled him for problematic tropes in his past films.

The film almost tips in the favour of the Bengalis in this ultra rich person's Vicky Donor but tries to add nuance to show it's not biased against Punjabis or views all Bengalis as progressive. You have good and bad on both sides. Its resolution positively surprises when it holds back from going completely Disney on you. It acknowledges incorrigibility in some people while also discussing (in its contrived Johari manner) the root cause behind it.

The performances deserve a special mention. You have incredible supporting cast from Jaya Bacchan to Shabana Azmi to Dharmendra. The leading pair too did well - specially Alia whose ethereal beauty and captivating screen presence was a character in itself.

Overall, the film makes for a fantastic one-time watch that stays with you for a couple of hours after viewing. You can watch it with your friends and family.

Finally, Karan Johar does it, finally. It's taken time, but this is without a doubt his best film. I thought his best film would probably come when he finally tones down the high melodrama that often prevails in his directorial efforts. But no, not only didn't he give it up, he actually embraced it wholeheartedly and in the process created a film so whimsical and animated you can't leave it. Indeed, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is a full-on emotional melodrama, but one that celebrates and remains in sync with its great spirit of joy, its musical abundance and cultural diversity, maintaining a deep connection to its Indian roots as well as the heritage of popular Hindi cinema, while conveying positive social messages through glossy entertainment.

The film is a visual extravaganza, and it's shot so well that in some parts it reminds you of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films. The setting is highly luxurious and glossy, and the amount of money and effort put into creating some of the exteriors and the overall production design is quite evident. Some of the sequences, like the wedding ceremony, the Durga Puja party, among others, are absolutely stunning in their photography and style. Also noteworthy is the fact that finally a film by Johar isn't set in New York or London, finally a film that embraces its own Indian culture, particularly the diversity of it, and above all embraces the Hindi film format, showing that masala isn't a derogatory term for cheap potboilers, it could be a perfectly legitimate form of art, too.

The narrative style is just fully musical, and I can't think of a better way to have music as your main means of communication on film. Indeed, music comes everywhere, in the middle of the streets or a random conversation, even in the middle of a fight. The film totally celebrates Indian popular culture and it does so completely unabashedly. Some of the original numbers (including "Tum Kya Mile" and "Kudamyi") are stupendous and they're obviously wonderfully shot, but the nice original songs put aside, the film recaps numerous classic Hindi songs throughout its duration ("O Saathi Chal", "Hum Tum", "Abhi Na Jao", "Aap Jaisa Koi", "Aaj Phir Jeema", "Dola Re"), making it quite a fun nostalgic ride and a tribute to Hindi film music.

So, what this film is about is quite obvious, I believe. Rocky and Rani fall in love and their idea to bridge their cultural differences is to reside each in the house of the other for a period of three months. Both come from wealthy families, but his is a traditional, conservative Punjabi family led by his grandmother, a domineering matriarch who keeps a firm hand over everything and every member of the family. Rani comes from a liberal Bengali family of intellectuals and academics who love poetry and high culture. It is obviously a stereotypical portrayal, but it's passable. The hostility toward the two in each house exists, albeit at varying degrees depending on the particular members of the family, but it becomes a nice journey to learning and self-discovery for all.

Interestingly, instead of deepening the contrast between modernity and tradition, this film fosters a common ground between the two, finding creative ways to make them meet in the middle, which is exactly the kind of balance politicians in the world should do but never grasp. The film incorporates a strong feminist voice, while also defying gender stereotypes and prejudice. While the messaging is a little too obvious and a tad preachy at points, it's never extreme. The principles it promotes are most basic: equality, respect, and the right to self-fulfillment. At the same time, it strongly attacks the ever-restrictive rules of political correctness, and the weird phenomenon of the cancel culture, a terrible substitute for education and social change through teaching.

Now it's pretty obvious that the film isn't to everyone's taste. The dialogue is overtly emotional and exaggerated, with heavy music playing in the background and the camera focusing on crucial moments in amusing ways, exactly the way it's done in the most casual of soap operas. The way the families from different ethnic sectors are portrayed is also quite caricaturish. BUT it also depends on the context. Unlike Johar' Dis-le jamais en partant (2006), which was an awful film for many reasons, particularly because of its attempt to make a serious film through the most shallow scenery, childish dialogue and the most convoluted of situations, here the context is everything and the foundation is so wild and traditionally melodramatic that much of it is forgiven.

The film stars two of the top stars working in Hindi film industry today, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, and both are wonderful in etching out their starry turns while still capturing the human core of their characters. Bhatt is exactly the right combination of the new Indian woman who knows her mind but also has her values intact, and she is wonderfully expressive and charismatic. It is Singh though, who keeps everyone on their toes. His flamboyant energy remains unmatched and is quite infectious, and even in the most melodramatic parts he manages to immerse himself in the dialogue and the character's emotional condition. The two have great chemistry together, which is very filmi but quite credible within the film's context.

But the show also rests on the towering presence of its veteran players, especially Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. Bachchan obviously hardly ever hits a wrong note in a role similar to what her husband played in La Famille indienne (2001). Her character does veer into caricature, especially in her permanent frown throughout the film, but it's so much fun. She nails every second of Dhanalakshmi's imperious presence, vicious stubbornness, and non-nonsense attitude. Her dynamic with Alia reminds one of Dina Pathak's rapport with Rekha in Khubsoorat (1980). Azmi is wonderful as her polar opposite, portraying with great delicacy and depth a character that could have been sidelined as just another grandma-filler part, but she gives it so much meaning.

And so do the other players. Dharmendra does really well in a relatively small part. As his son, Aamir Bashir, an excellent actor in his own right who is quite underrated, plays the male version of his mother exceedingly well. Tota Roy Chowdhury as Rani's father who doesn't abide by the rules of gender roles and keeps his love for Kathak dancing alive, is excellent. His dance is fantastic. Bit parts by Kshitee Jog and Anjali Anand as Rocky's mother and sister, are very good. It is Churni Ganguly, however, as Rani's eloquent but condescending, high class and touch-me-not sort of woman, who is the best of the character actors, and she grows as a character. Overall, 'Rocky and Rani' is wonderful entertainment. It's not a perfect film, but its heart is in the right place and it works.

Very boring move please don't waste your time I don't expect this kind of movie Karan Johar making completely time wasted. Stupid actor and he's bakwas acting. I feel like this movie only made for girls because of ranabeer Kapoor bakwas acting. Even one dialog from this movie don't remember and what kind of songs they sing every time playing song kabhi nai jao chhorr kar dil abhi bhara nai. Lagta he who song main puri life play nai karunga. I request this stupid flim maker Karan Johar please don't make like this movie and don't waste people's money and time. Aliya's acting was just look average.

I wasn't sure if I am watching a movie or a spoof.

Dharmendra has been turned into such a caricature, that it is plain disrespect for the veteran.

Lot of yawn tears. Like those college lectures where you sit through as you don't have the guts to walk out.

The money that is thrown into each of the scenes is dizzying. About as dizzying as the melodrama spurts.

Alia Bhatt and Ranvir Kapoor have both excelled in whatever they have been asked to do. Humor has worked out.

Karan Johar is not being sloppy at how he made the movie. He is saying this is all you guys need. I am the king of bollywood - I decide what you get to watch, and looks like he has very little respect for the audience by the prolific amount of crass he laid.

There is a scene with serious emotional drama, and Dharmendra needs to be taken to the doctor. Ranvir cries n..u..r...se loudly, and runs in athletic slow motion in his kathak dance attire.

Painful watch. Wouldn't recommend to anyone.

"Soch nahi, swad wahi", is a line said by Alia Bhatt's Rani within the movie and it's perfectly apt for this Karan Johar directorial. Rocky Randhawa and Rani Chatterjee fall in love while fearing their differences in culture, ideologies would clash, resulting in destroying their love. To fight for their love, the duo decide to exchange their respective families for 3 months where Rocky goes onto live with Rani's Bengali family while Rani moves in with Rocky's Punjabi family run by the Matriarch Dhanalakshmi Randhawa (Jaya Bachchan). How their love story survive despite the ideology clashes forms rest of the story.

I wasn't prepared enough for a progressive Karan Johar family entertainer. Having said that, KJo is in full form as he is not trying to ape any other director or even please the current generation. He reclaims his identity and plays to his strength. Karan Johar is meant to narrate rich people stories and add to that a love story + lots of family drama, you get the recipe for a KJo blockbuster ready. What this films lack is good songs which again is made up by the usage of old classics.

RARKPK is not without it's flaws but Karan Johar fills it with enough memorable scenes, heart touching ones, that I had to stop complaining about the lengthy runtime. Speaking of standout scenes, both first half and second half delivers them back to back. Alia shines whenever she gets to but it is Ranveer who owns the film while letting the veterans to take over their respective scenes. My only major complaint would be the Dhindora Baje song as Dola Re bit before that had already done the magic, also that bit was my paisa vasool moment.

Karan Johar truly upgrades his arsenal, while the standing upto the matriarch might be the major plot point, several other issues are highlighted sensibly and kudos to the team. Sure, the initial scenes are jerky, trying a bit too hard while introducing the two main leads but after that it's a smooth narrative. The ode to classic songs or to other films' famous lines including the one from K3G, Karan Johar has packed a solid entertainer.