Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Is Nostalgic

Grey pants, white shirt, big spectacles and a moustache lying blissfully underneath; meet Punjab Power’s unattractive and timid employee Surinder Sahni (Shahrukh Khan), who falls in love with very bubbly and vivacious Taani (Anushka Sharma); wanting a flamboyant and happy go lucky life partner, who could express his love openly unlike the character played by Shahrukh Khan. In a typical bollywood style they were brought together by turn of events.

Just a few minutes into the movie and Taani is jostling with her new life and has lost the ability to love because of the untimely death of her old love and her father. The yellow Tiffin carrying ‘Suri’ is head over heels in love with his wife and would go any length to make her feel comfortable and happy. Between miniscule exchanges of words and sleeping in different rooms, the average middle class husband is trying to make way ino the heart of his wife, who lives in a world of her own.

But how can a super star be made to stay as a cog in the sarkari office? This is where his friend Bobby Khosla (Vinay Pathak), a self-proclaimed hair stylist gives ‘Suri’ a complete makeover. Small-town-guy-trying-to-grab-attention by wearing tight bright colored T-shirts and ripped jeans with big sunglasses minus the moustache; “Raj”, Suri’s alter ego is born out of this extreme makeover. This very outspoken small town motor mechanic disguise ‘Raj’ does justice to Suri, by expressing love to ‘Taani’ with flamboyance and machismo, the ways that ‘Suri’ could never have. The over expressive ‘Jat’ with his crude ways was able to grab just the attention to place himself in Taani’s heart.

What is ‘Taani’ to do? Fall for this boisterous ‘Raj’ or for her 9to5 dull office going ‘Suri’? ‘Slow, soft and sweet’, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is a melodrama cum comedy which is more metaphorical than real.
The movie has a relatively small, three-member cast, very unlike Yashraj Films where grandeur, acting and emotions are all over played. The film is set in the narrow streets of Amritsar with self-inviting guests and interfering neighbors who are addressed typically as ‘Sharma ji’ and ‘Verma ji’.

A very strong disappointment however seems to be in the fact that has been overlooked in the movie. Taani has been portrayed as this small town girl who is smart enough and like any girl her age from Punjab, she knows how to ride a bike and show to her rival that she is no less. When Suri first meets Taani as Raj at the dancing class without the moustache, she could not recognize her husband. How can the director overlook such a strong point? Only does in the final part she correlate that her husband and Raj are same.

Another point is that even at 43, Shahrukh has managed to do a role as a romantic hero, jumping, dancing and singing like any newcomer. The charm is still the same but age certainly is showing on King Khan. Debutant Anushka Sharma as Taani has done some decent job.

Bollywood is known for its illogical storylines and only the team of King Khan and Aditya Chopra could have made people stay glued to their seats in the cocktail of emotions, dance and drama. Written, directed and produced by Aditya Chopra, this movie has four very hummable songs, written by Jaideep Sahni and music by Salim Suleiman. The movie medley’Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke’ number somehow seems more stuffed in but all the other songs seem well in place. The background score ‘haule haule’ gives a good lift to the character elements and is well kept with the timings of the characters.

Overall a nice movie, it will keep you hooked for 2 hours 40 minutes. Can be watched with entire family, it will make you laugh and cry. Don’t miss the end credit; they are worth waiting for.