5 things you will find in every Ranbir Kapoor romance film
After three consecutive flops, including Besharam, Bombay Velvet and Tamasha, Ranbir Kapoor has finally delivered a hit. His big Diwali release Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has been consistently faring well at the box office in India and abroad.
Despite the controversy surrounding the film before its release regarding Pakistani actor Fawad Khan playing a pivotal role, the film’s box office fate has been unharmed.
Produced by Dharma Productions and Fox Star Studios, the film was released across 3,200 screens in India. Made on a budget of Rs 92 crore, it has raked in Rs 75 crore after the selling of music, satellite and digital rights.
Within a span of 10 days, it has made Rs 97 crore at the domestic box office and Rs 68 crore in the overseas market.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is undoubtedly the grand Bollywood romance and since 2011, Ranbir has starred in four films belonging to the genre. But a cursory look at Ranbir's filmography will reveal how these romances follow a set template and hardly ever veer away from the beaten track.
1) The actor has mastered the art of playing the confused and flawed protagonist. In Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar, he portrayed the role of an aspiring musician who, unable to be with the object of his affection, scales unimagined heights when it comes to his musical career.
Ali’s Tamasha had Ranbir slipping into the role of a man who is not following his passion but eventually does end up becoming what his heart desires when he faces rejection in love. Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani saw the actor playing a character who realises the futility of only chasing after ones’s dreams and not having anybody to share it with.
Meanwhile, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil shows Ranbir essaying the role of a rich brat who is unable get over his first love.
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| A still from Tamasha, where Ranbir stars with Deepika Padukone. |
2) Yet another motif common to romances starring the actor is the presence of the "manic pixie dreamgirl". Coined by film critic Nathan Rabin, Ranbir's films boast of a female lead whose only concern is to help the protagonist realise his dreams or true potential.
Rockstar had Nargis Fakhri serving as Ranbir’s muse, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani had Deepika Padukone as the girl who inspires his character to come to terms with his demons, Tamasha yet again had Padukone doing the honours and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has Anushka Sharma playing the character who literally helps the hero grow up.
3) Remember the song 'Katiya Karoon…’ from Rockstar or for that matter ‘Matargashti…’ from Tamasha? These songs are an endless montage of the girl and the boy traipsing around beautiful locations in a heightened frenzy, proving beyond doubt that they are definitely a riot when together.
In Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, the song 'Cutiepie' does the job perfunctorily. Surely there are better ways to show that the hero and the heroine are made for each other.
4) And how can one forget the endless barrage of irreverent and cocky dialogues? The male protagonist after all has to be established as one who seems to have it all together. It’s only through the course of the film that his insecurities are laid bare.
5) Last but not the least, every Ranbir Kapoor film also has the most talked about lip-lock. According to reports, the CBFC took it upon itself to cut short a scene involving a kiss in Tamasha as it felt it was too steamy for everyone’s tastes. While we leave it to the Censor Board to tailor our tastes, the next filmmaker who decides to cast Ranbir in a romance will hopefully not just introduce new tropes but also taste success while at it.