Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Ka Review: Karan Johar loving himself is the real prem kahaani
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani might be overlong and overly dramatic but if you're looking for Karan Johar at his self-indulgent best, then it's definitely an entertainer (photo-DailyO)
Just seconds before the credits roll, Ranveer Singh’s flamboyantly unapologetic Rocky Randhawa orders a “shaadi band” to play something that has “happy vibes”. This brief moment perfectly sums up Karan Johar’s 25th Jubilee celebration.
The real-life Rocky is KJo himself ordering his cast and crew to create something that is synonymous with “happy vibes”. The romantic comedy/drama is expectedly illogical, overlong, heavily melodramatic but none of that should really matter as at least, the movie is “happy vibes”.
The truth of the matter is that Bollywood has been so devoid of good guilty pleasures in the post-pandemic era that Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is a mediocre romance that comes off as even better and funnier now that it has no competitors. In a film industry that is now overdoing the small-town romance trope (everything being set in romanticised versions of Kanpur or Bareilly or Indore or even Lucknow), Rocky Aur Rani comes off as fresher than expected.
Even the audience wouldn’t have anticipated that they are craving some escapist old-school fun, complete with the mandatory song set in snowy mountains with the heroine moving around with a saree (even though that song in this movie is absolutely unmemorable).
KJo occasionally meanders off his larger-than-life tastes with more serious works like My Name Is Khan. But with Rocky Aur Rani, he is at his self-indulgent best. Not only does he reference his own movies but he tries to turn the movie into a love letter to all of old-school Bollywood (or the era of “Yashji” that he repeatedly drooled over in Netflix’s The Romantics).
A Caravan radio set makes an appearance for an awkward brand placement with Alia Bhatt’s Rani Chatterjee even saying, “yaadon ka karwaan”. And then, the movie breaks into multiple medleys of old Bollywood songs. Be it Dharmender or Ranveer or Alia or Shabana Azmi or literally anyone else in this movie, they all get to belt out your grandparents’s favourite songs. And then, of course, in one scene, even the DDLJ theme plays in the background.
But this overindulgence still feels somehow justified given that you wouldn’t expect anything less from the filmmaker. The screenplay might have been written by Ishita Moitra (Four More Shots Please) and Shashank Khaitan (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania) but it’s ultimately Mr Johar pulling the strings to create his own “KJo multiverse”. After all, his favourite nepo-kids Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor also show up for a dance number called “What a Heartthrob-ji”.
It goes without saying that all logic should be thrown out of the window when you indulge in Rocky and Rani’s romance. The hero is a loud but good-natured “typical West Delhi boy”, the heir to a multi-million sweets business who is covered in nothing but Gucci and Versace. The heroine is a “typical Bengali girl” (or “South Delhi type as Rocky calls her), a bold TV journalist who can call out top-ranking ministers on her TV show because Utopian free journalism exists in the Karan Johar universe.
Also, much like the Raichand Mansion in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the Punjabi and Bengali families of both characters also live in lavish havelis, both of which are (god knows where) located in Delhi.
This critic wishes to not delve into spoilers but then Dharmendra himself spoils that he and Shabana Azmi engage in an on-screen kiss. (Yes, Dharam paaji, that breaks ageist stereotypes but you ended up spoiling a major plot point yourself.) Dharmendra plays Ranveer’s grandfather and Azmi plays Alia’s grandmother. Now, do the math.
As these oldies start getting closer, Rocky and Rani embark on their own romantic moments and liplocks until they realise their families are so culturally opposite that they’ll never accept this union. And so, in a hilarious but overdramatic exchange programme, the liberal Bengali woman shifts into the conservative Randhawa household and the “Dilli ka launda” tries to adjust with the Chatterjees in a house where the living room is adorned by a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore (or “Dadaji” as Rocky calls him). If both survive with these families in three months, they can finally marry.
While Karan Johar doesn’t resort to any “oh papaji” and “balle balle” sounds for the Randhawas, all the Bengali stereotypes are ticked off with Rocky’s adventures at the Chatterjee’s. Alia’s Anglicised DU professor of a mother is sassily played by Churni Ganguly even though it does get a little obnoxious when she says Shashi Tharoor-esque things like, “let’s go on a shopping expedition”.
Alia’s father, on the other hand, is an interesting contrast and definitely one of Rocky Aur Rani’s standout characters. Feluda actor and martial artist Tota Roy Chowdhury is more than graceful as a kathak dancer. The gender-bending undertones in his character later resonate with Ranveer’s hero and it’s more than wholesome to see Rocky occasionally accept his fragile male ego and vow to be better.
It seems like even KJo has caught up with the Gen-Z to analyse his own notions of romance from a more politically correct lens (even though most of his criticism is surface-level). This is perhaps the most evident from Alia Bhatt’s Rani who gets indulge in many Gangubai-level monologues as she tries to inspire the Randhawa women to become more independent outside their domestic duties.
And while, Johar should be appreciated for at least trying to be self-aware, even the socio-politics reaches a preachy high by the third hour. Not just Rocky and Rani but literally everyone else in each of their families gets a moment of introspection followed by a teary-eyed rant. If this movie had a “Ramu Kaka” character as the domestic help, even they would get their Oscar-bait moment!
So, with Johar so busy in giving each cast member their spotlight moment, the sentimentality takes away from the central romance to a point where you’re confused about how this movie turned from a “big budget antakshri” to a “group therapy session”. Just take the case of how Alia’s father recounts the sigmas he fought as a kathak dancer and then Ranveer empathising with him with another monologue where he talks about how pressured he feels with “cancel culture”. (yes, that happens)
But still, this prolonged emotional drama still doesn’t ruin the collective viewing experience. Alia is aptly controlled in her performance with Ranveer taking the charge of doing the most Delhi-ish things possible (from parking his Ferrari in a no-parking zone to wearing the tightest pair of skinny jeans). Singh is convincing and totally in his element. Much like her on-screen dadi Jaya Bachchan, even Singh seems to be playing himself and that totally works in Rocky Aur Rani’s favour.
Yes, this is no modern day SRK romance though if you expect Karan Johar going back to his roots. The songs are easily skippable and Ranveer is so busy obsessed with himself that you don’t really see sparks flying out of his romance with Alia. But this on-screen couple does have its moments, especially when Alia just laughs at Ranveer’s circus antics and simply asks “tu kya hai yaar”.
Rani almost represents the audience with Rocky obviously being KJo. We know he is loud and nonsensical but we still find a reason to come back to him. And considering B-Town’s lack of good family friendly rom-coms these days, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is worth your time.
We’re going with 3.5 out of 5 stars for Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.