Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal,Director: Aditya Chopra Producer: Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra
Writer: Aditya Chopra
Music: Salim Merchant , Sulaiman Merchant
The movie:
To start with, RAB NE BANA DI JODI brings back the golden team of it's not set in London or Switzerland, there's no sarso ke khet, it's not about a good looking couple sporting designer outfits and accessories, there's no parental opposition either.
Set your eyes anywhere and you see countless unknown faces. In markets, malls, streets, airports, stations, just about everywhere. And everyone who walks this planet has a story to tell. With RAB NE BANA DI JODI, Aditya Chopra talks of one such ordinary person. Living in one of those crowded bylanes of Amritsar, his life undergoes a 360 degree change the moment he sets his eyes on a beautiful girl.
The problem is, RAB NE BANA DI JODI works in patches. The first 30 minutes and the penultimate 30 minutes are the highpoint of the enterprise, but the screenplay in between doesn't hold your attention. That's the truth. In a nutshell, RAB NE BANA DI JODI is no DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE. It's not MOHABBATEIN either. At best, it's an average fare that may generate some curiosity initially, that's it. You expect much, much more, but… alas!
Surinder [Shah Rukh Khan], a simple, clean hearted, honest man working for Punjab Power, leads a humdrum life, but the moment he sets his eyes on Taani [Anushka Sharma], his life undergoes a change. She's flamboyant, fun-loving, vivacious, unlike Surinder. But unforeseen circumstances bring them together.
The sequences thereafter are equally uneven. A few sequences are well executed, but the problem is that Shah Rukh keeps playing the game till the very end. If he had to win her heart, he could've done so by making her realize that it's a mirage, making her realize that the person she loves and the person she's married are the same.
Director Aditya Chopra is letdown by his own writing. The story is not convincing, the screenplay is not water-tight and therefore, RAB NE BANA DI JODI does not create the impact it ought to make. Also, the film is quite lengthy. With a running time of approx. 2.45 hours, RAB NE BANA DI JODI could've easily done with some trimming. The unwanted flab could've been trimmed for a better impact.
Salim-Sulaiman's music is of a mixed variety. 'Haule Haule' is a superb composition and 'Dance Pe Chance' is foot-tapping, but the remaining tracks, though well shot, are plain average. Ravi Chandran's cinematography is top notch.
On the whole, RAB NE BANA DI JODI is vey desi at heart with a strong start and an equally strong emotional end. Having said that, you cannot deny the fact that you expect much, much more from Aditya Chopra. RAB NE BANA DI JODI is no DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE, it's not MOHABBATEIN either. It's lower than that! At the box-office, the business will be better at some multiplexes, while the single screens will be below average. The business in Overseas, however, should be better, but the business in India will totter, tremble and fumble after the initial weekend.
