Balaji's Thots

What is it about the pairing of Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka that drives directors to dream up their most moronic scripts? First there was Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, where both of them played characters who were mean, selfish and unlikable. I don’t remember much about Jab Tak Hai Jaan but I do remember there was a scene where the two of them talk about love when he is dismantling a bomb. Those were both movies by reputed directors. The former was from Aditya Chopra who gave us DDLJ and the latter from Yash Chopra, who has delivered several romantic hits. Now Imtiaz Ali, the man behind films like Jab We Met and Rockstar, delivers another clunker with the same pair.

We’ve had movies where girls who are engaged fall for someone else. But for the storyline to work, the girl’s change of heart needs to be convincing with the sense that she tried to resist falling for the hero but couldn’t. That’s not how it is here. Anushka plays Sejal, who is engaged to be married. On a group tour of Europe, she loses her engagement ring and with no idea where she lost it, she wants to visit the places she could’ve lost the ring in and asks Harry(SRK), the tour guide, to accompany her on the quest.

We’ve had worse setups for romances but its Sejal’s characterization that’s the main issue here. None of her actions make any sense. There is no clear reason for why she wants to hang out with Harry even after he lays out the risks and suggests a safer option. And when she is with him she goes to bars against his advice, she flirts with him, cuddles up to him and asks him to think of her as his girlfriend(because he is lonely!). All this while talking lovingly with her fiance and proudly declaring that she will leave Harry with no emotions whatsoever the moment the ring is found. So at any given point  in the film she is comes across as being an idiot(the biggest moment being when she finds the ring), completely heartless, a flirt or a tease.

Harry comes across as more real. He misses home and jumps from girlfriend to girlfriend trying to fill the void in his life. So his character arc is more convincing as he slowly falls for Sejal and alternates between warning her, pulling away from her and getting closer to her. SRK delivers a mature performance though he has the advantage that Harry gains sympathy just by way of having to put up with Sejal’s actions.

The film takes us to several spots in Europe as the two go ring hunting but there are really no places or shots that make us go “Wow!”. And the film is proof that a bigger budget cannot get you foreign actors who act well. Radha… and Beech Beech Mein… are picturized with energy and are bright spots.