What If Gautam From Cocktail Proposed Veronica And Not Meera?

Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan, and Diana Penty's 2012 movie Cocktail was a rare film that felt way ahead of its time. Unlike other rom-coms, it explored emotional complexities, silent betrayal and the beauty of friendship among three friends. Even so, it carried a similar perception to other cliché Bollywood films that a woman and a man couldn’t just remain good friends. Which started with a casual fling, with time, turned into a one-sided love story when Veronica (Deepika Padukone) fell for Gautam (Saif Ali Khan), but like any other typical man, he shrugged her off and introduced ‘homely’ Meera (Diana Penty) as his girlfriend to his mother (Dimple Kapadia).

For Veronica, the heartbreak was harsher as it was quite difficult to swallow the pain of knowing that her best friend fell in love with the same man she had feelings for. Why did the friendship between the three get distorted? What if Gautam had the courage to tell his mother that it was Veronica whom he loves?

What If Gautam Proposed To Veronica?

Like many others, I loved the movie when it was released 15 years ago. Today, when emotional complexities are addressed openly, youngsters often prefer a simple and sweet love story. So why not recreate a world of Cocktail that would have better suited Veronica, Gautam and Meera?

In today’s generation, people resonate more with Veronica for her free-spirited and kind-hearted nature, carrying the emotional vulnerabilities of her parents’ failed marriage on her sleeves. Gautam also shared her zest for life and carefree nature. But what hurts after years now is that he chose Meera over Veronica, only to live up to his mother’s expectations of an ‘ideal bahu’.

On the other hand, Meera, a girl abandoned by her husband in an unknown country, found shelter under Veronica’s friendship. Their meeting turned out to be a pure coincidence, which blossomed into a bond of healing. It would have remained the same until Gautam’s mother's entry brought a mess to their lives. With time, Gautam started inclining towards Meera, while Veronica continued to bond with Gautam’s mother and tried to transform herself into a traditional Indian ‘marriage material,’ which she once mocked.

Now, imagine a different aspect of the story. The moment when Veronica dressed in a red salwar suit to express her affection for Gautam, what if he had reciprocated at that moment? How beautiful it would have been if he had then taken her to his mother and confessed that he loves him and not Meera. Imagine Gautam holding Veronica’s hand and saying to his mother that taking Meera’s name was just an impulsive lie to avoid her years of questioning. As shown in the movie, Gautam’s mother recognised Veronica’s pure-hearted nature; this time, too, she would have gone with the same feeling.

Also read: Diana Penty Recalls How Deepika Padukone Made Her First Film Journey Easy, Calls Her 'Calm And Reassuring Force...'

What If Gautam From Cocktail Proposed Veronica And Not Meera?  (Image: Canva/X)

Also read: Cocktail 2 Update: Homi Adajania Teases New Glimpses Of Rashmika Mandanna, Shahid Kapoor And Kriti Sanon

In this version, Gautam and Veronica would have faced many hurdles. The last hour of the movie could have shown that Veronica started inculcating the Indian culture without forgetting her true self, with Gautam as her support. His love and care would have healed her past traumas and given her all the happiness that she had always dreamt about, like a ‘happy family’. At the beginning, Veronica would have faced several difficulties in impressing Gautam’s mother, but with time, through her constant efforts, Gautam’s mother would have accepted her the way she was and insisted that she should not change for anything. Isn’t it soothing to see the three of them happy together in India?