- By Piyali Bhadra
- Fri, 28 Jul 2023 01:11 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani Movie Review: Karan Johar directorial starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh stood out to be the ultimate dream team of Dharma Production with another promising blockbuster accounting in Karan Johar's resume.
Over the years Karan Johar, the ultimate Bollywood mogul introduced the concept of rich millionaire families dealing with their issues, filled with the magic of love, drama, friendship, fights, and happy endings. However, 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' stands out to be different as one enters the theater expecting another romantic comedy, but the solid family entertainer has not one but two brewing love stories with entertaining twists.
Plot
'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' revolves around two families, 'The Randhawas' who are elite, rich Punjabi millionaires with an old mindset consisting of Ranveer Singh's grandfather, grandmother, mother, father, and sister. The family is completely influenced by his grandmother, promoting patriarchy despite being a woman with no one walking or talking in front of her.
On the other hand, Alia Bhatt comes from 'The Chatterjee' household, a Bengali family residing in Delhi. She is a star anchor living with her grandmother, as her father is a professional Kathak dancer, and her mother works as a professor of English at Delhi University.
The two end up meeting each other and introduce themselves as Rocky and Rani with a backstory of another brewing relationship that is forbidden. However, in the process, as the two fall for each other, the relationship is at stake, the reason being the differences between the two family's thinking and living tolerance.
Review
'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' bears the stamp of an accomplished casting and storytelling with Karan Johar avoiding the tried and tested romantic comedy template and moving things fast in this film. From the timeless tracks to the dramatic twists before the ultimate climax and the heated argument at the end showcases the brilliance of his direction.
The message of the film is given by silently abiding by the comic doses and focuses on a bright inspiring future for all, free from the patriarchal angles of the society treating man and woman equally. There are some cringe dialogues in the film, however, they ultimately make you laugh mixed with Karan Johar's loud yet classic costumes, dance numbers, and grand sets. However, this time the story of Dharma Productions hits differently proving his capability and marking his strong return after 7 years.
What Works For The Film
Karan Johar's film focuses on relationships and the acceptance of families and not society. Silently the film focuses on equal rights in a relationship or being scenario from a typical Indian household with a woman holding the key and sacrificing others' dreams only to find herself ending up alone. This message expresses the importance of family, respect, and equality perfectly blended with humor, top-notch performances, and beautifully written dialogues.
What Does Not
The viewers won't be complaining much about the film, as with some cringe dialogues, the music, direction, and performance of the cast are on point, however, the exaggeration and requirement of some scenes in the film are not required as the audience will find themselves stuck inside the theater for 2 hours 50 minutes which is a long running duration in today's time.
Performances
Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt provide justice to their roles by bringing their energetic and cool chemistry, however, the heart and soul of the film is delivered by the backstory characters i.e. Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi. The characters of the lead pair's families are keenly picked by Karan Johar as the director felt it to keep it real and to the point.
Jaya Bachchan plays the role of Ranveer Singh's grandmother, naturally essaying her personality in the film as she is seen in front of the paparazzi and has completely changed her graph over the years going from being sweet to witty. However, the main antagonist in the film, Dhanalakshmi Randhawa is a mixture of all doing justice to her role.
Music
The musical core of the film is given by Karan Johar's dream team i.e. Pritam, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Arijit Singh, and Shreya Ghoshal. Throughout the film, several old songs have been recreated, retaining their simplicity and maintaining their melodious tunes where the artist understood their jobs with no tampering done in the originality of the song. Ringing to the beats of 'Abhi Na Jaao Chodhke', the film makes the audience nostalgic and is an ode to old-school love where melodies stand out to be an integral part of the film.
Final Verdict
Running in the theaters for around 168 minutes, Karan Johar does not waste your time but manages to provide a family entertainer with small messages of equality, sexism, and patriarchy which are important for the upcoming generation and should be heard upon.
It is a proper KJo entertainer with dance, romance, drama, and emotions that are required in a masala flick. 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' is a perfect true blue Hindi cinema blockbuster proving the return and worth of Karan Johar after 7 years and stating out loud that he is truly an 'OG' in the world of Bollywood.
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Dharmendra
Director: Karan Johar