Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

TOOK the Blu-ray of Rab Ne Bana and I'm still enthused of the film even 14 months later. This is a certified classic, its not just a SRK vehicle but a Blu-ray collectable. The recent BDs I owned featuring SRK are disappointments, most notably Yash Chopra's very last film Jab Tak. The male lead has done almost nothing in at least 60% of the film but show this cloying sweetness in all the scenes with Katrina Kaif. That's the same annoying cloying sweetness shown in Dil - SRK's film that's shoot entirely in New York, with some effeminate/gay hints inserted to spice things up - but has only added to drag the film downward to an embarrasing & much-deserved obscurity. But Rab depicted SRK as a totally believable chameleon, when he acted the part of the ultra-cool pretended alter-ego, he didn't essayed that as an Indian cool dude but as a Sikh bachelor with a coolish attitude. The female lead on the other hand is unendingly enchanting, a triumph for a neophyte for her first film. The only other comparable performance from Sharma is Baaj Baraat - another topnotch BD collectable in Hindi cinema. Sharma is wasted in Jab Tak, but Rab Ni has portent what she could capably do doing musicals. The finale is sumptuous & superb, in fact I spare this precious film from being watched "merely" on the family's Kuro TV. I screened it on a 90" projector screen beamed from an aged Yamaha front projector, where the enchanting Jodi dance - and the awesome "discovery" - is glorious. I need not tell more, this is money well spent, as well-spent as Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om on BD, and on a lesser scale, Pyaar Impossible and Love Aajkal. This is one instance of an "almost-perfect film" - as if the stars just align together on that season when they helmed this (just like how Sound Of Music, Wizard Of Oz, Vertigo turned out), all filmmakers wants to evoked a magic to each & every picture, but oftentimes that magic is elusive and couldn't get duplicated handily on the next picture....

Truly a wonderful film, in any language. Great love story. Laugh out loud funny in many parts (Little cubicle Punjab Power geek meets humongous Sumo wrestler) . And I seriously do not guffaw at movies that often-a hard sell, maybe. SRK, it seems, can do no wrong. No wonder he is the second wealthiest actor in the world (Seinfeld No1-imagine that). As the self proclaimed shy geek, Surinder Sahni (and his alter ego the extroverted Raj) woo the wonderfully talented and beautiful Taani (Anushka Sharma). This is just a wonderful love story. (Hey, she is actually Taani Sahni..........). Dance, colors, choreography, music-all brilliant. Jodi as best as I can tell, means couple or pair. Tried to translate the title, but could not-Anybody know? As best as I can tell- "There is an extraordinary love story in every pair........." . Bollywood films (at least that I've seen) don't get popular success by relying on gratuitous violence. There's actually a great script here. For a superb film buy this talented actor, SRK is brilliant in the more serious leading role in "My name is Khan"-a 5+ star movie. (I do not rate all films that highly). Treat yourself, over and over again.

This was the second Bollywood movie I ever saw. The first was Bride and Prejudice, which I call my gateway movie; it suckered me in by my Austen addiction and then delighted me unexpectedly - India has had far, far longer to learn to incorporate (rely on!) music and dance to tell a story (rather than interrupt or stretch it) than Hollywood or Broadway. It even proved to my musical-despising husband that not all musicals are poorly-paced, irritatingly interrupted by pointless songs, and boring. If Bride and Prejudice was the bait, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the hook, and it was weeks before I realized how deeply it sank. I kept watching it as a Netflix Instant Play, but by fifth time, I realized I should probably just buy it outright. The most basic plot premise: man falls ever more deeply in love with his own wife, tries to win her love in return. Awww! <<--minimal spoilers-->> The details: Attending the wedding of his favorite teacher's daughter, the reserved, almost expressionless Surinder Sahni falls in love at first sight with the ingenuous and carefree laughter of the much younger bride, Taani. The plot takes a couple of sudden turns and she ends up marrying Surinder instead, but is so traumatized that she tells him, "I will never be able to love you. I will be a good wife to you, but my heart is dead and I cannot love again." Surinder tells her he has never known love and feels no need for it in his life. Of course, he has lied; he does know love. He fell in love with Taani the first time he saw her, of course. But, as the song "Haule, Haule" ("Slowly, Slowly") explains, he believes that love should develop "soft, sweet, slow", and is prepared to give Taani all the time and space she needs to heal and recover herself. Surinder's love begins selfless and becomes self-sacrificing, wanting only to see Taani happy and laughing again, asking nothing in return but the possible rebirth of her smile. Meanwhile, her tiniest dutiful actions (packing his lunch, making his breakfast) bring a complicated, sweet, touching smile spreading across Surinder's frequently immobile face -- in private, when nobody is around to see. Outwardly, he treats her with expressionless deference and distance, asking very little of her and sacrificing much for her comfort and happiness; he moves himself into the attic (claiming he always sleeps there) to give her the bedroom to herself. Taani emerges from her state of shock and begins to respond to his gentle, considerate care with "dutiful" actions that make Surinder feel pampered and cared-for in return; even if she does not love him as she had her fiance, he tells her that her small actions are enough love for him, and we witness his understated, reserved glows of happiness in response. He comes home from work and the dusty, cluttered, cobwebbed attic is clean and spacious, decorated, with fresh flowers on his nightstand. This example, and several other developments, happen in a few seconds each during "Haule, Haule" -- you have to watch the action during the songs, because plot and character development happen there too, in a manner so condensed and dense with implication I can only compare it to poetry. If you get up for a snack during the song-and-dance bits because you can still *hear* from the kitchen, you will miss much of the depth of the movie. Surinder's love does develop, softly, sweetly, slowly, from crush-at-first-sight to the adoration expressed in "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" ("I See My God In You"). Taani's feelings remain locked away, frozen and unchanging. Everything she does, she does dutifully, mechanically, because it is what she owes her husband. (That sense of debt becomes pronounced late in the film, almost wrenching in another brief scene far too easy to miss the significance of.) Yes, there is the surface plot - Taani joins a dance class/competition, and Surinder undergoes a radical makeover and dozens of dubious quick-changes to pose as the brash, loud, and frankly irritating Raj during the evenings, in order to attend the classes with her. "Raj" is able to flatter, flirt, and romance brazenly in a way Surinder never could without the anonymity of disguise. There are faint resonances with Cyrano de Bergerac as Raj tells Taani all the things that meek, awkward, almost shrinking Surinder could never bring himself to say. They are partnered together in their dance lessons, and gradually a ride home on "Raj's" motorcycle becomes after-lesson dinner and a birthday date. Despite spending hours every day dancing, dining, and laughing with Raj, Taani never suspects that her colorful, swaggering dance partner is actually her mousy, quiet husband. Surinder suspects that Taani is falling for Raj, becomes jealous (of himself!), and despite a friend's advice that "Either way, it's you she's loving!" decides to force the issue and find out who Taani *really* loves -- the man she laughs for, or the man she cooks and cleans for. Yes, it's full of holes in the description; it seems questionable that Raj spends so much time with Taani while Surinder puts in a full workday, even if the dance classes are stated to be "in the evening". It strains belief that a woman wouldn't recognize her own husband just because he shaved off his mustache and dresses differently. There's a lot to question here, if you expect the movie to force-feed you each and every explanation, Hollywood-blockbuster style, and it's then only a 2- or 3-star movie depending on how badly inconsistency and spasmodic character development grate on your nerves. But if you're willing to watch closely, follow subtleties of expression, ask yourself how things are changing and why, and put yourself in the characters' shoes, you will see that the "Match Made By God" is in the details, and the movie flows gorgeously. The smallest things, the nuances of Shah Rukh Khan's performance as Surinder (and unguarded moments as Raj), the song sequences, show a rich, mature exploration of different kinds of love, different styles of self-expression, different ways to say "I love you", and ultimately the wealth of emotion and interdependent partnership that can grow between two very different people. Taani believes she loved her fiance so deeply, so passionately she will never feel again; Surinder's love runs so deep it hardly shows at all. <<--end spoilers-->> This was also the first Shah Rukh Khan performance I had ever seen; I'm now a thorough addict. His talent shines through brilliantly, even in the (intentionally) shallow characterization of the ridiculous and abrasively over-the-top Raj, and especially comparing that to the restrained, complex, nuanced expressions of Surinder. I was amazed I had never seen or heard of this actor before. I understand entirely now why Wikipedia says "Khan is today considered to be the world's most successful movie star, with a fan following numbering in the billions..." He deserves it, and I am picky about actors. He holds his facial muscles differently for each character, so that their faces have different shapes, and that makes the implausible deception easy to play along with. His dancing is excellent, but borders on divine if you notice how he manages to bring the body language of the two different characters into the dances as well -- Surinder's dancing is graceful and precise in contrast to his awkwardness, while Raj is still all broad sweeps and jerking motion -- and how it's in dance that Raj and Surinder reconcile and merge as their distinctive movements blend. Just. Seriously. Brilliant. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it by now, having seen it so many times... no, you know what? There's no such thing. It's there to find. The first time I watched this movie, I found it sweet and touching; as I catch more details, I find it heart-wrenching and buoyant. I can no more resist tearing up at the first few notes of "Haule, Haule" or "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" than I can on hearing Leonard Nimoy say "...and will always be... my friend." It's far from all-tragic; I have to laugh in pure joy whenever I hear "Taani-partner!" as much as on hearing Christopher Eccleston say, "Everybody lives, Rose! Just this once, EVERYBODY lives!" (No, Bollywood is not my usual fare, why would you ask?) The more I watch, the more I see, understand, and love in this movie, and that there *is* always more to find, between the sterling direction and outstanding performance, is what turns the plot into an all-time favorite must-own comfort movie instead of a paper-thin slice of Swiss cheese. And if you wish they'd followed the story a little further, make sure to watch the closing credits. My ONLY complaint, not worth even a quarter of a star, is about the DVD rather than the movie itself: I cannot find any way to get subtitles on the end credits (though the rough meaning comes through regardless) or the special features on the second disc. (Roughly half the interview content is English, mixed into the Hindi, and the deleted scenes are completely Hindi with maybe a loan word or two, and my Hindi is so far limited to "(Ji) haan", "(Ji) nahin", "Kyaa?" and "Namaste".) Oh, well. Maybe I'll find that detail in here too, someday. If you have any doubts, rent the movie. If a week later, the thought of a man laying a single rose next to his wife's breakfast plate, then reconsidering, deflating, and putting it back in the vase, isn't etched into your mind's eye with a poignant mingling of hope and regret... well, watch it again. Soft, sweet, slow, the implications will unfold.

Aditya Chopra has produced another splendid masterpiece for our entertainment. In Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan), a quiet, unassuming man, is attending the wedding of his former Professor's daughter, Taani played by Anushka Sharma, Debutante. Surinder, the Professor's most favourite student, agrees to marry Taani after the unmitigated and disastrous circumstances on the wedding day. Was it love at first sight that made Surinder agree to the arrangement or was he fulfilling the Professor's deepest desire? Regardless of his decision, it was undeniably a bittersweet pact! Taani, surrounded by devastation, agonized with grief and disbelief, with the power to love seared from her heart, concedes to her dying father's wishes. After performing the funeral rites she weds Surinder, then leaves with him for Amritsar to start her new life. Surinder works for Punjab Power - lighting up your life ji, so the telephone greeting goes. Will Surinder be able to light up Taani's life after the numbing pain of loves lost? Will Taani be able to love again after admitting she had no more love in her to give? Can Surinder live without love she asks? Surinder decides as the song, Haule, Haule describes, to take it, Slowly, Soft, Slow. Life settles into a routine then one day Taani sees an advertisement for dance classes and Surinder gives his consent. There at the dance Hall, Taani meets Raj, colourful, loud mouth and flirtatious whom she considers cheap! They have involuntary become dance partners. Taani could never have imagined how the power of love by another could work its magic and awaken love in her again. Can Surinder who she finds dull and boring open her heart to his innate good nature? Could she love him for who he is or will he lose her to his alter ego? "Tigh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" heartrendingly sung by Roop Kumar Rathod and Shreya Ghoshal begs to be recognized and to see within, the Divine! Will Taani see through the facade to the true self? In her dream scene of the song and dance sequence Phir Milenge, Chalte, Chalte, sung by the resourceful Sonu Nigam, Shah Rukh pays homage to 5 Bollywood super stars of the past, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor! Shah Rukh Khan's versatility as an actor knows no bounds. He gives another ingenious and dynamic performance. The songs, the lyrics and the music make this a memorable film not to be missed! A Special Edition, the set comes with 2 DVDs, one of the film itself, the other with Special Features, such as the making of the film and songs, along with Shah Rukh Khan's interview with co-star, Anushka Sharma. The behind-the-scenes features gives rare insight into Shah Rukh Khan's character and of his consideration, kindness and gentleness with his co-stars. If he made three earlier films in which he played negative roles, they won him awards for his depiction of a bad guy. It just shows that the man can act!

Two thumbs up for this charming film. It gently pokes fun at the stereotypes of its own genre while still nailing classic Bollywood spectacle. An effervescent bride is shocked on her wedding day when her groom and his parents are killed in a bus crash on the way to the ceremony. Her father is so distraught he has a heart attack, and on his deathbed he asks his daughter to marry his friend, a boring, shy but steady man who works at a desk job that he knows will provide for his daughter. She agrees but says she will never love again. They live in separate sections of his large house, and he can tell she is consumed with sorrow, and pays for her to take group dance lessons to cheer her up. He then asks his best friend, a loudmouth barber, for fashion advice. Decked out in tight new clothes, a fresh haircut, he hides in the background to watch her dance. But when the group dance is split up into partners, he is reluctantly pulled onto the dance floor to partner up. She does not recognize him and he puts on a new name and a new persona...brash, over-the-top, says whatever he is thinking, and always flirting with her in the worst way...and making her laugh and take risks again. Back at home, he is still his original self...awkward, frumpy, glasses and and fake mustache...providing for every need without hardly a word. Whom will she choose? The most surprising conclusion of this "Walter Mitty"-type story, is what the principal characters finally come to understand the definition of love. Love is seeing God in the other person. A profound truth wrapped up in a silly musical, with gorgeous costumes, and traditional values. And it's free on Amazon prime!

I wish I could give this film more than 5 stars. I'm a big Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) fan after seeing several of his movies, and this one is my favorite by far, due to the HIGH QUALITY ACTING. Shah Rukh plays a dual role in this film and the movie is unforgettable. Regarding the features: This 2 disk set is excellent quality. The movie is on the first disk, with a great feature of being able to play all of the songs in a row. Most of the time you can play one song, but then the movie continues after the song is over. Not so with this special feature, where it will take you to the next song rather than continue with the movie. There is also an easy to work scene selection for the movie itself so you can jump around as much as you want, from scene to scene. The second disk contains some very revealing interviews with SRK and Anushka Sharma. I loved that the SRK Unplugged interview is mostly in English and it's lengthy, so it gives the viewer the chance to see Shah Rukh as himself. In the second interview on the disk, when Shah Rukh interviews Anushka, it is mainly in Hindi with no subtitles and only a little bit of English, which is disappointing. HOWEVER, you MUST stick with it until towards the end of the interview, Anushka asks SRK, "Who is Shah Rukh Khan?" That's when you will get a real treasure, in English, of how he truly feels about himself as a person and his acting abilities. It is quite revealing and touching to hear. Regarding the movie: This is a beautiful love story, and it is beautifully acted by SRK and newcomer Anushka Sharma. I found it a real credit to Anushka's acting abilities that she was able to hold her own so well when acting with such an incredible actor as SRK. Anushka was very believable and portrayed her grief over her losses very well throughout the entire movie. I especially enjoyed her acting in the scene when she suddenly "gets it" -- when she finally understands her connection to her husband, Suri, and all that he's done for her. When she sees God in him. Of course it was very easy to love Suri and root for him right from the start of the movie, because he was the common man, the underdog. Suri constantly revealed his love for Taani in the way he did things for her. He was so loving as he cared for her and did everything he could to make her feel comfortable and happy. Taani, however, was too caught up in her grief and anger towards God for taking her loved ones, that she couldn't see what was in front of her face. When she finally expressed an interest in something, it was natural that Suri would want to share in her happiness, which is what led him to transform into Raj. I found it incredibly brave of mild and meek Suri to be willing to change into a completely different person just so he could spend time with his wife, Taani. Some reviewers of this movie didn't like Raj, but I did. I could see Suri underneath the surface most of the time, which demonstrates SRK's wonderful skill as an actor. He is absolutely hilarious as Raj, but he also shows his humanity, like in the heart-wrenching scene where Raj is drunk and talking to himself (a dummy with Suri's clothes on it) about his fears. As Raj, Suri gradually revealed his love for Taani to her, which made Taani have to finally face what was really going on in her life. The incredibly tender scene with Taani asking Raj "What do I do?" was just exquisite acting by both. There are some wonderful musical numbers in this film, including some real show-stoppers. My two favorites were Haule Haule, which is Suri singing about his love for Taani, and Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai, which is Raj/Suri singing to Taani about his love for her. SRK's acting and dancing in the number Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai (loosely translated "I see God in you") is just superb. This is the one song that I play over and over again because it's just so beautiful. This film is thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. This is the one movie I will make my adult daughter sit down and watch with me to see if she likes Bollywood. Because if you don't like this movie, you just don't get it.

Have you ever seen a film where a really great actor or actress pulled the weight of a miscast but beautiful/handsome partner? Sometimes it flops, sometimes it flies. In Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, it flies. Surinder (Shahrukh Khan)'s love interest, Taani (Anushka Sharma) offers a relief from the parade of Bollywood film actresses that have airbrushed, transitory good looks, with questionable dancing and acting abilities. She does an excellent job of portraying genuine happiness. However, she falls a bit short of believability with portraying "flamboyant, fun-loving, and vivacious" portraying rather, petulant, erratic and careless behavior ... sometimes puppies just aren't that interesting. To get to the heavier acting, she's also not that convincing with grief, unless you believe having someone sit on a bed and feign crying and gazing off into the curtains suffices for a portrayal of the loss of a loved one. She possesses a beautiful smile, a Bollywood-ready figure and she really pulled off her happy dancing moves! She's a new talent, and may be going places after this smash hit, too soon to tell. The fact that the lead actor, Shahrukh Khan, is much older than his leading lady is muted and explained by the initial sequence where his mentor makes our hero promise to marry his daughter. It helps that Shahrukh Khan looks so young and is in great shape, otherwise its Harrison Ford-land with an incredibly young starlet swept off her feet by daddy/granddaddy. Surinder Sahni passes as a credible "love interest". Our hero, Surinder Sahni is a very dull but loyal character. He falls for Taani instantly, and offers us glimpses of unrequited, painful love. He's got a great guy friend, Bobby (Vinay Pathak) who gives Surinder great outfits, hair styles, and how-to-be-macho advice, as well as the loan of his smokin' motorcycle. Surinder stumbles upon the path of dual identity, and becomes polar opposite as a braggart, flashy annoyance named Raj. The charade ultimately results in resolution and a merger of the personality split. Love conquers all, no giving-away-of-the-story here. The imagination of Bollywood leaves behind all the grime and grit of the streets, offering up filmi set scenes, and people prancing around in outfits, that I've never seen anyone in India, ever wearing, oh except when Brittany Spears went hang out with her choreographer, Sandip Soparrkar, in Dec. 2008, when Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was a smash hit in Mumbai theaters. The beautiful Golden Temple scenes, and the devotion of the characters praying lends quite depth, not to be found much in similar fantasy films from the West. The "dark night of the soul" when Surinder gets drunk with his guy friend¬¬, Bobby, and talks to a mannequin, comes off as vapid, and clichéd; a potentially soul-filled moment is lost. The film would be a five-star film in the theatre with all the glitz and glamour. As a DVD, it retains the five stars because of the Disc 2 extras. In addition to being able to watch the dance scenes again and again, the special features include a magnificent interview with Shahrukh Khan candidly describing his mental process with his character, his relationship with the other actors and director. Get ready for some quality, one-on-one time with this Super Nova.

There's nothing like a long, dark winter in western Montana to help you fall in love with the warmth, color, music and love stories of Bollywood films, and "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" is one of my favorites. It's a more recent film, and the quality of directing, acting, and choreography is terrific. I especially enjoyed seeing Shahrukh Khan play a different sort of role in this movie in the character of Suri. Quiet, shy, thoughtful, and respectful, Suri is also alluring, and the new actress, Anushka Sharma as "Tanni", plays very well alongside him, making their situation completely believable. I love the storyline of this movie. Of course the music and dance are wonderful, and part of the genre, but there is also something special and different about this film. I've read other reviews of this movie, and few have mentioned the spirituality of the story. Perhaps it's because I come from a culture that doesn't publically display faith, but I was touched by how faith played a role in every big decision, and especially in matters of true love. I highly recommend this movie. If you don't like long movies, then you probably aren't a fan of Bollywood anyhow. For me, the time just flys, because I'm in a completely different world. I know you can't judge a country by its films, but I now have a deep desire to learn more about India, and to someday visit that big, varied and complex land.