Reportedly, before she signed on the dotted line for Yeh
Jawaani Hai Deewani, Deepika Padukone made a deal with director Ayan Mukherji.
“I will wear spectacles in the first half of the movie, if you let me wear
short dresses, shorter skirts, shorts and bikini tops throughout the film.”
“But the major part of the first half is going to be based
in Manali! How can you be wearing shorts and short skirts there? Especially
during the treks on the snow-capped mountains. It’s supposed to be cold in
Manali, you know.” Ayan Mukherji tried to reason with her.
“I don’t care. I will not wear anything that covers my legs.
That’s it. The audience is stupid anyways. They won’t notice. Also, if my
character has to undergo a transformation from geek to cool, then you have to
get rid of the glasses. Because, you know, people who wear spectacles are
dorks.”
“Alright alright. You can have whatever you want. Jeez, the
things I have to do to draw crowd to the theatre when I don’t have a good
enough story to do that for me.”
Ok fine. I just made all that up. But I really can’t think
of a better reason why Deepika Padukone is prancing about in Manali wearing
tiny little skirts and shorts and dresses. Not just her, the rest of the
ladies, except Kalki, are also similarly dressed.
YJHD is basically a cocktail of many Bollywood films’
themes and concepts that have been doing the rounds for so long that it’s just
not appealing anymore. The timid and shy girl who wants to break free from the
rules that bind her (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge), a group of friends going
on a trip that leads to a whole lot of self-discovery and other inspiring stuff
(Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara), the boy and the girl deciding not to be together
because they have different dreams and different goals (Love Aaj Kal), the boy
finally realising that he can’t live without the girl even if it means letting
go of his dream (a whole lot of movies).
My problem with the movie is not so much the story but the
jaded clichés. FYI, not all medical students are geeks. Not all of them wear
spectacles and walk around with a book in their hand all the time (I’m not
kidding. Deepika Padukone walks around with her textbook in her hand while
pushing her shopping cart in a supermarket. Dood. Seriously?). And not everyone
who wears spectacles are uncool. As a chashmish myself, I take offense to that.
First there were fairness cream ads telling me that my life is doomed because
I’m dark. And now there are films telling me I’m dorky because I wear
spectacles? Can’t I catch a break?!
Most of the comedy in the movie seems forced. For example,
that scene in Manali where they get into a spat with some hatta-katta
gunda-types tourists. The sequence that follows is such a cliché that even your
laughter is forced after a point. Hint: the scene is clearly inspired by many
scenes from Barfi, which in turn was inspired by Charlie Chaplin. The
cinematography of the film is awesome, and so is the acting by Ranbir and
Kalki. I have always found Deepika to be even more expressionless than a block
of wood, so let me not say anything more about her. ARK is decent, he could’ve done better if
his character had a bit more depth. The film drags unnecessarily. At a day and
age where most movies don’t go beyond 2 hours, it’s tedious to watch so much of
drama for close to three hours. If only the film was as short as Deepika's clothes. I expected a better fare from the man who gave
us the adorable and refreshing Wake Up Sid.
The other problem I had with the film? Ranbir Kapoor’s
character dreams of travelling the world, of never being tied down in marriage,
of being free always. Where did all those dreams vanish, when he met the new,
cool Deepika? Was it the fact that she had ditched her spectacles that made her
more appealing? Or her gravity-defying bikini tops? (Deepika’s lower half is on
display during the first half of the movie, and her upper half is on display
during the second half. There is no simpler way to summarize this movie).
Ok, so people have dreams. And sometimes, when they meet the
love of their lives, they are willing to trade their dreams, the ones that they
have been nurturing for the longest time, for a lifetime of love and
companionship. Right? Because what can be better than being with the person you
love for the rest of your life.
Bullshit.
I have learnt it the hard way, out of personal experience,
that you should never stand in the way of somebody else’s dreams. You can be
supportive all you want, you can put up with all the mood swings that comes
with being a dreamer, you can bend over backwards trying to be understanding
and patient, but at the end of the day, you will always be that one factor
that’s standing in the way of that person achieving his dream. You may have
fallen in love with that passion, that drive, that determination, everything.
But those very factors will soon seem too much to handle. When someone is
forced to let go of his dreams because someone is expecting him to ‘settle
down’, it will only lead to resentment. Even if he does it voluntarily, sooner
or later, he will regret it. It may not be an immediate thing. It’s a gradual
process. One that slowly eats away at all the love that was there between the
two of you. Until finally, all that’s left is a lot of blaming. “I gave up
everything for you. What more do you want from me?” So no, Ranbir, I don’t buy into
that logic. You have a dream, go chase it. Go live it. Don’t give it up for
anybody or anything. Especially not for a person who is not willing to even
leave her city because her clinic and her parents are there. (Yup, believe it
or not, that’s the reason she gives). You both will be happy for a while, but
soon, the wanderlust will creep in, and when she doesn’t let go of you, the
resentment will creep in.
Oh well. Maybe there’ll be a sequel to the movie. Ye Jawaani
Hai Ghisi-piti.
***
On a happier and lesser cynical note, I’m happy to inform
you guys that my blog was featured in the directory of India ’s best blogs, 2012-13 edition.
Yay. J
To be honest, I’m a little confused at to why. I hardly even write these days.
I was pleasantly surprised.
And yes. I finally got a job. J I’m jobless no more.
The dance show was awesome. I did a Bollywood (but of
course!) and a cha cha number.
And! It finally rained in Chennai. J
Life, as of now, is good. *touchwoodtouchwood touchwoodtouchwood
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P,S. For some reason, I'm not able to make changes to my blog layout, to add the award label. When I click on the layout tab, an error message is displayed. What do I do?
