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Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Hindi: - रब ने बना दी जोडी ), translation: A Match Made by God)[2] is a 2008 Indian romantic comedy directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Raj Films. Shahrukh Khan stars in the film as mild-mannered office worker Surinder "Suri" Sahni whose love for beautiful, vivacious Tania "Taani Partner" Gupta (Anushka Sharma) transforms him into the loud and funloving "Raj." It was released worldwide on 12 December 2008.
Plot
Shy, introverted, and kind-hearted Surinder "Suri" Sahni (Shahrukh Khan) is an office employee for Punjab Power. He quietly falls in love with the daughter of his former professor (M.K. Raina), beautiful and vivacious Tania "Taani" Gupta (Anushka Sharma), whom he first sees during the preparations for her wedding. When they are introduced however, Taani jokingly berates and blames him for setting an impossible set of standards (reiterated by her father) that she was never able to meet growing up. A short while later, the shocking news arrives that her lover and fiancé and his wedding entourage were killed in a road accident. The hitherto immensely carefree Taani's immediately distraught; her father suffers a heart attack. Fearing that Taani will be alone in the world, the professor on his deathbed, and paternally affectionate toward Suri, requests him to marry her. Suri silently concedes; Taani tearfully agrees for her father's sake.
After an impromptu wedding, Suri takes Taani to his ancestral home in Amritsar. While his good nature leads Suri to treat her with exceptional care, illustrated by his letting her have his erstwhile bedroom all to herself, and patience, he is too frightened to profess his love for her. Besides which, Taani tells him that while she will try to be a good wife and thus respect her role in his life, she can never love him due to having no love left within her. Suri, least bothered and grateful for the increasing acts of wifely affection she does show, proceeds to indulge her wishes. These include regular evening trips to the cinema to see song and dance films which appeal to Taani's fantasies about romance and her passion for dancing. She soon asks for Suri's permission, which he grants, to take an expensive dance class with a Bombay company Dancing Jodi to unwind from her mundane life at home.
During those evenings spent at the movie-theatres, Suri realizes his inadequacy vis-a-vis the strong, masculine images that Taani admires and later asks his long-time chum Balwinder "Bobby" Khosla (Vinay Pathak), a hair-salon owner, for grooming advice so as to win her love. Bobby is eager to help and gives him a complete makeover (shaving off his mustache - an accidental gag, modding his hairstyle, fitting him out in funky Western-style clothing including aviator-style shades with oversized pastel lenses). Suri is thus transformed into the swaggering, crude, and fun-loving "Raj Kapoor", a name he borrows from the hero of the movie that Taani had recently admired. He joins the dance class to be near her. By chance — or, as he puts it, by divine choice — he becomes Taani's partner in the competition. Despite Raj's initial obnoxiousness — a result of Surinder's inexperience with women and his over-the-top attempts to emulate the "cool" images from movies — he and Taani become friends as they work together on their dance routine. Suri feels encouraged when Taani does not tie a rakhi (holy thread) on "Raj's" wrist during the festival of Raksha Bandhan (for to do so would indicate that she thought of him only as a brother). Thus, after a period of time, Raj declares his love for her.
Suri's ruse poses a dilemma for both of them. Taani enters into a period of internal conflict, desperately wanting to escape from her despair-filled life through finding a new person to love. Despite wanting to escape what she believes is a loveless marriage, Taani feels compelled to stay with Suri due to the promise that she made to her father. Suri also faces an extraordinary paradox: Taani's sheer misery as his wife in contrast to her delight with his fabricated alter ego, Raj. He thus attempts to win Taani's love as Suri, an act which only alienates her further. She eventually runs away to find Raj in order to tell him the predicament she is in, hoping he will help her. He offers to elope with her, which she agrees to, tearfully. They set the date for their elopement to the next night, the night of the competition. Later that wet night, freed of his 'Raj' facade, Suri confides in Bobby his desires to not do the right thing - reveal all to Taani - but end the charade in his own way, i.e. sacrifice his cravings for her love, leave her his property and transfer himself to Delhi.
On the day of the competition, Suri takes Taani to the Golden Temple in order to garner God's blessings for her competition that night—and internally, also for her life with(out) Raj. While there, Taani has an epiphany in which she believes God has shown her a sign that tells that her marriage to Suri is divinely inspired. For the first time she reflects on her husband and becomes aware of the strength and integrity of Suri's character, something she can grow to love. Taani thus tells Raj that she cannot choose him over her newly-discovered life-partner. She leaves him in what appears to be a state of shock with tears in his eyes. When the time comes for their performance Taani, resigned to Raj's non-availabily, is stunned to see Suri instead join her on stage. Even as he kick-starts their eventually competition-clinching routine, Taani puts two and two together and through a series of flashbacks during the dance awakens to the fact that Suri is Raj. Backstage she confronts Suri and when he confesses his love for her, she tearfully admits that she returns his feelings. The two having won the competition head off on a honeymoon to Japan, the trip itself a product of Suri's erstwhile endeavours - as Suri - to win Taani's love.
Cast
Cameo appearances in the song- "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte"[3][4]
Production
Filming began in May 2008 in Mumbai & Amritsar and released on December 12th, 2008.
Box-office
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was a Top First Week Earner, collecting Rs 58,19,00,000 in 1100 theaters.[5] By its fourth week, it had earned 90 crores.[6] It has grossed $29,914,469 internationally of which $24,991,323 comes from Indian box office while $2,078,900 was contributed by the domestic market .[7] It is the all time third highest Bollywood grosser after 3 Idiots and Ghajini. And it made a record of 120 days continuous run in Mumbai theaters.
Critical reception
Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times calls Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi an "agreeably amusing comedy/romance/musical" noting that, "the magnetic Khan is a skilled enough comic actor with his physical transformation — like a Peter Sellers-ish recessive turning into a Jerry Lewis extrovert — that believing Taani wouldn't notice isn't difficult".[8] Rachel Saltz of The New York Times describes it as "'soft, sweet and slow,' in the words of one of its songs. It deftly blends comedy, the ruling tone of the new Bollywood, with melodrama, the ruling tone of the old."[9] Manish Gajjar of the BBC gave the film four out of five stars noting that, "Shah Rukh Khan makes you laugh and cry as the nerdy-looking, clumsy, bespectacled Surinder and the all hip and happening Raj. A true professional in his in his own right, Khan breezes through his dialogues full during the emotional and comic scenes."[10] Frank Lovece of Film Journal International argues that it is "smarter and more self-aware of its rom-com contrivances than most Hollywood movies" and notes that while "movie's cleverness eventually devolves into a simplistic Harlequin-Romance-for-males wish-fulfillment about beauty and the geek, it's a very well-acted variation on a Hollywood staple."[11] Critic and author Maitland McDonagh of MissFlickChick.com stated that the film, "has been dismissed in some quarters as self-conscious and artificial, a coyly self-referential reworking of outdated movie tropes a la Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven, but it works for me in a way that most contemporary Hollywood romcoms don't." [12]
Some critics disagreed. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN is critical of the film, giving it two out of five stars and stating that, "Aditya Chopra's return to direction after eight years is marked by a flawed script, which in turn spawns a disappointing film. Where's the smart dialogue and the spirited characters that defined his debut film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge? There's no trace of either in this film [...] the problem then, at the root of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, is that much like those artificial sets in the film, the emotions too are contrived." [13] Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India also notes that Surinder Sahni is, "a character you still haven't seen in Shah Rukh's arsenal before. And that's why he strikes a chord. But that's about all this much-awaited film can boast about. Quite a let-down, specially since it marked the return of director Aditya Chopra after a long hiatus from the hurly burly of movie-lore [...] It's these two major absurdities—the moustache-as-disguise and the miraculous divine revelation at the end—that turn this film into a drama that's completely out-of-sync with contemporary Bollywood."[14] Derek Elley of Variety argues that the film has "a huge, hollow center that sinks the project early on [...] Paper-thin script drags itself to the finish line amid tiresome mugging by Khan, a huge credibility gap (she never recognizes him without his glasses and mustache?) and a blah score with only one showstopper (featuring five famous actresses)." [15]
A number of critics have further noted the similarities between this movie and superhero films. Khalid Mohamed, of the Hindustan Times, gave the film three and half out of five stars stating that Suri, "is a soul brother to the mousy Clark-Kent-cum-Superman" who "makes you laugh and sob alternately."[16] Mayank Shekhar from Mumbai Mirror gave the film three out of five stars and argues that: "Same person, oppositely twinned, is usually the stuff of super-hero films; the kinds of Clark Kent-Superman, Peter Parker-Spiderman etc. You feel entirely lost in this fantasy flick, because for most part, it’s built around something so intimate and real. It’d be much easier to travel to foreign countries around far-fetched situations with fake heroes." [17] In addition, Sudish Kamath of The Hindu states that while Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi could have been an interesting art film exploring the dynamics of an arranged marriage, the director instead, "treats this character type like Sam Raimi would treat Spider-Man [...] Superhero ‘Raj’ slips into costume and out, complains how it gets uncomfortable around the crotch, to win over his Mary Jane with not much saving-the-world business to keep him busy. But while Spidey does it for a bigger reason than just MJ, Raj’s sole motivation is to stalk his wife and play out his fantasy as somebody else. His obsession with his alter-ego reaches new heights when he wants his wife to cheat on the real him — the goofy Surinder Saini who starts off well."[18]
Awards
2009 Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards
- Won: Best Actor - Shah Rukh Khan
- Won: Best Debut Female - Anushka Sharma
- Won: Best Choreography - Shiamak Davar - Dance Pe Chance
- Won: Best Lyrics - Jaideep Sahni - Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai
- Won: Female Playback Singer - Shreya Ghosal - Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai [19]
2009 Filmfare Awards
2009 International Indian Film Academy Awards
- Nominated:Best Actor
- Nominated: Best Supporting Actor - Vinay Pathak
- Nominated: Best Lyrics
- Nominated:Best Male Playback Singer [1]
2009 Stardust Awards
- Nominated:Stardust Award for Superstar Of Tomorrow - Female
- Nominated:Best Film
- Nominated:Best Director
- Nominated: Stardust Award for Star Of The Year - Male
2009 Star Screen Awards
- Nominated:Most Promising Newcomer - Anushka Sharma
- Nominated:Best Actor - Shah Rukh Khan
- Nominated:Best Choreography
- Nominated:Best Male Playback Singer
- Nominated:Best Female Playback Singer
- Nominated: Best Lyrics[20]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was composed by Salim-Sulaiman. The song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" pays homage to Bollywood actors Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor and actresses Nargis, Nutan, Helen, Sharmila Tagore and Neetu Singh. The performance of the song includes appearances by Kajol, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukerji.[21]
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi's score is the first Bollywood soundtrack to reach the top ten albums sales for the iTunes Store.[22]
DVD
Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave the DVD of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that it is a good choice if you "want to watch a clean family movie at home." The DVD includes the documentaries, "The Making of the Film" and "The Making of the Songs" (Haule Haule, Dance Pe Chance, Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte) as well as a number of deleted scenes and interviews.[23]
Notes
- ^ IANS. "Shah Rukh's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi sees heavy booking". IBNLive. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/shah-rukhs-rab-ne-bana-di-jodi-sees-heavy-booking/80256-8.html. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
- ^ Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - BBC review
- ^ Official trailer: Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte
- ^ Shahrukh Khan's projection of bollywood history in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
- ^ Box Office India: Top First Week Earners
- ^ RNBDJ: SRK's third consecutive blockbuster!
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=rabnebanadijodi.htm
- ^ Abele, Robert. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (A Match Made by God), Los Angeles Times
- ^ Saltz, Rachel. "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: Forlorn Husband Makes the Right Moves", The New York Times
- ^ Gajjar, Manish. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (review), BBC
- ^ Lovece, Frank. Film Review: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Film Journal International
- ^ McDonagh, Maitland, Rab ne Bana di Jodi (review)
- ^ Masand, Rajeev. "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is contrived". CNN-IBN. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masands-verdict-rab-ne-bana-di-jodi-is-contrived/80427-8.html. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ Kazmi, Nikhat. "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/moviereviewarticlelist/moviereview/3829767.cms. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
- ^ Rab ne bana di jodi
- ^ Satyam Shahrukham Surinderam
- ^ Mayank Shekhar. "RNBDJ Mumbai Mirror Review". Mumbai Mirror. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/20081213200812130215383752170b2dc/Get-more-real-Suri. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ Romance with Raj -- Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
- ^ Winners of 5th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards
- ^ Nominations for Nokia 15th Annual Star Screen Awards 2009
- ^ Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi's music fails to excite
- ^ Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi features in iTunes Top 10 Charts
- ^ Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: DVD review
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