Just when you thought that SRK’s Schengen visa had expired for good, he goes and renews it in Imitiaz Ali’s latest and almost traces the route he took in DDLJ two decades back.This movie has to be an extended tribute to DDLJ and if anyone could’ve pulled off this time tested tale of “girl meets boy in Europe”, with a pinch of yearning for homeland thrown in, its the King Khan himself.Its the only logical explanation that i could come up with as to why SRK and Imtiaz Ali decided to do this movie in the first place.Now, i wasn’t bored and certainly didn’t find it as unbearable as some of the reviews going around would have you believe but its not for everyone either, strictly for fans i’d say and that’s something SRK has in plenty if the full house was any proof.In the same breath i admit that the banality of the whole premise of the film did made me burst into laughter towards the end ,much to the chagrin of the viewers next to me.
Its impossible for this film to do bad at the box office financially i think, but then i could be wrong too.Imtiaz Ali could’ve considered strapping a GoPro on his head and following Anushka and SRK all over Europe, just saying you know, for capex’s sake.The movie almost entirely relies on and revolves around Anushka and SRK.There are no other significant characters or subplots to distract you or them for that matter.The film is almost all about conversations between the lead actors and if it weren’t for their earnest performances this movie would’ve been unbearable indeed.They manage to bring a smile to your face more than once, especially Anushka.SRK has rightly been called a superstar and i realized why, long back while watching Chalte Chalte, it was his ability to carry a film with a basic plot entirely on his shoulders and manage to pull in crowds to watch him do that.No one can do romance like the King of Bollywood ,you have to give him that.
For all its cliched storyline and setting, if you look closely you’ll see that Imtiaz Ali has tried his best to bring some originality in the dialogues at least,especially in the climax.Having said that,I am all for poetic licenses and i never prod and pry into the working details of a scene as a viewer but i just can’t let this one go.By Imtiaz Ali’s logic, Punjabi singers have a higher pitch because they’re farmers and they have to sing above the noise of the tractors they’re riding on the job.Does that mean there weren’t any loud Punjabi singers around before the tractors came along?Beats me.And with the current plight of the Congress party, wouldn’t blame him for naming SRK’s character Harry and not Rahul.He’s past that age to be a Rahul too, if you ask me.
gopakumarpurushothaman 