After watching Masaan, I decided I was going to explore bollywood more. Maybe there were great movies being made every year and simply because not every production was slick as this one, nobody learnt about them. And as a starting point, I began with the 90s, specifically Shahrukh Khan. This was perhaps not very wise from an academic point of view but I had always had a boy-crush on SRK. I know his movies have not been particularly great but he is SO much fun to watch on screen, if you just let yourself go a little.
At least watch till the policemen start dancing
I watched two good movies: Kabhi Haan Kabhi Haan (1994) and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992). K2H2 was an absolute delight and while Raju kind of loses itself in its third act and becomes weird and unintentionally funny, Shahrukh and Juhi deliver such brilliant on the spot performances that make you almost forget that.
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa was a good movie. It was written well, the director knew where he wanted to go with the movie and took it there, cautiously, with just the right pace, Compared to this, Raju is a trainwreck. But Raju is also the one I remember more. There are good movies, there are bad movies and then there are bad movies which could've been so good. They're the ones that bother you the most. Raju is one of those movies. And not to mention, it was also the Khan's debut movie. I refuse to acknowledge Deewana.
Raj Malhotra (of course) A.K.A. Raju is a small town engineering graduate who comes to Bambai, the Bada Shahar, with dreams of making it big but instead finds himself lost, like you're apt to when you walk into Mumbai to start a new life armed with all of a degree in Civil Engineering and a visiting card of Sharmaji (I think it was Sharmaji). He meets Nana Patekar, a wise, bearded, middle-aged, benign-looking man, a modern day socrates, the only difference being that he asks people for money after his philosophizing. That is what he does, he performs, on the street, for a living.
It is kind of an underlying theme of the movie - that to survive in a city like Mumbai, you need to perform. You have to be occasionally not who you are if want to bring home the bacon. And it is all about whether Raju can do that, pull of the balance act between who he is and who he needs to be in order to make a living. At least, that is what I think the idea was in the beginning.
So Raju is lost in the big city and Nana Patekar's Jai takes pity on him and gets him to his chawl. Chawls provide great settings for the one big bollywood family kind of scenes. An added bonus is the kind of songs which come naturally with it - "Aaaj Hamari Basti mein mach gayi dhoom..."
Raju keeps getting rejected in interviews and girl next door Juhi Chawla, whom raju finds the most disagreeable person on earth, gets him a job at a library. Is there any bad person in this movie? Oh, right, Mr. Chhabria of Chhabria industries. Never mind him.
Juhi Chawla is fucking brilliant. Did I mention that? Juhi Chawla is fucking brilliant. She almost steals the show with the little she has. She had amazing comic timing and the screenwriters are idiots for not having exploited that more. You can see bits of Shahrukh the star in the making in Raju. The amazing intensity, the sheer energy and commitment he brings to his characters... he just gives it everything he's got. The only person I've seen who probably outdoes Shahrukh in that department is Johnny Lever. No wonder King Khan says he was his favorite costar to work with. But Juhi ... Juhi Chawla is another thing altogether. And together, the pair are an absolute treat to watch. In fact, my favorite bollywood pair of all time, not that that's saying much.
Further readings:
1. Banke Tera Jogi - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000)
2. Main Koi Aisa Geet - Yes Boss (1997)
That's it for today. I'll see you soon.
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