critic's rating: 4.0/5

Karan Johar is back and how! In his own unique way, he’s woven a love story that will keep you in splits throughout and yet make you rethink what relationships are all about. He’s turned movie tropes on their heads with this one. Karan is known for his love for the golden age of Hindi cinema and has combined nostalgia with new age ethos to give us a rollicking romance full of humour and laughter but which is poignant in its own way at the same time. Karan has always probed man-woman relations in his films and here too, he delves deep into that zone. We are all looking for love and even a fleeting glimpse of the real thing is enough to engage us our whole life. Acceptance is another theme in his films. Everyone craves to be accepted by people around him without judgement and this is forcefully voiced in the film.

Rocky Randhawa (Ranveer Singh) looks like a bratty rich Delhite on the surface. He’s double waxed, has a chiselled body and loves to roam around in his Ferrari. He’s the heir to the Dhanalakshmi group. His grandmother Dhanalakshmi Randhawa (Jaya Bachchan), established a sweet shop under her own name and turned it into a million dollar company. She rules her empire with an iron hand. Her son Tijori (Aamir Bashir), daughter-in-law (Kshitee Jog) and granddaughter Gayatri (Anjali Anand) all remain under her thumb. Compared to that are the Chatterjees. While Rani Chatterjee (Alia Bhatt) is a firebrand TV show host who goes after the jugular when it comes to probing people on her show, her mother (Churni Ganguly) is a professor of English at a prestigious Delhi college, grandmother (Shabana Azmi) is a cultural icon known for her intellectual gatherings, while her father (Tota Roy Chowdhury) is a Kathak teacher. It’s a family as liberal and woke as the Randhawa’s are rigid.

Rocky learns that his grandfather Kanwal (Dharmendra), who is bedridden most of the time because of a past accident, and has lost the use of his legs and suffers from memory loss, may have known Rani’s grandmother in the past. Thinking that encountering her may trigger may help him regain his memory, he arranges for them to meet. That leads to Rocky and Rani falling for each other. But both know that their families are incompatible towards each other. In order to win them over, they arrange for a swap. Rocky goes to live with the Chatterjees and Rani comes and stays with the Randhawas. Whether they would be able to pass this litmus test or fail trying forms the crux of the film.

As said earlier, the film is high on comedy. Kudos to writers Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy for coming up with some great laugh-out-loud moments and witty dialogue. We’ve known Karan to be the king of romance but here he shows he can turn his hand at comedy and come on tops. Some moments will have you rolling down the aisles, and overall you’ll have a constant smile on your face. It’s his most happy film as yet. But it isn’t as if the film doesn’t have its sombre moments. The themes it explores are serious. The film makes a case against body shaming, against being judgemental of other people’s choices and most importantly, against patriarchy, among other things. It makes a case for being more gentle, kinder, more considerate towards each other, especially towards the members of your own family. We are all different and let’s celebrate that difference, instead of finding faults. It reiterates the fact that we’re all hungry for love and that need is above everything else.

The film stands tall on the shoulders of its performers. It’s a treat to watch veterans Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan spilling their magic again on the silver screen. Dharmendra still commands a screen presence and looks handsome, lending a sensitivity to the character he portrays. He looks just perfect in his role. Shabana Azmi too lends gravitas to her character, drawing back on her tons of experience to make you root for her till the very end. She’s the picture of grace and sensitivity. Jaya Bachchan is in fine fettle as the stern matriarch. You might not agree with the stern ways of her character but you’ll understand what has led to her being so set in her ways. You can see she’s having a good time playing her character. Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, Kshitee Jog, Anjali Anand too have their moments in the sun and so does Tota Roy Chowdhury, who is simply brilliant as a man who loves Kathak.

The film belongs to Rocky and Rani. Both Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt have outdone themselves in the film. Ranveer shows superb coming timing, playing off his co-stars like a pro, and mouthing funny lines like he was born to it. But there’s more to Rocky than being a clueless motormouth and Ranveer showcases his character’s fragile side with panache. It’s one of his finest performances so far. Alia Bhatt had done a high on drama Gangubai Kathiawadi and then jumped straight into comedy with this one without any hiccups. That’s the mark of a great actor. She’s everything you ask for and more as a firebrand journalist who can’t help being attracted to someone who is totally her opposite. Rani is a rebel but has a vulnerable side to her as well and Alia enacts both aspects with consummate ease.

Karan Johar shouldn’t take too long a sabbatical between directing films and should start filming his next pronto. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is a complete entertainer, having something for everybody. Watch it for its funny as hell storyline and some cracking performances from the entire ensemble cast.

Trailer : Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani