Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani follows the story of Rocky and Rani, belonging to different backgrounds, who fall in love while bringing their grandparents together, who were once deeply in love. The story here has all the sensibilities for the quintessential cinema that we have grown up watching. This, while also possessing a shift in the thinking of the makers in terms of balancing the stereotypes while keeping the core values intact. The story here ain’t novel from its skeletal structure that did borrow ideas from other Dharma movies like K3G and Two States. Yet, it is the shift in the thinking which is prevalent throughout the narrative. The screenplay standing at nearly 3 hours did seem daunting and far fetched for a Rom-Com but the writers were successful in creating moments which did balance the humour and melodrama perfectly while breaking the stereotypes.

There are only a handful filmmakers that give their lead characters charming introductory sequences, and it is Karan Johar who would possibly top the list. Both the characters of Rani and especially Rocky are provided with desirable introductions that did restore my faith in Bollywood. This is what you expect from the Hindi film industry who has recently been reeling under the shadows of other industry.

Elsewhere, you are given a quick flashback that highlights the character of Jaya Bachchan who is a tough nut to crack like Yashwardhan from K3G. She even goes to an extent to distance her own son from his father who is tender and soothing towards the idea of love until he meets with an accident. Cut to current times and after the desirable introductory sequences of the two protagonists, the drama does kick start the romance between the two that begins on a frivolous note but slowly deepens in impact. But along the way, several stereotypes are either broken or ironed out.

The proceedings are engaging particularly with the manner in which the writers keep the events frothy with dollops of humour that stems from the fact that the principal characters belong to diabolically opposite backgrounds. The fusion of culture is infectious and vibrant and this combination of fire and ice is what drives the narrative wonderfully well. But in its heart, the emotions do land amidst the retro world that is created through some of the most beautiful yesteryear’s songs. Even the friction between the characters that threatens to derail the love story is sprinkled with sugar that does make for a warm watch. But the true test for the film was in its second half, and that is where the film does strike a lingering chord with the viewers.

I was quite skeptical of the film falling in the familiar tropes of a family drama that is often treated with a heavy handed degree of preachiness. And while there are moments of melodrama, the film balances the moments beautifully by managing both Bengali and Punjabi cultures incredibly well. Along the way, the issues related to masculinity and patriarchy are squashed while keeping the core values of respecting elders intact. This was a fine line that was tread by the film and it managed to succeed in a very pleasant manner. On the slight downside, the film did get a little too melodramatic in the final half hour leading to simplistic solutions and transformations(not that I did mind it) but taking nothing away from the overall product and the quality of the writing which was excellent. And the good old vibes of quintessential cinema did hit home!