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Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani banks on Bollywood's most bankable formula

It's all about loving your family... seems to be the central theme of most hit films this year

Bollywood has rekindled its fascination with the ‘sasural genda phool’ formula. On July 28, Karan Johar will be back with a larger-than-life, unabashedly mainstream, epic entertainer Bollywood was once famous for. The trailer of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani ticks all the boxes — good-looking, popular stars, chartbuster songs and dances, jazzy sets, grandeur, chiffon sarees and snow-capped mountains. But most importantly, it’s all about loving your family… once again.

At the heart of it, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (releasing on July 28) looks like an old-school love story where family is as important as the superstar romantic jodi of Alia Bhatt-Ranveer Singh. You can’t take the family lightly when the actors playing the ‘family’ are Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan. It’s a full-on Karan Johar-style glamorous family drama that’s expected to bring back families to theatres, a feat that has become rare in the post-Covid, OTT-struck world.

As is clear from the trailer, it’s the story of loud Punjabi boy Rocky Randhawa (Ranveer) and sophisticated Bengali girl Rani Chatterjee (Alia Bhatt), who love each other despite their contrasting backgrounds. Determined to marry Rani, Rocky takes up the challenge of integrating into her world with the idea of ‘switch’, which requires them to spend three months with each other’s families to seek their approval. Sharing the trailer, Karan Johar wrote, “The power of love and the power of families — both undefeatable.”

Why do I say families are back again in Hindi cinema? Just look at the common thread in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, the trendsetting Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in the 1990s or Johar’s own biggest hit Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). Naturally, the first shared element are their long titles. But these blockbuster love stories consistently convey a similar message: love is undeniably significant, but not at the expense of familial bonds. If you want to be together, the approval and acceptance of respective families must be obtained. And the message for producers: if you want families to flock to theatres, make ‘family films’. Yes, Rocky Aur Rani looks over-the-top, but it’s also the unapologetic Bollywood we once adored, and who better than Karan Johar to revive the genre?

Bollywood had ditched the family formula in the last few years either for ‘realistic’ films or spectacle cinema like Brahmastra or Pathaan. But this year, ‘family films’ are back with a bang. The major hit films this year, which brought family audiences to theatres, are all family entertainers. Ranbir Kapoor-Shraddha Kapoor’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, Vicky Kaushal-Sara Ali Khan’s Zara Hatke Zara Bachke and the most recent hit Kartik Aaryan-Kiara Advani’s Satyaprem Ki Katha, rom-coms where families are as crucial as the romantic leads. In fact, even last year, producer Karan Johar tasted success with Jugjugg Jeeyo, a comedy family drama centered on themes of divorce and marriage.

In the climax of this year’s success Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, Rohan (Ranbir) finally goes to propose to his girlfriend (Shraddha) at the airport but with his entire family! The film strongly advocates joint family as the ultimate Indian way of living. It took a resilient, independent woman and led her to believe that true happiness can only be found within a joint family system and sacrificing hopes of her own house and independent life. Expectedly, the reviews were critical of the film, but the audiences embraced it wholeheartedly.

Few months later, the romantic comedy Zara Hatke Zara Bachke again promoted the importance of a joint family setup. It didn’t even boast of lavish production values. The slice-of-life film about a middle-class family in Indore struck a chord with the masses and Bollywood got a surprise hit. While Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani’s family drama Satyaprem Ki Katha begins with a progressive theme, it ultimately succumbs to pushing traditionalism in the garb of modernity, much like the previous two successful films. The family members remain crucial to the story and the box office result consistent: a resounding success. The underlying moral lesson in all of these triumphant films is the notion of sacrificing personal happiness for the sake of family. And each ‘family entertainer’ has been rewarded by the audiences. It’s remarkable how things appear to change but they actually don’t.

The film industry is in crisis and needs these blockbusters. Also, there has been such an overdose of ‘South cinema is better than Bollywood’ debate that Bollywood seems to be doing what it does best and Karan Johar should do what he does best — the glossy multi-starrers. Looking at the chemistry of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, chartbuster songs and the quintessential Karan Johar glitz and glamour, I wouldn’t be surprised if the film turns out to be a resounding success.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com

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