Death, or at least the fear of it, has always been an integral part of romantic films in Hindi cinema. The loss of a loved one, or the hero battling insurmountable odds and staring death in the face are all too familiar. Anjaana Anjaani begins, waking up to the Manhattan skyline, with an interesting premise: the hero and heroine of the film are trying to kill themselves by jumping off a bridge to escape the greatest villainy – Life!
Existential despair, anyone? A film beginning with existential depression (some call it mid – life crisis) and I was grinning from ear to ear. I went in to witness some usual romantic nok – jhok and was surprised to see this novelty in the first frame itself. The world knows that I have a soft corner for existentialism in any form and seeing it in Anjaana Anjaani was quite sincerely, the last thing I expected. Could it be, I thought. Have romantic films finally come of age? Can we leave fantasy land and tackle some real problems for once? Could this be the avant garde of romantic cinema? There is a beautiful scene shortly afterwards, where both Ranbir and Priyanka are trying to asphyxiate each other by using tape. This scene is undoubtedly the pinnacle of black humour. You can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous attempt and it goes without saying that they don’t succeed in their endeavor. You are laughing but at the same time, it is a horrific realisation that you are laughing at two people who are trying to kill themselves! Not funny, not funny at all. Classic black humour right there. It reminded me of Waiting for Godot, where Vladimir and Estragon try to kill themselves by hanging on a piece of rope and fail. At this point, I have to admit, I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I was leaning towards the 5 stars because this was nothing like ‘just another love story’. It was so much more. I’m afraid, there was to be another surprise, as the first 20 minutes didn’t prepare me for the disappointment that was to come…
Plot:
Akash (Ranbir) and Kiara (Priyanka) don’t want to live anymore. Akash has financial woes and Kiara has had her heart broken (c’mon, what do you expect? There have to be some clichés, though by just looking at Priyanka, it might not be a far fetched theory that she would have done the heartbreaking, considering that no guy in their right mind would have the guts to do it. Also, Ranbir was pretty much born with a silver spoon, so the financial crisis aspect too goes out of the window). Trouble getting into the skin of the character? Moving on, of course our protagonists can’t take the definitive step; after all, killing yourself is not as easy as 1, 2, 3… They try to get through the ordeal and end life through mutual support (the you kill me, I kill you approach, a slight modification of ‘I scratch your back, you scratch mine’). For me, this is where the film ended. Everything after this was predictable and slightly corny, truth to be told. Akash and Kiara decide to take time out and live their life to the maximum before returning to morose reality. This is where the director seems to have picked up a DVD of The Bucket List and basically retold the events of that film. So Akash and Kiara do everything possible to have a jolly good time and forget all their problems, deciding to live in the moment. Did I mention they fall in love? Yeah… that too. That last bit kind of screws up the whole plan of suicide. Now, they find something to live for – each other! Yaay! And it all ends happily ever after, or does it? I’ll leave it to you to figure this no-brainer.
Interesting prologue, no follow-up:
All sarcasm aside, Anjaani Anjaani really got me hooked for the first 20 minutes or so. After that, it lost its charm and went into the ‘I’ve seen it before’ territory. The protagonists’ antagonism towards each other and then gradual development of feelings, the metaphorical journey of two people coming together being realised in the physical journey that they undertake was all too familiar. The life problems do come out through sob flashbacks. The concept of a sob flashback is really a treat – two people are enjoying themselves and then suddenly, out of the blue, one of them starts crying and the other has to console him/her. The mood shifts from happy to melodramatic nostalgia. The background score adapts to this change as well. However, there is no physical or emotional trigger that causes this rush of memory and nostalgia. One moment you’re laughing, the next moment literally, you’re crying. Spare me please…
The Bucket List ‘inspiration’:
Remember the film The Bucket List? There, the two protagonists Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are diagnosed of a terminal disease and so Freeman makes a list of things to do before they ‘kick the bucket’. After the first 20 minutes, Anjaani Anjaani is basically a mediocre retelling of The Bucket List, where our desi protagonists also decide on things to do before they decide to kill themselves again. Jack Nicholson was a millionaire and that’s how they worked around the financial barrier in The Bucket List, but wasn’t Ranbir having financial troubles? Guess, not anymore! When you have a hot chic by your side and only a few days to live, money does begin to grow on trees. Also, there was a certain poignancy in the portrayal of Freeman and Nicholson that is lacking in Ranbir and Priyanka’s armory. That finesse is not there. I know what the film was trying to get across. At times, our worries seem the worst and bigger than everyone else, and we lose faith in people, situations, but most of all, ourselves. In that frame of mind, it is possible that ending life may be the final solution, but one just has to find something to live for, again…
The Bucket List had a drawback – you knew what to expect and it still remains one of the most enjoyable films I’ve seen. I didn’t mind Anjaana Anjaani taking a trick or two from there but you need the maturity and the actors to pull it off. Ranbir and Priyanka lacked that maturity in their acting. It was all a bit too naïve. When you have death as an integral and imminent part of the narrative, you have to return to that reality and with that reality comes a maturity which was lacking. In fact, in terms of character development, there was none. The strength of The Bucket List was its dialogues and the interaction between the two characters – the cynicism of Jack and the insight of Freeman. The dialogues in Anjaani Anjaani are witty in parts only, in fact the bits you saw in the trailer are the only witty lines you’re gonna get (with the pop culture reference of ‘All izz well’ and ‘tum to bahut darpok ho yaar’). Basically, the characters lack depth. Priyanka appears confused as the ‘westernised’ Indian. Her dialogue delivery and the ‘western’ look appear farcical. This is a huge drawback in the emotional sequences where she has to return to her Indian accent/style. It all appears out of place. There is a scene where Kiara gets Akash a girl (similar to Jack Nicholson getting Freeman a prostitute). In fact, I would say, watch The Bucket List again rather than this film. The change of heart of protagonists’, the will to live again and the ‘falling in love’ procedure is all too forced and going the tried and tested road.
Let me clarify – there is no problem with chemistry. I liked the Gen X look of Ranbir and Priyanka and they jelled well together. However, the maturity that was needed in this role wasn’t there. It might be the fault of the writer. The cinematography was brilliant. Each and every locale was captured in its prime. I’m still a bit concerned about the NRI angle. The amount of NRI’s you find in Hindi films these days; it seems like the Yash Raj fever is catching. Siddharth Anand seems to paying homage to his past films (Hum Tum, which he co-wrote – the I hate you but that’s just how I say I love you formula and Salaam Namaste – the uber trendy Gen X feel). The only thing novel about Anjaani Anjaani is its beginning. After the tape scene, it all goes downhill. Music is okay. The title track was peppy while it lasted but nothing more. Hairat was soothing. It was nice to hear Lucky Ali’s distinctive voice after so long. Aas Paas Khuda strikes a chord with its https://lyrics. The editing was surprisingly good. At just over two hours, the film doesn’t drag much. It’s just that the film didn’t have much substance in the first place!
All in all, our desi Bucket List kicks the bucket. Watch it only for the first 20 minutes, or else, a better alternative, watch the original Bucket List again…