Happily Ever After

Romantic comedies,though predictable,have been a constant favourite — not just with the audiences but also filmmakers who consider it to be a safe bet. Proof: The goofy charm of Raj Kapoor and Nargis in Chori Chori (1956) made a permanent place in Hindi cinema viewers’ heart. Decades later,the chemistry between Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor in Jab We Met (2007) melted the cinegoers’ hearts.

Small wonder then that filmmakers still love to dabble with this genre. Next up are Siddharth Anand’s Anjaana Anjaani and Abbas Tyrewala’s Jhootha Hi Sahi which release on September 24 and October 15 respectively. Add to the list Vipul Shah’s Action Replayy,Danish Aslam’s Break Ke Baad,Anees Bazmee’s It’s My Life and Barnali Ray Shukla’s Kuchh Love Jaisa,and we have a series of rom-coms waiting to make us experience the magic of love.

The success ratio of this genre is high compared to dramas,thrillers or comedies. Still,romantic comedies have not been enjoying the Bollywood limelight,lately. Reason: they had fallen prey to done-to-death storylines. “It is not like rom-com plots have always been revolutionary. It is usually the characters created and the language spoken that make a difference,” feels Aslam. Surprisingly,he is not totally against the predictable storylines. “The audience that watches these films wants the boy and girl to be united in the end.”

In the case of most rom-coms,it’s the happy ending that ensures their success. Shah understands this very well. His next,Action Replayy,revolves around Kishen (Akshay Kumar) and Mala (Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan) — two bickering senior citizens. But they rediscover romance on their 33rd wedding anniversary,when their son makes them travel back in time. In the past,films like Mahesh Bhatt’s Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991) or Tyrewala’s Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008) had predictable climaxes. But it was the buildup to the climax that made them so memorable.

Two factors that could tilt the scale in the favour of rom-coms are humour and the chemistry between the lead couple. “Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin was a very simple love story with fun elements thrown in. Still,the audience could relate to it because of the linear storyline and characters,” says Pooja Bhatt. Given the genre’s inherent predictability,most novice rom-com screenwriters tend to conjure up all possible odds — before the inevitable happy ending — to introduce surprise and suspense in the story. Punit Malhotra,the director of the recently released rom-com I Hate Luv Storys shares his formula. “When I suggested the idea to producer Karan Johar,his first question was on how am I going to make it any different from all the previous rom-coms. That’s when I thought my film should be a cheeky take on rom-coms in Bollywood,” says Malhotra. Ray Shukla,however,will be depending on the chemistry between two strangers — a housewife (Shifaali Shah) and a thief (Rahul Bose) — for the success of Kuchh Love Jaisa.

The celebration of rom-coms peaked in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Explaining its dip in popularity in the following years Ray Shukla says,“Earlier,rom-coms didn’t face so much competition from other genres as well as other quarters of ‘entertainment’,like television.” Over the years,filmmakers have attempted a sophisticated narration of the good old love story. But Ray Shukla says if pan-Indian ‘values’ were not adhered to while doing that,the average Indian viewer might complain that the stories have too many western elements. Shah seconds the thought. “When you are making a rom-com for Indian audiences,you must adhere to social and family values as this genre attracts a larger section of society.”

However,ultimately the key to make an audience care about a romantic comedy lies in presenting not one,but two compelling protagonists. It’s they who add spark to the story and tug at the audiences’ hearts. Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla did it to perfection in Yes Boss. So did the pairing of Genelia and Imran Khan in Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na,among others. “The chemistry between the lead pair is mandatory. If the pairing is fresh,it’s an added bonus,” feels Aslam. That explains the pairing of Imran and Deepika Padukone in his next.

Enduring Appeal
Rafoo Chakkar:Yesteryear’s most sought-after pair of Neetu Singh and Rishi Kapoor had us in splits with their antics

Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin:The fresh pairing of Pooja Bhatt and Aamir Khan created magic at box office

Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke:The super-hit pair of Juhi Chawla and Aamir Khan gave rom-com a new face

Jab We Met:Its success gave the career of the then off-screen couple,Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor,a new lease of life

Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na: With youthfulness and freshness of story,it became one of the best friends-turned-lovers tales on screen