Opinion Is Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani Karan Johar’s most socio-political film yet?
Known for his Bollywood romances, filmmaker Karan Johar touches upon contemporary gender discourses, cancel culture and hyper wokeism without compromising the signature gloss and glamour of his movies
A still from the film, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani. 
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When Karan Johar made his directorial debut nearly 25 years ago with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), many went on to hail it as a defining moment for Bollywood romance. Others questioned its convoluted gender positioning. Even though the protagonist Rahul delivers lines like “pyar dosti hai” (love is friendship), he is oblivious to the overtures of his best friend, Anjali, a classmate with zero fashion sense. As soon as a girl in a short skirt and high heels walks down their college corridors, he falls for her. He becomes seemingly rigid in the belief that “pyar ek baar hi hota hai” (you fall in love only once). The protagonist eats crow in the second half. He ends up pining for his former BFF — once an ugly duckling now transformed into a chiffon-clad teacher oozing feminine charm.
The director faced criticism (and continues to) for his shallow understanding of love, driven by physical appearances. Nevertheless, the dreaminess and emotional overload in his debut springboarded Johar’s emergence as a master storyteller, specialising in aspirational and opulent romances. With his seventh feature film — Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani — after a gap of seven years, his idea of love seems to have matured. Since his last directorial outing Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), which had a man-child as a protagonist, things have changed. Audiences have evolved and so has their appetite for nuanced storytelling. It was time Johar responded to the changes, and he did — in his characteristic style.
The female lead in Rocky Aur Rani… is a hot-shot journalist armed with degrees from top colleges. She sashays around in backless blouses and is a damsel who knows what to do when in distress. The prince charming, underneath his beefy body and flashy style, is vulnerable and compassionate. With the lead characters laying out its premise, the film carries out a series of gender role-reversals as well as duly underlines them (lest the audience misses them) in the course of the 168-minute film.
In what appears to be a conscious effort, Johar and his band of writers (Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy) try to touch upon a gamut of contemporary discourses. Mounted on a grand scale, the love story, among others, keeps drawing attention to gender stereotyping, body shaming, patriarchal norms, cancel culture and hyper wokeism. This is most evident in the part where a flamboyant Punjabi boy’s family meets that of an intelligent Bengali girl’s — an encounter between two different cultures and sensibilities that rarely interact.
Fun-filled in parts, the film, in Johar’s tongue-in-cheek style, alludes to the scapegoating of celebrities. When Ranveer Singh (Rocky) tells Alia Bhatt (Rani) that he does not mind being “objectified”, was he alluding to the brouhaha over his nude photoshoot last year? When Bhatt tests Singh’s general knowledge, is she putting to rest the doubts over her IQ? After being ridiculed for his sartorial choices, is Singh, twirling in crimson anarkali to the music of ‘Dola Re Dola’, making a strong statement on his fluid fashion? Possible. After all, Johar, Bhatt and Singh are not new to trolling. And if this is their response to it, we will take it.
Despite being infused with gloss, glamour and bling and the typical elements of a potboiler, the film still manages to portray relatable characters, with warts and all. That’s something mainstream films usually shy away from. Commercial releases are driven by ideas of escapist entertainment and box-office returns — but they can still be effective in provoking critical thoughts without being in your face.
Over the years, Johar has faced much criticism regarding his depiction of gender and sexuality on screen. Yet, we have seen enough instances of his self-deprecating humour, including acknowledgement of past follies. Speaking at an event during the recent promotions, he owned up to the fact that KKHH “propagated wrong gender politics”. He also added that “a film is a strong representation” of prevailing beliefs. It seems, Johar has already made some amends. Remember Sweetu in Kal Ho Naa Ho (the 2003 film produced and written by Johar) who faced sniggers for being “plump”? Well, in his latest movie, Gayatri (Rocky’s sister) stands up for herself, discarding her nickname “Golu” and reclaiming her original name.
Regardless of the limitations of mainstream Indian cinema, it’s a potent medium to reflect on contemporary realities. And Johar, as one of the stalwarts, is much aware of cinema’s reach and impact. His films have influenced generations of movie-goers. Now that he claims to have “grown as an individual”, will he offer us more cinematic course corrections through the coming of age of his movie characters who are alive to the changes sweeping through traditions, institutions, and interpersonal relationships?
alaka.sahani@expressindia.com
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