Deconstructing the Raj in YashRaj review

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Yashraj has been trying to reinvent itself (however superficially) for the new markets and the newer audiences. And in doing so, they've not only branched outwards (CDI, LCMD) but also looked inwards (JBJ, Tashan), writes Abhishek Bandekar

Siddharth Anand with Bachna Ae Haseeno has knowingly or unknowingly, cleverly or unwittingly, deliberately or accidentally made the most surprisingly subversive Yashraj film. The camp anyway has been going through an interesting phase for the last few years, green-lighting films that one wouldn't associate them with. They've unfortunately met with more failure than success. From Bunty Aur Babli to Chak De India, from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom to Tashan and from Laaga Chunari Mein Daag to Aaja Nachle; Yashraj has been trying to reinvent itself (however superficially) for the new markets and the newer audiences. And in doing so, they've not only branched outwards (CDI, LCMD) but also looked inwards (JBJ, Tashan). BAH belongs to the latter group of films. What separates it from them is while they were collectively looking back at an era here or a genre there, BAH's concern is single- deconstructing the Yashraj hero...he who charms one and all, he who is loved by dogs and grannies alike, he who behind that naughty and witty exterior is a child in need of love..., he who is Raj.

Three women happen to Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) over the span of 12 years. In 1996, a year into the Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge euphoria, Raj loves(as seriously as 18 year olds do) and leaves the simple Mahi (Minnisha Lamba, skilled). In 2002, he loves (as responsibly as a 24 year old manchild would), lives-in and then leaves the sultry Radhika (Bipasha Basu). And in 2007, Raj loves(of the ‘˜forever' variety, by his own admission) Gayatri(Deepika Padukone), only to have Gayatri leave him. A bit too late in the day then Raj, fearing that he's reaped what he'd sown, sets out to right his wrongs and earn back some karmic brownie points. My Name Is Earl...oh, Raj!

This is when the film takes off. This is when Siddharth Anand starts to make things interesting, genuinely and gamely deconstructing his own leading man, and at large the archetypal hero of his production banner. Raj, who'd met Mahi in a meet-cute mirroring DDLJ and whose relationship with Radhika had echoes of Anand's own Salaam Namaste, is made to retrace his steps. In doing so, what Anand actually does is throw up a fascinating study of ‘˜What If'?

What if the Raj in DDLJ was actually just a cad, none too serious about Simran? What if Simran had ended getting married to Kuljeet? And what if Kuljeet were a loving and doting husband? The Raj in BAH returns to find just that; to find Mahi married, with two tiny tots, to a devoted Joginder(Kunal Kapoor, in an affecting award-worthy turn). Anand knows his text(DDLJ) very well, and he subverts it brilliantly. So, like in DDLJ, we have Raj and Joginder(Kuljeet, then) bonding over pegs of whisky around a bonfire in a jungle. If Raj in DDLJ resolved to win over Simran's family and wrest her away from them, Raj here decides to bring Mahi and Joginder closer, to make Mahi realize that Joginder is her true hero- the unYashraj Raj. Seeing Mahi, an uncomplicated girl who believed in the magic of movies, shut herself to a routine zombie drone, blind to her husband's ineloquent love is the film's most affecting segment.

What if the Nikhil in Salaam Namaste never really wanted to get to know Ambar? What if he'd escaped his way out of the relationship? Raj returns here to find Radhika, whom he jilted at the altar, turned into a Prada-wearing-Devil. Radhika's now Shreya, a Diva, who decides to make Raj realize the low-life that he is by subjecting him to humiliating tasks- tasks that a Yashraj Raj would never do. The Ranbir-Bipasha portions play like a Korean romance, where humiliation and love always seem to share a symbiotic relationship. In what is a perfect bit of casting, Bipasha Basu gives the most assured and sassy performance of the three female leads.

Anand somehow doesn't go the whole distance. He doesn't pose a ‘˜what if' to the Raj-Gayatri track, instead resorting to a hurried and unsatisfactory resolution. The climax also raises a sexist concern. While the fact that a Yashraj film has made it's hero contemplate his actions(in an age where leading men philandering is celebrated- No Entry, Masti, etc.) is in itself commendable, one can't help but wonder that had this film more courage, it would've had Raj return to find Mahi and Radhika having moved on with their lives. That Raj, he who used them, has to become the agent of their closure...without him having to need it himself(in regards to Gayatri's rejection) is a bit problematic. But this is nitpicking. This and the vacant first half, which never really establishes any of the three love stories enough to make me want to care about them, are the film's failings. Also, in the pre-interval portions, Ranbir's character never really evolves. He seems to stay the same from 1996 to 2007.

Ranbir Kapoor gives a confident performance- equally in control as the cool cad and as the salvation seeker. With a flair for comedy and an effortless grip on drama, Ranbir is surely the best among his generation. Hiten Paintal, son of erstwhile comedian Paintal, as Raj's friend deserves a special mention. Deepika Padukone then is the only offender, hitting all the wrong notes and sucking away all the credibility of her character.

BAH is by far Siddharth Anand's best film. To be honest, I'd never expected a Jarmusch-like introspection from a Yashraj film. This was a sweet deal!