Director: Imtiaz Ali
Actors: Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone
Have you ever looked at the mirror and spoken aloud
in solitude? Have you ever read or heard a story and spoken out a dialogue like
you would’ve? If a story reads….” He said: Just stop it! Enough is enough! Have
you ever said it aloud to feel the emphasis which the storyteller is trying to
provide? If yes then Imtiaz’s latest will pull a string at your heart.
When Don (Ranbir Kapoor) and Mona D. (Deepika
Padukone) meet in Corsica they decide to keep their identities undisclosed to kill
monotony. They almost fall in love but leave, without commitments or contact
details of each other. The beautiful Tara searches and finds Don, in the form
of Ved. Ved is not Don, the fearless, fun loving maniac who attracted Tara so
much. The latter part of the film explores why and how did Ved become like
this.
Although the struggle of creative people wanting to
pursue their dreams and their confrontation with their families is old wine, a
person putting upon a mask for the people and losing the track of his being is as
fresh as an untouched drop of morning dew. Ved loves stories. He has heard so
many of them that he can hold an audience enraptured for days together with his
skills. But he is unable to configure the plot unfolding in his life. He speaks
and does what is expected of him. However, we know that all is not lost because
Don and so many other characters come out of hiding in front of his mirror. The
only one who knows him as he really is.
I know of men and women who talk to mirrors. I know
there are some who talk to animals, or birds, or inanimate objects or even
themselves while walking, working, or when they are tensed before an important
assignment. I believe that side exists inside each one of us. Unless we are
absolutely open about who and what we are, to other people, we find a Raj
inside every Surinder Sahni. We become too scared because we already have
acceptance in Society as a Surinder. Who would want to risk the Raj coming out.
Some let it through what they call getting a high. They drink, fool others that
they are 90% drunk whereas they might be probably at 40 and unleash the Raj
inside. Raj is their true self. Oh sure it’s safe. If all goes well, they are
satisfied. If things get too embarrassing, it is nicely covered and buried
under the garb. However, it suffocates.
When Ved is confronted by Tara in the present times
he gets confused. His being is jolted by the two sides to him that exist. He
wants to shout but he chooses to apologize. He wants to take right but goes
left. He wants to mock but chooses to subject himself to mockery without realizing
that he is strangling his soul.
If Ranbir is convincing, Deepika is endearing. The
love story may seem complex but it is actually quite simple. You cannot give
happiness unless you are truly happy. You cannot give love and care to your
parents, your partner and friends unless you truly love and accept yourself the
way you are and the things that you stand for.
Although I loved the theme, there are definitely
areas that need help in the movie. The sequence at Corsica was too short and
too simplistic in terms of events and conversations. Why would Tara be so moved
by Ved even after so long is not clear. I fail to understand, that why do all
characters of Imtiaz’s movies love so deeply and yet don’t know that they are
in love until a long time. Is he portraying love in contemporary times, or is
it his own insecurities about love and relationships flowing seamlessly into
each and every film. I understand that a Director’s work may be reflective of
his persona but why is the indecisiveness of human beings so deeply etched in
all his stories that it almost ignores that people might fall in love hard and
actually be clear and sure of what and who they want.
All said and done, I was fascinated by the story
telling from a human psychology point of view. Watch it for understanding the
layers of human behavior. You might
learn something new about yourself or the people around you.
Thank you
P.S. You can also watch it for the golden voices of Alka Yagnik and AR Rahman.
PPS: Raj and Surinder reference to the characters of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
