I’m continuing to puzzle over this movie as I think more things and remember more things about it. And I think the opening and closing are really interesting to compare in a lot of ways.
I think I arrived at the theater just as the movie started, I walked in to the title card and then a Ranveer voice over. Let me know if I missed something!
The Ranveer voice over jumps quickly through his family history, His great grandmother was a mean mother-in-law to Jaya and once she died, Jaya promptly took control of everything. Dharmendra was always soft and loved poetry, Jaya had no respect for him and wouldn’t let him spend time with his own son. Then Dharmendra fell down the stairs and was an invalid. Jaya’s son grew up and got married and she promptly dismissed her daughter in law. And now there is Ranveer, the grandson and heir.
This quick funny flash through family history leads right into a totally ridiculous over the top intro song for Ranveer. There are cameos from Jhanvi, Ananya, and Sara Ali Khan. And then his family arrives at the party where he is dancing and he immediately stops dancing and pretends he wasn’t dancing in front of his father. While his father is getting an award, Dharmendra sees a pretty woman and starts wheeling himself over to her, calling her Jamini. He kisses her, she slaps him, everyone is embarrassed and horrified.
This whole opening sequence is ridiculously over the top, it feels like an Anees Bazmi movie. The flashback with the dark comedy as though death and injury are just punchlines, the intro song that is all flashing lights and cameos and so on, and then the Dharmendra moment that is very much “ha-ha, old people are funny!”
And then we have the ending. Which is ridiculously over the top melodramatic. Ranveer’s Dad tries to hit his Mom and Ranveer stops him, everyone confronts each other over the dysfunction in the family, we get a flashback to the same past moments from the opening only this time instead of being funny, they are sad and damaging and real. And Dharmendra dies, and Shabana comes to his funeral, and it’s not “ha-ha old people are funny” at all.
In between these two moments, the film perfectly balances humor and seriousness. The humor is far more subtle than the over the top opening, and the drama is far more light than the over the top ending. If Karan had managed to cut off the two ends of the film, it would be a whole different film.
But would it have been as good? Or as commercial? It’s a fun popcorny kind of opening, and it’s a whistles and cheers kind of dramatic ending, way more fun than all the ADHM angst.
One other thing I found interesting, we open with an over the top Ranveer focused song, very commercial and stupid and glittery. And we end with a lovely poetic song about Rani as a bride. That final song feels very much like Karan’s wedding present to Rani, a beautiful vision of her. Plus, again, it’s the journey of the film. From a shallow cartoon kind of character in Ranveer, to all the beauty and magic of love in Alia.
