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sandy

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Sandy’s thoughts on Rab Ne
sandy | 24 | December 16, 2008 at 12:34 am | 29 views | NaachGaana Bol| Share


Just came back from a show of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. First half is interesting and sweet and I didn’t have a serious problem with Suri turning into Raj either. There is a certain unyielding, tough spirit to Suri beneath his benign, gentle exterior and manners, which makes the transition somewhat believable.

My favourite scene was the one where his friends come over and Suri is overwhelmed seeing Taani actually coming to meet them. That was beautifully done.

But the honeymoon ends there, literally. The second half is a mess and should have completely been re-written. It doesn’t make any sense and it’s surprising how it was even passed.
If this still holds itself somewhat in the end, it’s because of SRK’s strong performance – not just as Suri but even Raj.

The highlight item song was not needed.

Anushka is good and suits the part very well but I wouldn’t call her a sensational find by any stretch of imagination. She’s good for the film, but not wholly natural.
Really, see the film for SRK – that’s it.

As for Aditya Chopra, this is overall a failed attempt but it’s still worth a watch when you consider that nowhere is this plastic compared to almost every other Yash Raj film. Also, I much appreciate his skill of not wasting details. The fact that Suri works in the Electricity Board is used very well in one of the later sequences involving Raj. There are many such instances.

One of the reasons the film suffers is because there is no real clarity to Taani’s character and motivations. Why would she fall in love so easily with her dancing partner that too when she’s barely married? She starts loving Raj because she realises he cares for her (by stepping aside as her dance partner) but then what about her own husband who did so much for her? If this is exactly the irony, the treatment is most assuredly weak. Also whenever the director senses that logic could be going out of the window, he takes refuge in the film’s most oft repeated line..’Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai’ For this and many other reasons, the second half is a misfire.

The film still stands for one reason and that is Suri’s character and how in this age of cynicism, sometimes the most ordinary of folks can surprise with the length they can go to love some one. That touches a chord.

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There Are 24 Responses So Far. »

  1. Som 16 December 2008
    12:41:21 am

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    Thanks Sandy!! You finally saw it;so am I the only one who is yet to see it? :)

  2. sandy 16 December 2008
    12:44:25 am

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    “The film still stands for one reason and that is Suri’s character and how in this age of cynicism, sometimes the most ordinary of folks can surprise with the length they can go to love some one. That touches a chord.”

    Having said this myself, I will add this is not a wholly original premise either. This was done to perfection in both Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hooh and Main Meri Patni Aur Woh.

  3. ideaunique 16 December 2008
    12:52:45 am

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    Nice write up Sandy – i’ll surely watch this on 25th Dec’08, after watching Ghajini :-)

    btw, listening to Latoo and Behka at the moment :-)

    did u see Ghajini promo in theater? how is the impact on the big screen?

    when r u interviewing aamir? Pl. tell him to do something about anti-piracy…YRF has neglected this aspect and I guess by now there are millions of pirated CDs/DVDs out in India…Aamir is someone who will take care of this if reminded in time….

  4. ideaunique 16 December 2008
    12:57:17 am

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    btw, is there anyway we can see farhan’s “Oye! it’s Friday” episode with aamir online after it is aired on this Friday?

  5. sandy 16 December 2008
    12:57:48 am

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    Idea: Well, when the Ghajini promo came in during interval, there were whistles and the boys sitting behind said, ‘Yaar, yeh toh kha jayega sab ko’… It was hilarious.

    BTW, this was a near full house on a Tuesday morning for Rab Ne. The response was mostly good during the first half and intermittently in the second. I think this is not a film anyone would seriously mind, even if they don’t love it.

  6. Arun 16 December 2008
    12:58:12 am

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    Thanks Sandy! Can’t disagree with much of what you say, except that I liked Anushka more. It’s Suri and Taani who manage to turn this into a watchable film.

  7. jayshah 16 December 2008
    12:59:14 am

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    Good review, agree with most of it.

  8. jayshah 16 December 2008
    01:32:39 am

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    Anushka is really good here. Can’t see a point where she put a foot wrong overall.

  9. AJ 16 December 2008
    01:34:50 am

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    Sandy even mine fav scene is the same. It is a joy to see taani holding the eatables while suri is still explaining to his friends why she can’t come to meet them.

  10. satyam 16 December 2008
    03:41:03 am

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    Nice piece..

  11. ideaunique 16 December 2008
    05:19:06 am

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    “Idea: Well, when the Ghajini promo came in during interval, there were whistles and the boys sitting behind said, ‘Yaar, yeh toh kha jayega sab ko’… It was hilarious.”

    LOL – what is your reaction to the promo?Did you see kaise mujhe song? Apart from action-thriller, I think there is an intense romantic story interwoven…Aamir’s emotions in that KM promo indicates the same…

    any idea when the advanced booking starts?

  12. sandy 16 December 2008
    06:30:37 am

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    Net edition
    http://www.sakaaltimes.com/200.....ond-h.html

  13. sandy 16 December 2008
    07:12:44 am

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    Idea: Unfortunately, the impact of the promo was not as strong as it should have been due to poor sound system. At least that’s what I thought. Visually, it was powerful of course and there was some extra footage in the promo which I had not seen earlier.

  14. Qalandar 17 December 2008
    07:11:25 am

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    Thanks sandy — your thoughts are welcome as always…on Ghajini I must say the buzz is building, On the all-important bhabimeter, not only was Rab Ne Banadi Jodi missed in the theater (highly unusual) but she said she’ll watch Ghajini in the theater. Guys ka to poocho mat, everyone I know (including me) awaits with baited breath…

    The music, which I’d initially dismissed, is peaking at the right time: Kaise mein kahoon is a classy romantic track to begin with, but Lattoo has wormed its way into my affections (well, Sunidhi didn’t need much worming)…strangely enough it is Guzaarish that has grown stake sooner than expected…

  15. jayshah 17 December 2008
    07:14:13 am

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    Qalander it is Shreya not Sunidhi in Latoo!

  16. Qalandar 17 December 2008
    07:21:04 am

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    Holy crap, that’s shreya as I’ve never heard her before.

    She had never been a favorite, but this is a dimension I hadn’t suspected…

  17. jayshah 17 December 2008
    07:22:33 am

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    All about Shreya now. Kaise Mujhe, Latoo and Tere Naina…all I am listening too nowadays! Golden voice…

  18. sandy 17 December 2008
    08:35:26 am

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    LOL Q, you got confused about Shreya, yes she sounds very different in Latoo.
    Incidentally, did anyone just see Star New’s poll on the No 1 brand right now? The poll was between Aamir and SRK and the Ghajini star won hands down with 57 per cent voting for him. The anchors expressed how Aamir had never won such a poll before and attributed it to the Ghajini effect.

  19. jayshah 17 December 2008
    08:37:19 am

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    Sandy that is an unfair poll. All the SRK fans are watching RNBDJ and they are taking a poll at that time :P

  20. Aarohi 17 December 2008
    08:39:57 am

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    All due respect, civilized people don’t watch Star News ;)

  21. sandy 17 December 2008
    08:42:53 am

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    Absolutely Aarohi. It’s a trashy channel. Incidentally, it was the first one to give Rab ne the much needed fillip by having headlines like ‘Hit Hai Rab Ne’ in the very first show on friday. Some other channels picked it up.

    Incidentally, in all these so called polls by Star and others, Sallu is generally the winner because his fans appear to be the most eager in voting.

  22. beld 17 December 2008
    08:43:36 am

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    no wonder brands arent selling – and people thought it was the recession ;-)

  23. sandy 17 December 2008
    11:08:14 pm

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    The same duh moments in the film are expressed here

    http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1214825

  24. ideaunique 18 December 2008
    12:17:59 am

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    did anyone see this interview with Ghajini producer?
    http://www.bollywoodhungama.co.....ajini.html

    somehow, it stops at 34 seconds….tried opening in different pages…no luck

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