I don't write much about movies, though they form a very important part of my social observations for businesses. I remember, my last post that had anything to do with movies was a critic on Casino Royale, even then more from a standpoint of trading, investing and money management.
I have long realized Shah Rukh is a marketing machine. A wonderful machine that churns out fantastic ideas and most importantly stays relevant and interesting. I would put him on par with Seth Godin, Madonna, Beatles, Donald Trump, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and few others. So, I haven't missed a chance to understand what's on Shah Rukh's mind. Seth and Trump write books. Madonna and SRK put on an act.
I want to write on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Well, here I go.
The first info on Rab ne.. came from Khalid Mohammed's review calling it a seminal work that will change the way movies are made in future. Strong words from a person who miser for praise. Second was SRK's statement, again on the same lines to the effect, this movie was going to redefine how love stories are made and would create a new genre of characters. Well, I was primed for a great act. [Good marketing eh!]
When the first comments started poring from people and friends it was not encouraging. As a matter of fact, nobody till date has told me this is a very good movie. Average is the maximum generosity they can afford.
Well I watched it. Obviously! I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the way I look at it, SRK got his fingers on the heart of society and not just the pulse of it! [Ok, that's too much :) ] Somehow this guy doesn't stop to amaze.
Well, here are few things:
This is a love traingle. Its a triangle whichever perspective you look from. Neatly told, so as not to upset the sentiments of majority or push the envelope of scoial taboos. SRK is a good businessman. You gotta keep shocks to minimum.
Before I come to my point, one more thing. Most of the SRK's films seem to be triangles! Start off from Baazigar, Dil to pagal hai, Kuch kuch hota hai,... Do we see a pattern? The triangle is more on the lines of a Hero, a Heroine and a Trouble/Problem/Situation. Sometimes, trouble is a live person. Put a Person and a Situation opposite to the couple and we seem to have a superhit! [Cool formula. I am patenting that :]
Bear me somemore. The Triangles seem to the best engines to involve both a man and a woman into the film. If the balance between the man and woman wanes off i.e. either of them is not involved then the media drains off.
Rab ne.. is good in creating the triangle but very smartly SRK does not involve a married lady with an outsider, which would have pushed the envelop of female lead's social acceptance. But it involves husband himself who for all aspects is an outsider. Smart, eh!
If you are still reading thanks. Here is my point. Rab ne.. is a dig at the socially conscious generation that we have become. It is trying to peek into the reality of the world thro' illusions of glamor, funk and whats acceptable.
The new generation has access to glamor like it has never been possible in human history. Cut back 50 years and glamor was Hollywood films, some magazines and off-beats like paintings. 100 years back it was the once in a year hottest party/fair/festival. Cut to present, its everywhere. If there was a generation which primed by the marketers to think about glamor and social acceptance (you may like to call it slavishness), from the birth of an infant - its this generation.
And with this illusion and glamor, of what is aspirational and the reality is the bridge not many have crossed. Marketers and glamor artists make situations/places/faces etc look beautiful in such a way viewers are not taxed by the actual reality but just float on the surreal Utopian world. An old woman's wrinkles suddenly look great on her. The fact is she had to wait 80 or 90 years to get there. And if we have a micro-wrinkle that's our world falling apart. Deserts look beautiful but sans the temperature, travel, discomfort and sun. Get the drift.
Rab ne.. is a good attempt at bringing such reality of life into the socially glamorized illusion. [There might be many more, but I don't recall them now.] With the main character who is so so normal and so so pathetically ordinary. He is boring because we have seen a lot many like him. SRK casts opposite somebody who has aspirations, of various kinds. Of kinds that is way off normal for an ordinary folks like lead male.
Its when the reality and aspirations clash does the unhappiness start. And this is going to be so so common in coming years that Khalid's and SRK's words would ring true. That's why, imo SRK got it right again, in understanding the underlying tensions between what is constantly fed into our mind and what is in store of reality.
I have long realized Shah Rukh is a marketing machine. A wonderful machine that churns out fantastic ideas and most importantly stays relevant and interesting. I would put him on par with Seth Godin, Madonna, Beatles, Donald Trump, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and few others. So, I haven't missed a chance to understand what's on Shah Rukh's mind. Seth and Trump write books. Madonna and SRK put on an act.
I want to write on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Well, here I go.
The first info on Rab ne.. came from Khalid Mohammed's review calling it a seminal work that will change the way movies are made in future. Strong words from a person who miser for praise. Second was SRK's statement, again on the same lines to the effect, this movie was going to redefine how love stories are made and would create a new genre of characters. Well, I was primed for a great act. [Good marketing eh!]
When the first comments started poring from people and friends it was not encouraging. As a matter of fact, nobody till date has told me this is a very good movie. Average is the maximum generosity they can afford.
Well I watched it. Obviously! I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the way I look at it, SRK got his fingers on the heart of society and not just the pulse of it! [Ok, that's too much :) ] Somehow this guy doesn't stop to amaze.
Well, here are few things:
This is a love traingle. Its a triangle whichever perspective you look from. Neatly told, so as not to upset the sentiments of majority or push the envelope of scoial taboos. SRK is a good businessman. You gotta keep shocks to minimum.
Before I come to my point, one more thing. Most of the SRK's films seem to be triangles! Start off from Baazigar, Dil to pagal hai, Kuch kuch hota hai,... Do we see a pattern? The triangle is more on the lines of a Hero, a Heroine and a Trouble/Problem/Situation. Sometimes, trouble is a live person. Put a Person and a Situation opposite to the couple and we seem to have a superhit! [Cool formula. I am patenting that :]
Bear me somemore. The Triangles seem to the best engines to involve both a man and a woman into the film. If the balance between the man and woman wanes off i.e. either of them is not involved then the media drains off.
Rab ne.. is good in creating the triangle but very smartly SRK does not involve a married lady with an outsider, which would have pushed the envelop of female lead's social acceptance. But it involves husband himself who for all aspects is an outsider. Smart, eh!
If you are still reading thanks. Here is my point. Rab ne.. is a dig at the socially conscious generation that we have become. It is trying to peek into the reality of the world thro' illusions of glamor, funk and whats acceptable.
The new generation has access to glamor like it has never been possible in human history. Cut back 50 years and glamor was Hollywood films, some magazines and off-beats like paintings. 100 years back it was the once in a year hottest party/fair/festival. Cut to present, its everywhere. If there was a generation which primed by the marketers to think about glamor and social acceptance (you may like to call it slavishness), from the birth of an infant - its this generation.
And with this illusion and glamor, of what is aspirational and the reality is the bridge not many have crossed. Marketers and glamor artists make situations/places/faces etc look beautiful in such a way viewers are not taxed by the actual reality but just float on the surreal Utopian world. An old woman's wrinkles suddenly look great on her. The fact is she had to wait 80 or 90 years to get there. And if we have a micro-wrinkle that's our world falling apart. Deserts look beautiful but sans the temperature, travel, discomfort and sun. Get the drift.
Rab ne.. is a good attempt at bringing such reality of life into the socially glamorized illusion. [There might be many more, but I don't recall them now.] With the main character who is so so normal and so so pathetically ordinary. He is boring because we have seen a lot many like him. SRK casts opposite somebody who has aspirations, of various kinds. Of kinds that is way off normal for an ordinary folks like lead male.
Its when the reality and aspirations clash does the unhappiness start. And this is going to be so so common in coming years that Khalid's and SRK's words would ring true. That's why, imo SRK got it right again, in understanding the underlying tensions between what is constantly fed into our mind and what is in store of reality.
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