Never Say Never

Some love it, some hate it, and No one could ignore it. Kabhi Alvidaa Naa Kehna surely packs a punch. While it literally means, “Never say good bye”, it also marks coming of age and opening of Indian mindsets. What is your idea of romance? Pristine white as vanilla set up of boy-meets girl, they fight with all odds and marry each other and live happily ever after? We have been fed with this imagery by Indian movies for well about more than quarter of a century (that would be my age). For me I think this is utopia. People hide their not- so-perfect relationships or live in shame if they fall in love with those who they were not supposed to fall in love with. How many of us have cursed ourselves for loving someone we did not want to fall for and then how many of us have got an equal response and regretted all of it without questioning why? Why should we ever be ashamed of our love? Why should we ever feel helpless just because of guilt resultant from internalizing social taboos?

When the protagonists of this movie are faced with a dilemma of either being unfaithful to their unhappy relationships or being untrue to their dreams of what could be a perfect relationship, they choose to go the infidel way. The beauty of the movie is that these characters are not any weak, emotionally foolish or horny types, which form the cliché to justify an illegitimate or extra marital relationship. These characters are aware and equally empowered to chose the suffering and continue enduring it, but they instead chose to risk it all for a few smiles, some find some strange answers to beckoning of their hearts and are trapped when the guilt strikes and again they decide to go back and pour equal passion and honesty in their married lives. The problem is, will they be accepted now? Will you or will I?

We should be aware at all given point of times that it’s we, all of us who collectively form a society. Awareness of the changes we want to bring about and propagating them helps, its done one step at a time. While 12 years back Aditya Chopra expressed the thought in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, where a girl has a right to chose her life and be happy without compromises even if she is not being a perfect obedient Indian daughter. Society began being a bit more accepting towards love marriages.

Now the focus has to shift from what will the world say to how far will I go to realise my dreams? This forms the core of Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna.

Even though some parts of the movie resemble an irritating email forward you would like to delete, I would say that the sheer cheek of honest representation of infidelity sans Mallika’s bheege hont or Taboo’s feminist fury (remember Astitva) is laudable. It’s chic as much as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, more emotional but not as melodramatic and loud as Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and is rocking box office across the globe.

The reason for its success can be the fact that Indians take great pride in morality but treat it very callously. Though there can be murders, political wins and more in the name of moral policing, there are very few who actually understand them. It takes a very sensible person to know his boundaries and to know his limits, fix them up when the need be and make new ones when the time comes. The rigid systems and clinging orthodox patterns have to be shed in every way for evolution of a better society. My point is not that Infidelity is right. Every body has a right to find love, where they want and when they want. Being judgmental is easy but understanding what it means to them is difficult. Unknowingly our prejudices, acceptance and our attitude or approval of someone else’s life may affect them immensely.

India is a country of arranged marriages and compromised lives after that. I know atleast a dozen such couples that are not trying but just hoping that some how their relationship works. Kabhi Alvida Na kehna is for all of them, for my parents, maybe yours, for many children who remember misery in their parent’s lives due to unhappy marriages.

Coming back to the film, I liked the attempts to keep the subject light. The brilliance of the scene where SRK and Rani are cheating but jealous when they think their spouses are having an affair. In true blue KJ style, he brings grand sets, melodious music, conceptually treated songs (Tumhi Dekho na’s synchronicity of colours was a concept well executed). He tries to dish out eye candy in the form of Kajol, John Abraham and Arjun Rampal. While the first two do just fine, Arjun shows his hangovers and age unlike his earlier greek god looks. It proves my belief of you cannot take nature for granted come alive.

Interestingly, Karan pays tribute to many of his favourite cinematic moments and live anecdotes in the movie. The Harmless flirting of Kirron Kher and Amitabh Bachchan is a result of the big social gatherings of Punjabi/ Sindhi families where you are sure to be caught in crossfire of some such scenes. Also I couldn’t help but notice the usage of silhouettes of a man and woman, wet with rain and passion hugging just like Raj Kapoor and Nargis, but in true KJ style they were against the NY skyline.

And last but not the least, a special mention on Amitabh Bachchan. I am ot the one of his die hard fans and could notice that its only someone like Karan who can get the man to do roles like Sexxy Sam with such ease or else he is tuck up with his Baghban/ Waqt / Veer zaara kind of routine…

To sum it all, alpha male meets the pining female incomplete without his love, Years later when their imperfection and unattractiveness is at peak for the world, they find calm in one another. But as it happens in all Indian movies (the director knows it’s a Hindi movie after all) the good Samaritans and the faithful spouses dump the unfaithful one to lead a lonely life. The unfaithful ones have to regret their decision of being honest and confessing… believe me it was not for spending a night together.

It’s been a long blog but the short and appropriate end would be Kudos KANK, Kudos Karan.