As a love story of a Punjabi man and a Bengali lady, “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani” performs with stereotypes solely to later break them, says author Ishita Moitra, who believes the movie is all about “falling in love with the differences” between individuals. The household entertainer, directed by Karan Johar, follows the love story of Rocky Randhawa (Ranveer Singh) and Rani Chatterjee (Alia Bhatt), who belong to contrasting backgrounds and cultures.
“It is about celebrating your differences, it’s a shout-out to inclusivity. There are many reasons why we hate someone or judge others, but it’s about rising above those differences, accepting each other, and living with love. We were playing with the same stereotypes.
“Within the movie, nobody is ideal. Like, this (tradition) is a stereotype however once you invert it, you dig deep, you fall in love with the variations… Finally, they stand for one another, they rise above these (issues). Everyone understands there is no good group, good particular person or good love. You need to first make the stereotypes to interrupt them,” Moitra, also belongs to a Bengali household, told PTI in an interview.
The writer, whose dialogue credits include “Shakuntala Devi”, “Bade Achhe Lagte Hain” and “4 Extra Photographs Please!”, said Johar’s brief was to keep the story “related and entertaining”.
The filmmaker, who returned to direction after 2016’s “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”, had already begun work on the script of “Rocky Aur Rani…” with Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy before Moitra came on board as screenplay and dialogue writer.
Within high drama and entertainment, Moitra said they wanted to make a film with “fashionable values”.
“However inside that assemble, ‘Let’s make it a contemporary movie with immediately’s progressive values’. We have been attempting to subvert that style as a lot as we may, whereas ensuring that every one the trimmings that individuals love and crave for are in place,” the 39-year-old added.
For Rocky’s part, Johar and Moitra wanted Ranveer to be the male version of Geet or Poo, both characters played by Kareena Kapoor Khan in “Jab We Met” and “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”, respectively.
“(He’s) somebody effervescent with vitality and one-liners, somebody who comes right into a room and all people can really feel, somebody’s arrived… For Rani’s half, we wished her to be a really opinionated, feisty woman, however on the identical time we wished her to be susceptible, lovable and loving…” she said.
While the film is shouldered by Rocky and Rani, played by the “Gully Boy” co-stars, Moitra said they wanted all the characters to have a “voice”.
“Everyone has an entire arc… It is not simply in regards to the love tales per se. It’s also in regards to the inner struggles that individuals face in a society and in an establishment of marriage, particularly ladies. The movie questions these norms in a enjoyable method. It is not preachy, but it surely may provoke some ideas in your head,” the Bareilly-born writer added.
As someone who grew up on love stories such as “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” and “Jab We Met”, Moitra said she wanted to be part of Johar’s cinematic universe as she missed lip-synced songs and sweeping chiffon sarees, a wish that came true with the film’s tracks like “Tum Kya Mile” and “Dhindora Baje Re”.
“That is the sort of cinema that we used to like and these days, it is gone lacking… I wished to be a part of one thing like this and Karan Johar is a grasp of this.
“The grandeur, intimacy of relationships that he juxtaposes against these huge scale sets… Within this, we were trying to do the same kind of film, but with different values and takes,” she added.
“Rocky Aur Rani…” additionally stars veteran actors Dharmendra and Jaya Bachchan within the position of Rocky’s grandparents and Shabana Azmi as Rani’s grandmother.
“You wait for veteran actors like these and whenever they come on screen, they light up the screens, there’s magic,” Moitra stated.
Casting Dharmendra as Kanwal, a poet, was an “inspired choice” by Johar, she recalled.
“He writes poetry, so it was like playing himself or at least a certain aspect of himself… We always thought it would be only Dharam ji for the part and no one else,” the author added.
Bachchan because the “evil” Dhanalaxmi has executed full justice to her position, stated Moitra.
“Even though she’s playing evil, she plays it in a fun manner. She doesn’t play it like Yash Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan’s character from ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…’). She has killed it. It was just so good to see her crush this part completely,” she stated.
Azmi’s flip as Jamini was a “masterclass” in performing, the author added.
“She had built up a huge back story for her role. She’s not Bengali, and she worked so hard to perfect the Bengali accent,” Moitra stated.
“Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani”, which hit the screens Friday, has earned over Rs 27 crore in two days.
