Decoding Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)


Movie no. 13/100

May 29, 2018

Interestingly and unintentionally, I am writing this on the very same day that this movie completes  five years of its release!

Since it’s been a busy week and I have a long backlog of movies to watch, I decided to watch a light-hearted movie after a long day at work! And what better than Ranbir Kapoor- Deepika Padukone’s 2013 superhit, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’. After a coming-of-age ‘Wake Up Sid’, Ayan Mukerji made a mainstream romcom, but emphasized on making the relationships seem real and deep.

Kabir Thappar AKA Bunny (played by Ranbir Kapoor) is a spirited college student, who aims to make a living out of travelling and interns with a travel channel. One summer, he along with his best friends, Avinash AKA Avi (played by Siddharth Roy Kapoor) and Aditi (played by Kalki Koechlin), go on a trek to Khipshi Pass in Manali. They meet their long-forgotten, studious and uptight schoolmate, Naina Talwar (played by Deepika Padukone) on the trip, which turns out to be an awakening of sorts for Naina and a free advertisement for Manali tourism. As it happens in real life too, the friends drift apart owing to their education and aspirations, only to meet years later at Aditi’s wedding. However, the equations are not the same anymore. How they bridge the distances and how Naina-Bunny fall in love, forms the base for the rest of the story.

Image result for yeh jawaani hai deewani

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani may not be heavy on cinematic technique. It is a typical Bollywood masala potboiler, sans the unconvincing sub-plots. A perfectly dressed main leads, a dumb bimbo (Evelyn Sharma) that the hero is after and an exotic destination wedding - it has all the commercial elements, but never stoops to become a circus or make any character superfluous or a caricature. Everything is decently nuanced, making it an endearing watch. Also, a special mention of the wholesome music album composed by Pritam and the poignantly deep dialogues by Hussain Dalal. The dialogues, especially by Naina, are full of wisdom and explain why Bunny gets attracted to her. One of my favorites is the one after Aditi’s engagement, when Bunny finds the water in the pool too cold to put his feet in. After a while, Naina articulates it beautifully, ‘Pani kaisa hai? Theek? Maine kaha thha na, kuch waqt do, sab theek ho jaega’ – an indirect reference to the cold encounter he has with his friend, Avi.

At two hours and forty minutes, the movie may seem a bit long. But Ayan Mukerji is a capable story-teller. He lets us invest our energies in the characters and their relations. Like ‘Wake Up Sid’, Ayan gives us a glimpse of some delicate relationships, such as the one between a father and his son or the bond between friends. One of the most heart-warming scenes is the one between Bunny and his father, a special appearance by Farooq Sheikh (sadly, this was his last film before his demise). The scene, enacted superlatively by both Ranbir and Farooq Sheikh, has a father and son conversing about a father’s concern for his son, who is leaving for his higher studies. Acclaimed cinematographer, V Manikandan, uses simple home lighting such as lamp shades to create an atmosphere of nervousness and tension, which is further deepened by the background score. Ayan Mukerji flaunts the technical prowess of his team on many other occasions as well.

The movie created quite some hysteria owing to the much-liked pairing of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, after their infamous break-up. And their off-screen break-up does not affect their on-screen chemistry as they look sizzling. Ranbir is extremely likeable as the millennial struck by wanderlust. He may seem selfish, but Ayan builds his character so well that his selfishness seems reasonable. Deepika is soothing to the eyes and plays a lovely doctor, who serves as an anchor for the high-flying, Bunny. She is in love with the wrong guy, Bunny, who puts it as, ‘tum galat nahi ho Naina, sirf alag ho’. Aditya Roy Kapoor and Kalki Koechlin are fun and provide good support to the narrative. Apart from Farooq Sheikh, Tanvi Azmi as Bunny’s step mother and Kunal Roy Kapoor as Aditi’s fiancé deliver a memorable performance, despite their small roles.

This was probably the first time that I did not require to jot my thoughts down while watching a movie. Well, not just because I have seen this movie tons of times, but also for the fact that it leaves such a pleasant aftertaste, that it lingers on for a while. 

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