Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

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 Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani [2014]

Starring: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, Aditya Roy Kapur

Direction by Ayan Mukerji

Language: Hindi


Re kabira, maan ja; Re fakira yun naa ja; Aaja, tujhko pukhare teri parchaiyaan.
O Kabira, believe me; O saint do not leave like this; Come back, your shadows are calling you back.

Teri liye hi toh signal todh tadh ke, aaya dilliwali girlfriend chor char ke!
For you I broke the signals, and have come leaving behind my girlfriend from Delhi.

These songs may be a far cry from the poetic lyricism of the latter half of the 1900s, when you listen to them, you will be hooked. 

It's tough to think that Ayan Mukerji was once capable of directing movies that people actually enjoy. I first watched this movie a few months after it came out: I watched it at the tender age of 8, and even back then I was captivated by the music and the story. It's one of those movies that I've always remembered, and the movie's recent release on Netflix prompted me to rewatch it. After rewatching the movie, it is clear that all my positive remembrances about it were accurate. 

I can pretty safely say that this movie contains the best lineup of music from any Bollywood movie that has been released over the past 15 years. Whether it's over-the-top, glitzy hits like Batameez Dil or beautiful, sentimental songs like Kabira, the sheer versatility of music ensures that there is something for everybody.

What I really enjoyed about this movie is the exploration of love that manifests itself through friendship. Bollywood movie often rely on the 'star-crossed lovers' narrative, where there is an instantaneous, all-consuming romance straight away. This movie instead focused on the journey leading to a mutual reciprocation of love, which I found to be much more powerful. This dovetails nicely onto the idea that love can sometimes be sacrifice, and seeing this through the lens of platonic love just exacerbates the poignance of the film as a whole.

The focus on friendship despite the undercurrent of romance gave the story a lot more diversity, and differentiated it from other modern romance movies I've seen, even in other languages. The themes of change, destiny, desire, and regret come full force in the second half of the movie especially. 

I've never been one for movies Ranbir Kapoor stars in: his characters are often written with the same personality type (loveable protagonist) in a very one-dimensional way, so I've never actually had the chance to see his full talent. 

Overall, loved this. There are very few modern Bollywood movies that I classify as timeless, and this is one of them. 

10/10

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