Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (translation: A Match Made By God), also known by its initialism as RNBDJ, is a 2008IndianHindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by his father Yash Chopra under their production banner of Yash Raj Films. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan as Surinder Sahni, a mild-mannered office employee who marries his deceased professor's daughter, Taani, portrayed by Anushka Sharma in her debut. His friend, played by Vinay Pathak, eventually transforms him into the fun-loving "Raj Kapoor" to win Taani's love. The film's soundtrack was composed by Salim–Sulaiman, and it became the first Bollywood soundtrack to reach the top 10 album sales on the iTunes Store.[5]
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released worldwide on 12 December 2008 and marked Chopra's return to direction after an 8-year hiatus, following his previous directorial venture, Mohabbatein (2000), which also starred Khan. The film was not heavily promoted pre-release by either Khan or YRF, mainly due to uncertainty and apprehensions regarding cinema-market conditions following the terror attacks in Mumbai.[6] Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics and broke several box-office records. It was declared a year-end super-hit, and at the end of its theatrical run, it grossed over ₹1.57 billion (US$20million) worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year overseas, as well as YRF and Khan's highest-grossing film at the time.[7]
The film's script was recognized by a number of critics and was invited to be included in the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, just a day after its release.[8] The script is accessible for research purposes only; students, filmmakers, writers, and actors are among the regular patrons.[9]
Plot
Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan), a shy, introverted, mild-mannered, kind-hearted electrical engineer working in Punjab Power, falls in love at first sight with Taani (Anushka Sharma), the beautiful, cheerful, vivacious daughter of his former professor, Shirish Gupta (M. K. Raina), whom Surinder meets during the preparations of her love marriage. However, the marriage party receives the devastating news of Taani's fiancèe and his family having died in a bus accident, causing Taani's father to suffer a major heart attack, unable to bear the shock, and be hospitalised. At the hospital, on his deathbed, Taani's father asks Surinder to marry his daughter, fearing that she will be left alone in the world after his death. Surinder agrees to the request since he loves Taani nevertheless, while Taani also agrees to fulfill her father's last wish. After Taani's father's death and funeral, Surinder has an impromptu marriage with Taani and takes her to his ancestral home in Amritsar, Punjab.
While Surinder's good nature leads him to treat Taani with exceptional care and patience (he even lets her have his bedroom all by herself and decides to stay in the storeroom upstairs), he is too frightened to confess his love for her. One day, Surinder's office colleagues and his close friend Bobby invite themselves to Surinder's house for a party after they learn of his marriage from the neighbors. Surinder feels akward as he cannot make them meet a depressed Taani, but is surprised when she shows up. However, Taani eventually tells Surinder that she will agree to become a good wife, and thus respect her role in Surinder's life for having married him out of her own free will, but she also feels that she can never love him for having no love left within her after the loss of her fiancèe. A grateful Surinder still continues to indulge Taani's every desire, and this includes frequent visits to the cinema theatre to watch Hindi films which appeal to Taani's fantasies about romance and her passion for dance. A few days later, Taani discovers the poster of a dance competition held at Amritsar and asks for Surinder's permission to let her participate in it, in an attempt to take a break from her daily routine as a housewife, to which Surinder agrees and also helps Taani pay the fees.
During their visits to the cinema, Surinder feels inadequate in comparison to the strong, masculine images that Taani admires, and later asks his childhood friend, Balwinder Khosla (Vinay Pathak), who is also known as Bobby and is a hair salon owner, for grooming advice that will help him win the love of Taani. Bobby is eager to help and provides Surinder with a complete makeover (removing his eyeglasses, trimming off his moustache, changing his hairstyle, and fitting him in with a new set of funky Western-style clothing, including a pair of aviator-style contact lenses and oversize pastel sunglasses). Surinder is thus transformed into the swaggering, loud, rude, and fun-loving "Raj Kapoor", a name that Surinder adapts from the protagonist of a film that Taani had admired. Further, Raj joins the dance competition to spend time with Taani in his newfound self, and by coincidence or, as he believes, by divine intervention, he happens to becomes Taani's dance partner in the competition. Despite Raj's initial crudeness, a result of Surinder's inexperience with women, and his attempt to emulate the "cool" images from films, Taani becomes friends with him and the two begin working together on their dance routine.
In the process, Raj feels even more encouraged when Taani does not tie a Rakhi (holy thread) on his wrist on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan (for to do so would indicate that she considered him only as a brother). Thus, after a period of time, Raj grandly declares his love for Taani by using his electrical company abilities to shape the lights of entire Amritsar from top to spell out "I Love You" in front of her. A shocked Taani enters into a period of internal conflict, desperately wishing to escape from her despair-filled life through finding a new person to love. Despite wishing to escape her loveless marriage, Taani feels compelled to stay with Surinder due to the promise that she made to her father. Surinder also faces an extraordinary paradox: Taani's sheer misery as his wife in contrast to her delight with his fabricated alter ego "Raj." He thus gains Bobby's advice to attempt to win Taani's love as "Surinder", an act which only alienates her further.
One night, Surinder takes Taani to a trade fair in Amritsar in which he participates in a Sumo-wrestling competition in an attempt to win two air tickets for Japan, knowing that his office salary would be insufficient for the trip. He is severely injured while wrestling with the Sumo-wrestler, but ultimately manages to win the competition. However, Taani is shocked and infuriated at this and at home, while applying ointment on Surinder's injuries, she demands to know the reason behind his actions, and begs him to not keep showing his care on her since she would not be able to repay him. Surinder, at this point, realises that true love cannot be repaid and is disappointed since Taani cannot realise it in his original self, but only in Raj. The next night, a confused Taani runs away to meet Raj to tell him the predicament she is in, hoping that he will help her. On seeing her dilemma, Raj offers to escape with Taani on the night of the dance competition, which she agrees to with tears in her eyes. A heartbroken Surinder tells Bobby that he will end this pretense in his own way, sacrificing his cravings for Taani's love, confessing her the truth through a letter, leaving her his property and transferring himself to Delhi, so that Taani will be free to find some suitable "Raj" for herself.
On the day of the competition, Surinder takes Taani to the Golden Temple to have her gain God's blessings for her competition that night, and internally, also for her life with Raj. While there, Taani has a realisation in which she believes that God has shown her a sign telling that her marriage with Surinder is divinely inspired. For the first time, she reflects on her husband and becomes aware of the strength and integrity of Surinder's character, something which grows to love. That night, Taani thus tells Raj that she cannot escape with him and leave her husband behind, as it is equivalent in leaving God behind which is impossible. She leaves him in what appears to be a state of shock with tears in his eyes, but Raj is secretly happy and satisfied by the feeling that Taani loves his "true-self", Surinder. When the time comes for their performance, Taani is shocked to see Surinder instead of Raj joining her on stage. While dancing with him, Taani puts two and two together and through a series of flashbacks, she awakens to the fact that Surinnder himself is indeed Raj. Backstage, after their performance, Taani confronts Surinder over his passionate love for her when Surinder admits to her that he loves her more than God. The two happily and tearfully embrace each other and win the dance competition. The end credits show the couple visiting Japan on their belated honeymoon.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi tells a story from the point of view of an ordinary person and, most importantly, conveys a message that being 'ordinary' is cool. The filmmakers were confident that it would be able to strike a chord with millions because the film has ordinary people as its target audience:[10]
"As middle-class people, so many of us have a routine life. We wake up in the morning, get dressed, go to the office, come back, sometimes for a change we buy things to take home, watch TV, eat dinner and go to sleep. And then we repeat this day after day, week after week. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi talks about one such man who lives a routine life. It is a simple film at heart."[10]
Casting and filming
In February 2008, Aditya Chopra announced that he will helm another film titled Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and that it will star his lucky mascot, Shah Rukh Khan. The female lead was to be a newcomer who would be chosen following a massive talent hunt for a young, demure woman with quintessential Punjabi features.[11] In May 2008, Yash Raj announced the casting of the 20-year-old model Anushka Sharma as the leading lady opposite Khan. Yash Chopra commented:
"We were looking first for someone who could truly embody the spirit of small-town Punjab. We know we have found her in Anushka. While she has no previous acting experience, we have seen that unique spark in her that makes us confident that she will be a standout even opposite Shah Rukh."[12]
Sharma was chosen over hundreds of girls for this role and was kept hidden from the media during the filming. When asked about that, Khan said: "The idea was not to keep her a secret; we wanted her work to speak for her. When new actors come into films, it is important for people to see their work and then question them. It becomes easier after the film releases."[13]Vinay Pathak was cast to play an important role in the film, making it his first commercial outing.[14]
Filming began in May 2008; Yash Chopra was present at the shoot.[15] A portion was shot with Khan at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.[16] Khan had to lose the six-pack abs he developed for the song "Dard-E-Disco" from Om Shanti Om (2007) since he was playing the role of a very normal, regular person.[17]
Serbian pop singer Jelena Karleuša remade the song "Dance Pe Chance" as "Insomnia" in 2010. Bulgarian pop singer Ivana also made a copy of the same song as "Nedei".
The soundtrack of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released on 6 November 2008. It is the first Bollywood soundtrack to reach the top 10 album sales for the iTunes Store.[5] According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 19,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's second highest-selling.[21]
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released across 30 countries worldwide on 12 December 2008 on over 1,200 screens, including approximately 300 prints for the overseas market, making it the first time a Bollywood film was released on such a wide scale.[22] Before release, the film witnessed a large volume of advance bookings.[23] Aditya Chopra, who is known for maintaining secrecy over his films and not showing them to anyone until the day of release, made an exception and held a special screening on 23 November 2008 at Yash Raj Studios. The screening was attended by Khan and his family, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra, and debutante Sharma.[24]
There was a huge debate in the industry whether Aditya Chopra's decision to go ahead with the release of the film in the wake of the terror strikes in Mumbai was the right one. With the trauma of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai city on 26, 27, and 28 November still fresh, there was divided opinion on the release schedule. While some felt that Chopra should go ahead with the release because the public, tired and depressed after watching news of the attacks and the aftermath on television screens, would be waiting for a true entertainer to divert its mind, others thought he should postpone the film release as the audiences, not just in Mumbai but all over the country, were still not in a mood to visit theatres.[25]
Promotion
The first poster of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released in October in theatres and multiplexes across India, with full-page advertisements in national dailies. The first theatrical promo was released on 14 November, with Karan Johar's Dostana. Initially very little was known about the movie, and there were many theories floating around on the Internet about the story.[26][27] The first music promo of the song "Haule Haule" was released on 2 November 2008, across all leading television channels to coincide with Khan's 43rd birthday.[28] The song promo had received praise from the public.[29]
Home media
Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave the DVD of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that it is a good choice if you "want to watch a clean family movie at home." The DVD includes the documentaries, The Making of the Film and The Making of the Songs ("Haule Haule", "Dance Pe Chance", "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte"), as well as a number of deleted scenes and interviews.[30] The film, was released on Blu-ray a year after its theatrical release.
Reception
Critical reception
Upon release, the film received positive reviews. Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times calls Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi an "agreeably amusing comedy/romance/musical" noting that, "the magnetic Khan is a skilled enough comic actor with his physical transformation—like a Peter Sellers-ish recessive turning into a Jerry Lewis extrovert—that believing Taani wouldn't notice isn't difficult."[31] Rachel Saltz of The New York Times describes it as "soft, sweet and slow, in the words of one of its songs. It deftly blends comedy, the ruling tone of the new Bollywood, with melodrama, the ruling tone of the old."[32] Manish Gajjar of the BBC gave the film 4 out of 5 stars noting that, "Shah Rukh Khan makes you laugh and cry as the nerdy-looking, clumsy, bespectacled Surinder and all hip and happening Raj. A true professional in his own right, Khan breezes through his dialogues during the emotional and comic scenes."[33]Frank Lovece of Film Journal International argues that it is "smarter and more self-aware of its rom-com contrivances than most Hollywood movies" and notes that while "the movie's cleverness eventually devolves into a simplistic Harlequin-Romance-for-males wish-fulfillment about beauty and the geek, it's a very well-acted variation on a Hollywood staple."[34] Critic and author Maitland McDonagh of MissFlickChick.com stated that the film, "has been dismissed in some quarters as self-conscious and artificial, a coyly self-referential reworking of outdated movie tropes a la Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven, but it works for me in a way that most contemporary Hollywood romcoms don't."[35]
The film also received some negative reviews. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN was critical, giving it 2 out of 5 stars and stating that "Aditya Chopra's return to direction after 8 years is marked by a flawed script, which in turn spawns a disappointing film. Where's the smart dialogue and the spirited characters that defined his debut film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge? There's no trace of either in this film...the problem then, at the root of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, is that much like those artificial sets in the film, the emotions too are contrived."[36] Derek Elley of Variety argues that the film has "a huge, hollow center that sinks the project early on...A paper-thin script drags itself to the finish line amid tiresome mugging by Khan, a huge credibility gap (she never recognises him without his spectacles and moustache?), and a blah score with only one showstopper (featuring 5 famous actresses)."[37]
A number of critics have further noted the similarities between this movie and superhero films. Khalid Mohamed, of the Hindustan Times, gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that Surinder "is a soul brother to the mousy Clark Kent-cum-Superman" who "makes you laugh and sob alternately."[38] Mayank Shekhar from Mumbai Mirror gave the film three out of five stars and argues that "[The] same person, oppositely twinned, is usually the stuff of superhero films; the kinds of Clark Kent-Superman, Peter Parker-Spider-Man etc. You feel entirely lost in this fantasy flick because for the most part, it’s built around something so intimate and real. It’d be much easier to travel to foreign countries around far-fetched situations with fake heroes."[39] In addition, Sudish Kamath of The Hindu stated that while Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi could have been an interesting art film exploring the dynamics of an arranged marriage, the director instead "treats this character type like Sam Raimi would treat Spider-Man...Superhero 'Raj' slips into costume and out, complaining about how it gets uncomfortable around the crotch, to win over his Mary Jane with not much saving-the-world business to keep him busy. But while Spidey does it for a bigger reason than just MJ, Raj’s sole motivation is to stalk his wife and play out his fantasy as somebody else. His obsession with his alter-ego reaches new heights when he wants his wife to cheat on the real him—the goofy Surinder Sahni who starts off well."[40]
Box office
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi collected ₹420 million (US$5.3million) in its opening week.[41] By its fourth week, it had earned ₹860 million (US$11million), making it Shah Rukh Khan's fifth consecutive blockbuster in 3 years and Aditya Chopra's third blockbuster as a director.[42][43] The film grossed $8.43 million in the overseas market of which $2.09 million was contributed by the United States and $2.24 million from the UK, and was declared as a blockbuster overseas.[44]
At the end of its theatrical run, it grossed ₹1,578.9 million (US$20million) worldwide, thus becoming Yash Raj Films' and Khan's highest-grossing film at the time of its release.[7] It was the second-highest-grossing film domestically and the highest-grossing in the overseas market that year.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, also known by the initialism DDLJ, is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film written and directed by Aditya Chopra in his directorial debut and produced by his father Yash Chopra. Released on 20 October 1995, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as Raj and Simran, two young non-resident Indians, who fall in love during a vacation through Europe with their friends. Raj tries to win over Simran's family so the couple can marry, but Simran's father has long since promised her hand to his friend's son. The film was shot in India, London, and Switzerland, from September 1994 to August 1995.
Shah Rukh Khan, also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the "Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has appeared in more than 100 films, and earned numerous accolades, including 14 Filmfare Awards. He has been awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, as well as the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Legion of Honour by the Government of France. Khan has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide. In terms of audience size and income, several media outlets have described him as one of the most successful film stars in the world. Many of his films thematise Indian national identity and connections with diaspora communities, or gender, racial, social and religious differences and grievances.
Mohabbatein is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film written and directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai, and newcomers Uday Chopra, Shamita Shetty, Jugal Hansraj, Kim Sharma, Jimmy Sheirgill, and Preeti Jhangiani. It narrates the story of Narayan, the strict principal of Gurukul college whose daughter Megha, commits suicide after he opposes her relationship with Raj, a music teacher at the college. The story follows Raj aiding with three Gurukul students and their love interests to rebel against Narayan's intolerance of love.
Aditya Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film distributor, film producer, writer and studio executive. He is the current Chairman of India's multi-national film, media, and entertainment conglomerate Yash Raj Films (YRF). The films he has produced make him the highest grossing Indian film producer of all time.
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Dil To Pagal Hai, is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Yash Chopra. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar. It follows the love lives of the members of a musical troupe, in which two dancers get entangled in a love triangle with their choreographer (Khan). The soundtrack was composed by Uttam Singh, and the lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi.
The Mukherjee-Samarth family is a Hindu Bengali-Marathi family that has been involved in the Hindi film industry since the 1930s, Shobhana Samarth having first acted in a film in 1935. The Mukherjee family was connected to the Samarth family by Tanuja's marriage to Shomu Mukherjee in 1973.
The IIFA Award for Best Actor recognizes leading male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The recipient is chosen by viewers and the winner is announced at the ceremony.
Sukhwinder Singh is an Indian playback singer who primarily sings Bollywood songs. He sang "Jai Ho" in the film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. He has also received two Filmfare awards for his singing.
Anushka Sharma is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India as of 2018, she has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 since 2012 and was featured by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list of 2018.
The 54th Idea Filmfare Awards ceremony, presented by The Times Group and Idea Cellular, was one of India's most prestigious awards ceremony, honoring the best Bollywood films of 2008. It took place on 28 February 2009 at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai. Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan hosted the show for the first part, while actresses Konkona Sen Sharma and Deepika Padukone hosted the show in the latter part. It was the first time that any of these actors hosted the awards ceremony. The ceremony was televised in India eight days later, on 8 March 2009.
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Maneesh Sharma is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema.
The Producers Guild Film Award for Best Female Debut is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in her debut film. While the official awards ceremony started in 2004, awards for the best female debut commenced two years later.
Shah Rukh Khan is an Indian actor, producer and television personality who works in Hindi films. He began his acting career by playing a soldier in the Doordarshan series Fauji (1988), a role that garnered him recognition and led to starring roles in more television shows. He soon started receiving film offers and had his first release with the romantic drama Deewana (1992), in which he played a supporting part. Khan subsequently played villainous roles in the 1993 thrillers Baazigar and Darr, box office successes that established his career in Bollywood. In 1995, Khan starred opposite Kajol in Aditya Chopra's romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, that became the longest running Indian film of all time. He continued to establish a reputation in romantic roles by playing opposite Madhuri Dixit in Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), and Kajol in the Karan Johar-directed Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001).
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The Romantics is a 2023 limited series English and Hindi language documentary, created by Smriti Mundhra and Michael T Vollmann. The four-part series explores the impact of Yash Chopra, his son Aditya Chopra, and their company Yash Raj Films on Hindi Cinema.
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