‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ Review: Impressive cast and deft direction compensate for some shortcomings

Filmmaker Karan Johar is known for making big-budgeted commercial potboilers which boast of an impressive cast, magnificent sets, lavish costumes, and elaborate song and dance routines. His latest directorial venture Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani ticks all the boxes that his fans will be hoping for.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is set in Delhi where Ranveer Singh plays a flamboyant Punjabi boy Rocky Randhawa. One day he finds out that his wheelchair-bound grandfather (Dharmendra) once had a brief romance with a woman called Jamini Chatterjee (Shabana Azmi). Rocky tries to find out the whereabouts of Jamini and ends up meeting her granddaughter Rani Chatterjee, a famous journalist. Both decide to help their respective grandparent rekindle their old romance but end up falling for each other while doing so. However, their families, particularly Rocky’s authoritative grandmother (Jaya Bachchan), oppose their romance as both come from different social backgrounds and have nothing in common. What happens next is what the film is all about.

The film has every ingredient to be a success at the box office. Ranveer Singh, who has not tasted success for a long time now, gets into the skin of his character and plays the flamboyant and boisterous Punjabi man effortlessly. Be it comedic scenes, romantic scenes, or emotional scenes, he brings his A-game to the table and impresses with his talent.

Talking about Alia Bhatt, she is on a roll with back-to-back successful films to her credit and delivers an endearing performance yet again. She suits the role of an intellectual, well-read, modern woman to the tee. Full marks to the costume and make-up department for making her look even more gorgeous on the screen. Her chemistry with Singh is electrifying. One can feel the sparks throughout the film, which is close to 3 hours long.

Veteran actor Dharmendra manages to make you feel cry and smile with his magnetic performance. You feel a different vibe when he appears on the screen. His chemistry with co-star Shabana Azmi is as crackling as that of Alia and Ranveer. Azmi gets several amazing scenes in the film and she nails them with aplomb.

Veteran actress Jaya Bachchan also does justice to her character of a strict grandmother who runs her family on her terms and conditions. The funny part is that most of her angry expressions in the film look similar to the expressions she gives to the paparazzi in real life. Anjali Anand, who plays the role of Rocky’s sister, is also brilliant. Other actors in the supporting cast play their parts well. The music, the sets, and the cinematography are top-notch.

What is probabilistic with the film is the way it delivers its message. It talks about patriarchy, misogyny, sexism, fat-shaming, and what not, but fails to hit a home run with any issue. The way it objectifies and sexualises its leading man is also problematic. The editing could have been crispier.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is now running in cinemas.