Second post, updated with subtitles and some fan theories from the comments on the first post! And also, just to make sure it didn’t get lost in the flurry of other Shahrukh Day postings.
Here’s the trailer again, now with subtitles:
So, Shahrukh is a 38 year old bachelor whose family is against him getting married. But he sees a photo of Anushka and falls in love at first sight, ready to do whatever it takes to win her. Until he learns that she is in a wheelchair. At first that puts him off, but then he gets over it and starts spouting romantic dialogue and singing for her and just generally giving her the whole SRK treatment, until she is won over.
At which point there is an odd combination of two lines with Spandana pointed out in the comments on the original post. The first says that he was not happy with equal and normal, and the second says that when his dream was taken away he decided to take away the dream of all of India. So either he dumps Anushka in preference for Kat (“not happy with normal”) or Anushka dumps him and he dates Kat in revenge (“dream taken away”).
See, this is my Aanand L Rai concern! He’s only made 4 movies and all of them have featured an unbalanced romance with a hero who has serious flaws. Not big Greek tragedy flaws, but petty little ones. SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS RAI FILMS FOLLOW In n Tanu Weds Manu (SPOILERS) Maddy is the kind of guy who falls in love with a woman’s appearance and doesn’t even need to talk to her, he does a bit of work to redeem himself, but in the end he gets everything he wants because she comes around. In Raanjhana (SPOILERS) Dhanush stalks Sonam and thinks she “owes” him love, sabotages her romance with the man she really loves out of petty jealousy and even causes his death, tries to redeem himself and Sonam realizes her love for him when it is too late because she has set him up to die in vengeance. In Tanu Weds Manu Returns (SPOILERS) Maddu and Kangana fight constantly and decide to divorce, he falls in love with a perfectly nice new woman, woos and wins her and sets up their wedding, and then Kangana decides to go back to him and he gets the wife he really wanted without doing any work and breaking the heart of the new woman. SPOILERS OVER
So, this is Rai’s pattern. His heroes are human and petty and flawed, do terrible things in the name of “love”, and some times his heroines do too. His endings almost read as cynical takes on romantic fantasy, the couple MUST end up together even if they will torture each other and make each other miserable and have already done terrible things to each other.
From the rest of the trailer, we get that Shahrukh and Kat are together for some amount of time, either just one day/night which is still enough to kill the Shahrukh-Anushka romance, or months and months. Anushka is dressed fancy in wedding clothes going down the street in her wheelchair, Kat is maybe in a wheelchair as well also dressed fancy, Shahrukh goes to America at some point, and then he ends by saying he will literally go to the moon for love, not just a metaphor.
MKY pointed out in the comments that Anushka is giving a talk earlier with the moon on a screen behind her, so perhaps she is a scientist studying the moon. And Angie added that Maddy was in America at NASA for a while, so maybe he is a scientist also. MKY suggested that perhaps Shahrukh, as a Little Person, is the only one who can go on a mission to the moon to prove Anushka’s theory, maybe that is his big gesture of love.
I would be okay with that. Rai’s biggest problem is either the thing his character’s do is so horrible that it cannot ever be forgiven, or it is petty and minor but they never put in any effort to make up for it so they still can’t be forgiven. If Shahrukh dumps Anushka for Kat, for me that would be so horrible it can’t ever be forgiven, he can go off to the moon and die for all I care and Anushka can stay on earth and marry Maddy and be better off. But if Shahrukh and Anushka have a fight and he rebounds with Kat and forgets her for a while, then goes all the way to the moon to earn back her love, that I would be happy with.
dontcallitbollywood 
It’s funny like you see Rai’s movies and like I see them. Spoilers :
I see 1 common trail in all 3 movies – imperfect, but good at heart and ingenuous man falls in love with complicated and mean woman.
Manu is stupid to fall in love with the woman he doesn’t know, but when she tells him she has a boyfriend he leaves her. It’s Tanu who gives him some hopes later and use him because she knows he is good and dedicated and will do whatever she wants, and she really enjoys this game.
In Raanjhana Dhanush is stupid, simple boy who believes he can win the girl by stalking and blackmailing. She doesn’t fall in love with him, but enjoys having somebody so dedicated. Years later, she knows he still loves her, but instead of cut all ties wih him, as she is in love with other guy, she shamelessly lie to him and use him to help her prepare the wedding with other boy (just like Tanu in TWM) When the truth comes out, Dhanush confronts Sonam, HER family hear everything, gets angry and kill the fiancé. But it was Sonam’s fault, because she lied , and it was her family who killed Abhay. But in Sonam’s head it’s Dhanush fault. He feels guilty, and does everything to atone, is ready even to die .
TWMR – hManu is still stupid and unabe to forget the woman he should forget.
I really hope Zero will be different, because I don’t want another movie about good-hearted man destroyed by narcissistic woman. Do you imagine this – SRK is this simple guy, falls in love with Anushka (without knowing her). She doesn’t want to marry him, but enjoys having somebody who is always there for her. Some time later, she tells him she is getting married and forces him to help prepare the wedding (common thing in all 3 movies). Then he has a story with Katrina, but can’t forget Anushka, and decides to go to the Moon, and dies there.
Oh man it would be terrible .
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Oh man, following the way you see Rai’s films, that would be just the WORST. And easily matches with what we know, Anushka is in love with Maddy, tricks SRK, he finds out and rebounds with Kat, is even further humiliated, decides everything is worth it if he can be with Anushka, and dies on the moon. Or else Anushka is finally won over by his bravery and he is “rewarded” with her when he returns from the moon.
But, since this is a love triangle, it could also be that Kat is the terrible woman and for once the hero sees how he is being used and is able to break away and find someone who really loves him. Maybe Anushka is just too “easy” for him, he decides he wants the impossible dream woman, gets her, discovers she is just using him, and goes running back to Anushka who is now angry at him for leaving her and engaged to Maddy instead.
On Fri, Nov 2, 2018 at 3:57 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’m so curious what “Now it’s a relationship of equals” means.Are they equals in something bad, or good? My first idea was that he left her and she did the same later. But maybe she says it after he has returned from the space, and now he is not the illiterate one, but accomplished man?
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I was thinking he left her for Katrina and then Katrina left him for someone else. But I don’t like that idea, so I hope that isn’t it. I’d prefer either that he is now as impressive and accomplished as she is, or that they are now as in love with each other.
One idea that occurs to me, we see him doing all these over the top romantic gestures for her, and then later we see her running away from her wedding in her wheelchair. Maybe that is the “equal”? They have now down the same amount of big gestures for each other?
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I like this idea!
I hope I will be able to see this movie in a theater, like JHMS.
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One thing that occurred to me is that line is Anushka getting SRK together with Kat – that is now the relationship of equals because…Anushka sent him to the moon and now he can be with the star? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s like JTHJ meets Swades.
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NOOOOOO!!!!! NOOOO!!!!! Never again! Even if Anushka herself gets Maddy, that will still not resign me to SRK and Kat getting together. Better he end up alone. Or dead.
On Fri, Nov 2, 2018 at 10:20 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I saw an interesting theory on Twitter that Kat could be doing a biopic on Anushka (playing her)…explains the shots of them wearing the same sari and Kat in the wheelchair.
I like the theory as it ties the three characters together nicely.
What do you think?
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It almost feels too neat to me. I prefer that Kat is a random disaster hurtling into their lives. But, I would enjoy if that is the tidy ending, Kat ends up playing Anushka in a biopic thanks to learning about her from Shahrukh and it redeems her career.
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I don’t mind that ending either
I wasn’t expecting this movie to be a romance-love triangle type movie so I’m a little disappointed i must say. Feels a little like Jab Tak + Fan = Zero so far. Hoping thats not tha case
The VFX is so convincing that to say it’s good feels like saying thag SRK is not actually a dwarf in real life…which is what it convinces me of lol
I’m nervous about the blockbuster potential of this movie especially since SRK needs this to be huge. He hasn’t given a really good huge blockbuster since Chennai Express and he’s getting left behind. Case in point, Aamir’s Dangal and Salman’s Bajranghi B for example. Even the younger lads’ movies are breaking records like Ranbir’s Sanju and Ranveer’s Padmavat. So fingers crossed!
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I’m nervous about the blockbuster possibilities too! Partly because his last films did okay to bad, but weren’t sold as blockbusters. Didn’t release on major holidays, didn’t have a big blockbuster potential in the plot, and so on and so forth.
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Remember that one of the tag lines that they used for this movie is “hum jiske piche lag jaate hai, life bana dete hai.” It translates roughly to “whoever I get behind, I make their life.” Kind of like the number zero which is worthless on it’s own but when it gets behind another one, it makes it’s value much greater.
That tells me that this is a character people don’t expect much from (he is considered foolish, silly, entertaining but not substantial) and yet he ends up improving the lives of those he chooses.
Katrina is supposed to be a mess. Beloved by the world but unhappy inside. Lost in alcohol addiction and maybe other issues too. Because of that tag line, I don’t see her ruining his life. I see it more like he meets this mess and helps her get better and that’s why she falls for him and kisses him. He was a big fan of hers before he met her so I think when she actually falls for him, when he sees this dream is a possibility, he goes for it. Something happens later and she kicks him out.
My guess is that the first time that SRK and Anushka meet, they don’t get together. Maybe some flirtation but it doesn’t lead anywhere though perhaps she has started liking him. Then he accidentally meets Kat. When the goes wrong eventually, he goes back to Anushka who might have moved on with Maddy.
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Oh, that’s interesting! So the trailer could be edited out of order perhaps. the first big romantic gesture happens, then the Katrina period, and then the conversation through the door and star watching happens later, post-Katrina. It could also have the possibility of something Shahrukh said/did during his big romantic gesture made Anushka start down a path of research and when he comes back to her, her life has also already been improved by him.
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I like it! Nothing more to add other than whats been said already. Anushka is a good actress, so I have hope that she will come through. SRK is back with some great Hindi, and I think the VFX looks ok. Pretty sure Maddy has a good role cos I saw BTS pics of him and Anushka.
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Oh, and Anushka is dressed as a South Indian bride towards the end, so maybe she ends up marrying Maddy.
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Lucky Anushka! I wonder if Maddy will have greying hair? Oooo! And glasses!
On Fri, Nov 2, 2018 at 8:09 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Bollywood uses the trope of “I saw her photo and I fell in love with her” way too often, so often that it subtly teaches, normalizes, condones such behavior. Certainly ALR used it in TWM too.
SRK again plays 35-40 while looking 45-55? Uggh. Does he have to turn 70 before he finally plays 40?
Other than that, I enjoyed the trailer, it’s production values, and all the hints to the story.
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Well, he had to turn 35 before he stopped playing 20, so 70 in order to play 55 seems about right.
Years and years and years and years ago, I was told by some professor of South Asian studies or something that the whole “falling in love with a photo” trope is a reference to Parvati and the general idea of Darshan and images having power. I could believe that, but I could also believe it is just something made up to excuse and explain all the arranged marriages through photo and other similar stories. For this movie, my hope is that it turns that trope on its head, he falls for the photo, falls out when he sees her condition, and falls back in love through actually talking and getting to know her.
On Fri, Nov 2, 2018 at 9:15 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Zero MUST end with Anushka to compensate for the frustration of keeping with Kat in JTHJ!
Lightning can’t struck twice in the same spot!
Having said that, I will bite my nails waiting for the DVD; where I live there are no theaters showing hindi films 😭
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Well, I’ll be putting up a SPOILER review opening night, so you can always read that. Or just ask in a comment “who does he end up with?” so you can relax.
On Mon, Nov 5, 2018 at 6:52 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Thanks but please No Spoiler! I want to save all my tears for the film!
Do you believe I’m already crying on the trailer when he sings for Anushka amid all that rose powder?
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I do! I noticed that moment as well as kind of a throwback to old-fashioned super romantic SRK.
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Oh yes! I thought :He may be shorter here, but he hasn’t lost an inch of his charm.
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And increased by the yard the urge of cuddling him!
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