Happy Birthday Kumar Sanu! I knew the name and was kind of not that excited, but then I looked at your playlist! You sang EVERYTHING!!!! Totally deserve a birthday post! I’ll go with 16 reasons to love you, for the Indian scale (it is 16, right?).
I already did a detailed discussion yesterday comparing and contrasting the first halves of DDLJ and Humpty. And that got so long that I decided to break at intermission and talk about the second half today. This may be slightly too much thought to put in to Humpty (although it is a very good movie. With a terrible title), but it is interesting as an example of how DDLJ has forever changed and influenced the Indian romance film.
I just watched Humpty Sharma again, for like the 7th time. But it was interesting watching it now, while I am in the middle of my DDLJ recap. So I was hyper aware of what it took from DDLJ and what it got rid of.
I broke off sort of in the middle of a scene last time, because I was going soooooooooooo slowly, and because there was so much important stuff to cover! But now I’m back, and I’m going to get through to the moment when I fell in love with Shahrukh 12 years ago. Actually, I think it was 12 years ago this month. It was during summer school, and July sounds about right.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
This isn’t just Shahrukh making his move on Kajol in the context of this film, this is Shahrukh making his move on, well, the world! It is in this next series of scenes that he turned from “promising young actor who has a certain something” into “Godlike Superstar”. (and also, if you’ve read my book, you know these are the scenes where I personally fell in love with him)
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
I’m back to DDLJ! Mostly because I have been so busy watching Sultan in theaters (4th time tomorrow) that I haven’t had a chance to watch any other movies at home. But DDLJ is always there for me.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
I’ve been taking a long break from this, partly because Fan came out and it was time to move on to other things, partly because the streaming version I bought on Amazon didn’t have the next scene included. But now I am back! By popular demand, and also because there is another movie with Shahrukh (not a “Shahrukh movie”, but at least he’s in it for a bit) coming out in a few months.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
It’s Aditya Chopra’s birthday and I almost missed it! Just like he probably prefers. Definitely not a guy who likes to be the center of attention. With that in mind, I will celebrate by letting his work speak for itself.
Yesterday was the really really important scene, the one that it is worth going through shot by shot and line by line. Today, some scenes that are still awesome, but not quite peak awesome.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
DDLJ Part 9! Do you know Xeno’s paradox? (I know it from using it as a game with small children back when I was tutoring.) There is a tortoise and a hare. The tortoise goes forward one whatever at a time (when I played it with kids, I’d usually use the floorboards of their living room, so one floorboard at a time). The hare goes forward half the distance from where he is to the end of the race each time he moves forward. So on the first turn, if you have 20 floorboards, the tortoise goes one floorboard and the hare goes 10. And then on the second, the tortoise goes one and the hare goes 5. And so on. What I’m saying is, I am the hare, and I am never going to finish this recap, because each entry goes half as slow as the previous entry.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
Part 9! I’ve gotten all the way to the barn scene! Let’s see if I can make it to “Zara Se Jhoom” today, or if I’m going to end up breaking this into two parts.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
DDLJ! 4 months ago, I started trying to work through every SRKajol movie, I finished Baazigar and Karan-Arjun, and then hit DDLJ and suddenly I turned into that picky eater kid who takes 4 hours to finish a bowl of cereal. I’m just savoring every single bite! And moving forward at a rate of 2,000 words per every 5 minutes.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
In case you couldn’t tell from the previous 6 posts, I really love this movie. But I don’t think I fully appreciated it (even after writing multiple papers referencing it, reading a couple books, and every article out there), until I started this minute by minute breakdown. It really is just perfectly constructed.
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
Back before my Malayalam obsession kicked off, I was working through a full and detailed summary of every single SRKajol film. After 5 parts, I had just made it about an hour into DDLJ (I really have a lot to say about this movie). And then this week, I wasn’t able to watch a Malayalam film last night (church quilting group instead), and I wasn’t able to see Jai Gangaajal, so I can’t write a bunch of posts about that either. So time to check in with DDLJ again!
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
In between other things, I am slowly making may way through a massive multi-part summary of all the SRKajol films. I already did Karan-Arjun and Baazigar, and this whole thing was started with my summarizing Dilwale. And now I have finally reached the pinnacle (suck it, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai fans! I am saying DDLJ is better and you can’t stop me!)
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
I’m back! After a couple of breaks for Ghayal and Saala Khadoos. Just like if I can’t decide what to watch, I can always enjoy throwing in DDLJ, I can always toss in another part of this many many part series whenever there is nothing else going on (look for another break in a few days when I have to stop and cover Fitoor).
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
After having gotten through Baazigar and Karan-Arjun, which were both more fun and less SRKajol than I remembered, I have finally reached the first real drop dead classic SRKajol film, DDLJ. And, since it is a drop dead classic, I am moving through it very very slowly. So much to think about with this one!
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here)
So, part one got a little deep and a little poetic about the meaning of the diaspora and male versus female life spaces and so on. I will try very hard to keep it light with this one, but I don’t know if I can! I think this is the first movie I’ve recapped here (except maybe Airlift?) that I think is legitimately deep, not just fun to watch.
So, onward! To the one who comes in my dreams!
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
DDLJ! Woo! I can go off DVD with full confidence in my abilities! Woop woop! Although I may still re-watch it at some point just for joy and happiness.
Also, if you really want to learn about DDLJ, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I will be referring back to it constantly, and even when I don’t refer back specifically, just assume that Chopra’s theories are the underlying force behind everything I say.
(also, oh my god I love the header image I found! Adi was such a dork. Also, I am pretty sure that is actually from the sets of K2H2 based on the suit, but I don’t care, I’m still using it. I may reuse it if I ever get to K2H2)
(part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, part 11 here, part 12 here, part 13 here, part 14 here, part 15 here, part 16 here)
So, my sister is stuck on an Air India plane waiting for the weather to clear so they can take off, but luckily there is a whole “Shahrukh Khan Channel” available for in flight entertainment. Which means she is sitting there texting me DDLJ updates as she waits. Here is our conversation. If you are a real SRKajol fan, you should be able to follow along:
Sister: Watching ddlj while plane de-ices. Metaphor?
Me: No, Hum tum would be a metaphor
Sister: Currently at ruk ja o dil deewana
Sister: Squirty flower!
Sister: Sleeping in barn!
Me: Have they tried making the plane drink alcohol to warm up?
Sister: Not yet. For one thing, this guy in a rugby outfit keeps racing it down the runway.
Sister: “And after this, nothing can go wrong” [Snow]
Sister: Swimming pool!
Sister: Hug!
Me: kuch kuch hota hai?
Sister: DDLJ…..Oh, I see
Sister: Palat
Sister: No, I won’t come to your wedding
Sister: However, you are falling in love, dear!
Sister: He tucked in his shirt all the way
Sister: Cowbell!
Sister: Farida Jalal! Crying!
Sister: Tujhe Dekha
Sister: Bad hair
Me: Stroh’s Beer?
Sister: A small bell!
Sister: Handholding
Me: But it’s the wrong girl!
Sister: I know!
Sister: Mehndi!
Sister: Wink!
Sister: the jewelry! I can’t bear it!
Sister: wedding preponed!
Me: should she trust him?
Sister : yes
Sister: the photo!
Sister: and we’re off!
And then I guess the plane finally took off and my sister had to shut off her phone. But I am on tenterhooks! Will this be the one time that Bauji doesn’t forgive her? Will Shahrukh get ride the train all by himself? Maybe I should watch it straight through myself, just for reassurance.
(okay, the Bad Hair one may be controversial. But can you really look at the image below and call it good hair?)
So, with this new movie, there’s going to be a lot of comparisons with past SRKajol films and judgments and greatest hits lists and so on. So I thought, why not join the party! Before I’ve even see Dilwale, so my judgement is not yet sullied. And then I realized, picking a #1 all time best SRKajol film is easy, but the 5 (6, now) after that are hard.
#1, of course, is DDLJ. I say that not just because it is my favorite movie of all time, but because, objectively speaking, it is the highest quality film they have been in together, and the most beloved. The script deals with issues ranging from structural feminism to first versus second generation immigrants to marriage as a personal or societal undertaking. Plus, it has Shahrukh’s all time greatest acting moment:
If you don’t remember all the other awesome bits of the film, YRF conveniently put together this remix for the 20 year anniversary:
(I think I like the remix better than the original, don’t hate me!)
But what comes after DDLJ?
Notice how I put the really exciting picture at the top so we would remember why this really matters?
So, currently, the highest Shahrukh movie on the all time gross list for India is number 5. NUMBER 5!!! The shame of it! Ahead of him is PK, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Bahubali, and Dhoom 3. The whole list is here on wikipedia.
Now, you know what all these films have in common? They are all from the past 5 years. And the film at the top is usually from within the past 2 years. In America, we are used to that, the top grossers are always fairly recent, but in India that wasn’t always the case. Mother India set a box office record in 1957 that stayed in place for 3 years until Mughal-E-Azam surpassed it in 1960. Mughal-E-Azam held the record until Sholay beat it in 1975. Sholay held the record until Hum Aapke Hain Koun came along in 1994. Hum Aapke Hain Koun was toppled quickly by DDLJ in 1995. Then DDLJ lost it’s crown to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998. That record held until 2001 when it was beaten by both Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. Gadar held the record until 3 Idiots in 2009, at which point everyone breathed a sigh of release because they could start pretending Gadar never happened (very very problematic messages in that film). And then 3 Idiots held the record for a long time, by a big big margin, until it was finally beaten by Chennai Express in 2013. All Shahrukh fans cheered and celebrated and laughed in the faces of their Aamir-fan friends, or at least that’s what I did. Truly, it was a magical time!
(Shahrukh, take a bow! You earned it!)
And then about 2 months later, Dhoom 3 came out and Aamir was on top again. It stayed up there for a year, until PK came out, and then Aamir had the two top spots. PK is still up there, but Bajrangi Bhaijaan did really well this summer and came close to beating it. And Bahubali, of course, is a huge deal since it is the only non-Hindi film up there (although it was distributed by a Bombay based production house, Dharma, which is very important in terms of overseas awareness and national reach in India).
So, on the micro-level, this just means we all need to buy as many tickets for Dilwale as humanly possible in order to return Shahrukh to his rightful ranking. I don’t care if you are actually seeing Star Wars, you buy your ticket for Dilwale!!!
But on a macro-level, in terms of global trends, economics, and the future of the industry, what does all of this mean and where does it come from?
The love and violence and love-means-violence is all tied up together in this. My first thought was “so untraditional! What happened to SRKajol, the happpy-go-lucky NRI romance?” But then I remembered that their first movie together was Baazigar, which had this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eORAlnnQVRk
Even DDLJ had this:
So really, Kajol shooting him through the heart is just a return to their roots! Or else, she is finally getting revenge on him for heartlessly killing her sister (always bothered me that she wasn’t more angry at him for that) (in Baazigar, not in real life. So far as I know, he has never done anything to Tanisha)
Bonus, it looks like they have almost the same meet-cute as SRK and Divya Bhatya in his very first movie, Deewana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT9zUY_sey4
Nothing more romantic that almost running someone over!
Speaking of Deewana, it also has another reminder that angry unhinged SRK=sexy SRK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGQ1Emv3oM
dontcallitbollywood 