"Sometimes, the youngsters in the house show the right path to the elders in the family."
Hello everyone!
I'm not even going to apologize anymore.
At this point, it's safe to say that I'm in my Bollywood era, which means that I'm trying to cram as many of these into my psyche as I possibly can, within reason of being able to watch that is, since binge-watching anything is out of the question for me.
My eyes and head need breaks!
But this movie caught me right in the feels, and while I PROMISED myself I'd hit pause at the intermission (a regular, sure thing in these old Bollywood classics), I knew I didn't have work the next day so I kinda just ... kept watching. LOL.
I've since watched it two times already, and will probably do so again very soon. There's a reason this thing is called a classic!
Let's have a look at Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
Alternately called K3G for easier speech, the movie narrates troubles among a multimillionaire Indian family, starting and ending with their adopted son. It's also split into two parts, the first being a recounting of what happened ten years ago since the present, when everything went to hell in a handbasket with a neat little bow on top, and then switches back to current time.
It also opens with a shot of Hrithik Roshan's eyes, and I swear, if I had a shot every time a movie starts like that, I'd be a raging alcoholic by now. At this point, I'm convinced ALL his movies have that opening sequence, purely because his eyes seem to differ from those of his other male co-stars!
Anyway.
Roshan, er, Rohan is finishing up his schooling abroad and returning home for Diwali, but he gets sidetracked at his grandmothers' place, where he overhears something he shouldn't: that Rahul, his older brother who's been absent for ten years, is adopted.
The grannies then tell the story.
Rahul was adopted at two days old and became the light of his parents' lives, and the heart of the family, while Rohan was called their strength, because apparently he fought destiny to be born. Anyway, when Rahul finishes his own studies, he returns home (also for Diwali) to inherit his father's business empire and have his marriage arranged to the beautiful Naina (Mukerji, looking as lovely as ever).
While home, however, he runs down to Chandni Chowk, where he sees Anjali (Kajol).
Anjali is the eldest daughter of her house, from a much lower social class than he is, but she has sass, spirit, and a boatload of attitude on her side, which immediately draw Rahul to her. What follows is a series of hilarious events partly instigated by their younger siblings: Rohan gets chased around by Pooja and her gang, only to turn the tables on her when she tries to do the same on his turf.
Now, I'm not entirely sure why it's fine for her to harass him, but he's not supposed to respond, but anyway, their childhood friendship prompts Rahul to be a bit freer in his pursuit of Anjali (and honestly, his pick-up lines are somehow both corny and witty at the same time, making it even funnier), while she remains adamant that she'll never leave her father's side.
Of course, when push comes to shove, daddy-o actually agrees to the engagement between Naina and Rahul, but Naina's a smart girl and she can see Rahul's got his heart up in the clouds somewhere, not with her. And I LOVE this for a character moment, because while she admits she'll be sad, life goes on, and she urges him to fulfill his own love story.
I love me some Naina. In my headcanon she gets madly pursued by some other billionaire heir and they live happily ever after.
Rahul tries to follow her advice, but of course that doesn't sit well with dad, who's so sad and disappointed, and uses the oldest trick in the book: emotional manipulation, to get his son to bend to his will.
Given that Rahul is trying to do his duty, he goes to tell Anjali it's not going to happen, only to witness the funeral of her father, who passed away suddenly, leaving the two girls alone and adrift in the world.
He then does the only honourable thing: marries her.
And gets himself (and her) kicked out of the family in the process. If you don't sob buckets during the scenes in which the dad refuses to acknowledge him, the mom gives them her blessing and Anjali desperately tries to get the dad's, I don't know what to tell you.
In present day, Rohan now knows exactly what went down, and he uses his own skillful manipulation of his dad's expectations to have himself send to London for his MBA.
Not to study: he's just going to hunt down Rahul, who's built a life for himself in the metropolis. He and Anjali now have a son, Krish, and Pooja grew up into a glamurous socialite girl who's in charge anywhere she goes.
Then she runs right into Rohan who doesn't give her the time of day, and sparks fly IMMEDIATELY.
Of course, he then reveals just who he is, igniting that childhood friendship once more, and asking her to support him in his quest to reunite his fractured family, because he won't be able to do it alone.
And if you look at it more closely, you can see just how much his request means to Poo, who on the outside looks to be a flippant, aloof and shallow girl caring only for beauty and the coolest trends. In reality, however, this persona is who everyone expects her to be based on her background, being raised by the influential Rahul and basically needing nothing, so she craves a certain validation that she isn't getting in her own circles because everyone knows how to grovel.
Rohan refuses to stoop to that level and instead challenges her to an actual activity worth pursuing, and they immediately forge a strong pact.
Then she and Anjali gang up on Rahul to have Rohan stay with them (not that Anjali knows who he is), because Anjali misses India so much she'll accept anyone who's from the motherland, and the scenes of SRK, Kajol and Kareena together are pure comedy gold. If he's not shrieking in high-pitched over his sister-in-law's clothing, Rahul's desperately trying not to wring her neck.
Family, really.
But you can see he immediately knows SOMETHING's off with Rohan, not that he can put a finger on it, but he accepts the younger man into his home (how he misses that teary-eyed expression when Rohan finally sees his older brother again after a decade is anyone's guess, but then again he DOES own glasses and isn't wearing them in this scene ...).
Thus, the mission begins, and Rohan slowly circles closer and closer to Rahul, getting under his skin and getting him to open up more and more. You see, Rahul closed himself off to any Indian influence and heritage after leaving, focusing solely on the present and the "modern" life they built in London, despite the fact his wife is doing everything she possibly can to keep their ancestral roots alive.
So in that aspect, she's SO on Rohan's side because he brings Mother India back with him (and manages to get Poo covered up in more clothes while he's at it, which Rahul seems to be thankful for if nothing else), but equally, Rohan learns more and more about his sister-in-law in return.
The most poignant moments, to me, are him and Rahul listening to a cricket match on the radio, with Rahul slipping and thinking he's talking to his brother (he is, the poor schmuck just doesn't know it yet); Rohan getting his mother to talk to Anjali on the phone and promising to send her the sargi for her next Karva Chauth ritual; and him arranging for Krish and his class to sing a deeply emotional and heartfelt Indian song instead of the Do-Re-Mi everyone expects.
All in all, throughout the trials and tricks (and funny moments like Rohan not letting Poo walk all over him, and Rahul and Anjali showing us that she definitely wears the pants in this relationship), Rohan slowly but surely draws Rahul back closer to his Indian roots, allowing him to reconnect with the man he used to be.
Then, of course, it's time for the truth, which is revealed after Krish's performance when he repeats the same words Rahul told Rohan before leaving, and he finally clocks into the fact that the young man he's been housing is his actual brother.
But, no, he's not going back. He's never going back.
Pooja offers a heart-broken Rohan an easy fix: bring the parents to London, instead.
So that's exactly what he does, and it's an explosive show-down with him actually getting slapped when he pushes his father to admit that he loves Rahul and misses him deeply. Things might have even escalated further, but then the family receive news that the paternal grandmother is dying: and despite everything to the contrary, Rahul shows up for the funeral. THANKFULLY.
It's also the first and only time the mother stands up to her husband, telling him he made a big mistake exiling Rahul and that he's no God, like her parents taught her, but only human, with many faults of his own. Similarly, Rohan's still working overtime (probably bolstered by Pooja's continued support, as witnessed when she sits by him and they cuddle up in despair, much like Anjali and Rahul when he explains just how deep his pain goes) and begs Rahul to at least bring Anjali to the house one time as the daughter-in-law she is.
This, finally, leads to a confrontation between Rahul and his father, where the air is cleared and all grievances are laid bare: the elder prompts that he shouldn't have to call his own son back, as he is his elder and thus has earned that respect. Rahul, in return, volleys that he thought his father didn't love him, but that yes, he should have returned; this, after said father is aghast at the thought.
He carried the baby into his home with his own two hands. How could he NOT love him!?!
Joining them, Rohan is included in the men's embrace, and the two sons support their father back upright when he apologizes to them and breaks down crying. The girls the come downstairs too, and the family is finally together as they should have been all along.
The movie ends with Rohan and Pooja's marriage ceremony, the family presenting a united, strong front, but still with their unique quirks and characteristics that sets individuals apart from the whole, and yet you can see that it's those quirks that binds them together into a cohesive unit.
And that's the most beautiful thing of all.
Emotionally charged, beautifully driven, and occasionally absolutely bonkers, K3G has it all: an ensemble cast, catchy musical numbers, brilliant dialogue, and hilarious comedic segues that often times reminded me of those old Looney Tunes cartoons. Together, it forms a wonderful web that you just can't escape from once you've ventured in, and I can definitely see myself watching this periodically, again and again.
What I love most is how each main character is presented, and how consistently they follow their characterization, but it also leans quite heavily into the prejudices of the era about social strata, on both sides.
Not only is Rahul's family prejudiced (well, some of them), but so is Anjali, and it's the kind of learned behaviour they then hand down to their younger siblings. Thankfully, the circle is broken once they all come together as adults, but you can see how the actions of the past have formed the characters of the present and future.
Essentially, this is supposed to be the SRK and Kajol show, and don't get me wrong - I get it now. I do. This is the first movie of theirs I've watched, and I can see why they're named Bollywood's golden couple: their chemistry is palpable, and there's just SOMETHING you can't put your finger on when it comes down to it. They work on screen, and that's it.
However, I'd argue that it's actually Roshan and Kapoor who carry this movie on their backs, most especially Roshan portraying the determined younger brother fighting to right past wrongs. And I think he delivers beautifully.
I can't really single ANYONE out, however, because each and every cast member brought something to the movie that elevates it to a whole other level. Whether it's that maternal love or the funny grandmotherly eyerolling, it's all there. Everyone can find something to love in this movie, so I highly, highly recommend it.
You won't be disappointed.
xx
*images and video not mine
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