Flicking through the infinite TV channels, and catching glimpses of movie promos which involves a lot of horrifying skin show and unspeakable and unbelievable body movements, and the vaaaast number of news channels spewing nothing but noisy nonsense, I was sitting with my typical half-an-upper-lip-raised-upwards exasperated expression. I was just about to switch the TV off when BAM!
There was a “Miss Braganza ahaaaan!” and a very young and suave Archana Singh in a mini skirt on the TV crooning “Romeo and Juliet.. ek amar prem kahaani!” I HAD to smile. I have seen Kuch Kuch Hota Hai about a million times and I know all the dialogues and scenes and songs by heart like a typical 20 something girl who grew up in the ’90s in India. It was a movie that changed the lives of many young people. For one, playing basketball and wearing a ‘COOL’ chain around your neck and going on Summer camps became the new rage. The whole ‘pyaar dosti hai’ theory made sense to everyone and every girl wanted a guy like Shahrukh Khan who would just stand in his iconic arms-wide-open pose and they would want to fly into them.
No matter the absurdity of some of the aspects about the film, including the obviously artificial falling stars and the fact that the London returned raspy-voiced Tina spoke in perfect Hindi and sang “Om Jai Jagdish” in the most melodious, magical voice you could imagine smack in the middle of their college to prove that she had her ‘sanskaars’ intact and that the eight year old girl had the sense and wisdom of an eighty year old, I have a strange affinity to this movie.
I love it because it is so flawed. I love it because it reminds me of myself when I was eight years old when I first saw it in the normal, non-multiplex cinema hall and had cried and made futile attempts at hiding my tears when Anjali left Rahul and went away forever. It reminds me of my childhood and the innocence and the eagerness and excitement to grow old. I still sing along to ‘Koi mil gaya’, which I once thought was the coolest song, like, ever and I couldn’t wait to learn how to play the guitar like Tina (who by the way, just holds the instrument in the movie without so much as moving her fingers on it artificially. I guess she knew the audience would know she was faking it anyway. Oh wait, they didn’t. Because they were all dumb like me) And I still weep when Anjali tries to hide her tears as they get mingled with the rain, because Rahul loves Tina and not her 😦
I still laugh when Mr. Malhotra (Anupam Kher) climbs up his own house like a robber trying to locate the next rung of the ladder with his feet. I like the silent ‘Jalebi’ kid and his “tussi ja rahe ho? Tussi na jao” dialogue. I love the whole Dumb Cherades scene and the oh so romantic, wet, dreamy, silent dance under the shack. Sigh. SRK is so hot. I still like the scene where Anjali’s saree is blowing and blowing and blowing and blowing in the wind and Rahul is watching her with desire and sorrow and it’s STILL blowing. I still like the dialogue “hum ek baar jeete hain, ek baar marte hain, aur pyaar bhi ek hi baar hi karte hain” however lame it may sound now! I still smile with contentment when Anjali and Rahul finally reunite in the end and SRK flashes his gorgeous dimpled smile again!
After watching it today I’ve realized how much I’ve grown and how attached I still am to my childhood. I recalled so many different scenarios and people with whom I watched this movie. This one time I watched it with my friends where we were fighting over who SRK is best suited for and how cute he looks in shorts. I want to be that innocent, chirpy, happy, stupid girl again.. or not. I think I just want to stop growing old now. Ugh, I’m 21. I guess I’ll be okay. I guess these are the type of movies which we will still love when we’re fifty and our kids will be like “What DO you like about these movies mom?” And then we’d realized what our parents meant. Or maybe even they’d like it.
Well whatever happens, cheers to a time of innocence!
Well whatever happens, cheers to a time of innocence!
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Rahul, tum nahin samjhoge 🙂
P.S. Please be Rahul again SRK. Or maybe you can be a dad to a new Rahul. Anything but Ra.One. Pretty please?
P.S. Please be Rahul again SRK. Or maybe you can be a dad to a new Rahul. Anything but Ra.One. Pretty please?
Butterflies and Hurricanes 
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