Yashraj’s ‘DDLJ’ romance goes ‘Befikre’, but makes hearts beat just the same

DDLJ (1995): Raj flirts, Simran refutes, none cross the line, and eventually fall head over heels in love, in spite of being polar opposites.

Befikre (2016): Dharam and Shyra, carefree in Paris, agree to a no strings attached relationship, calling nineties a passé.

Yashraj, a banner that has been teaching eternal romance since decades. From the white flowing sarees of ‘Chandni’ to the students who broke the barriers of love in ‘Mohabbatein’, from love across the border passing tests of time in ‘Veer Zaara’, to even the love that came across again and again in ‘Hum Tum’, this is one banner that has showcased many forms of the emotion, drenching us in its warmth. None can forget the legend that ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaynge’ went on to become. And now, the same banner is back with ‘Befikre’, a romance that breaks all the shackles and barriers, and basically everything that the earlier movies of Yashraj held sacred.

The name of the movie, its posters, and the promotional song ‘Labon Ka Karobaar’ itself suggested that it is not your mushy and sweet romance that Yashraj is identified with. The trailer just confirmed it. With striptease, one night stands, casual s*x with no strings, and a healthy dosage of kissing scenes thrown in, all the barriers are broken with this one. The heroine is not a shy one, she has liberated herself s*xually and verbally. Yet, surprisingly, the hero remains the same. Be it the Raj of ‘DDLJ’ or Dharam of ‘Befikre’, they are still the same, goofy, flirty, and looking for some casual fling. While Raj ended up falling for Simran, whether or not Dharam will fall for Shyra, is still to be seen. Both of them are smitten by the actress on first sight, yet while Raj sought pleasure in teasing the hell out of Simran, our lad Dharam is surprised and delighted in finding someone with similar mindset, for Shyra isn’t Simran.

The only character like Shyra who we remember in ‘DDLJ’ was Simran’s friend Sheena. So basically, the heroine does not need an avant-garde friend anymore, as they have coalesced to form one being. Maybe Shyra will be Sheena in first half, and Simran in the second half, as given the trend, we are hoping she will fall in love. Again, this is just a speculation. Aditya Chopra is back to being behind the director’s seat so you never know what might be in front of our screens, when the movie gets released.

The ‘Befikre’ trailer had nothing new to offer, at least nothing that we have not seen before in Hollywood, but still had a fresh vibe to it, which might be because of the talent of two actors, Ranveer Singha and Vaani Kapoor, coupled with the mastermind of Aditya Chopra. However, what has astounded us most is that it comes from the house of Yashraj, whose last, very similar outing, ended up in a disaster (*coughs*Neal and Nikki*coughs*), though that one was more a result of disastrous performances and poor technical aspects. We certainly don’t expect that, especially when the director is Aditya Chopra.

Well, Yashraj certainly dared to helm the concept of live in, in a quite realistic and down to earth manner. Remember ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’? The movie was a hit and it was a very cleverly done concept, presented just in the way that many couples would relate to it. That, was a revolutionary step by Yashraj, indeed, even though it had newcomers in it.

Anyway, Yashraj has really come a long way since the days of ‘DDLJ’, and the best way to prove it? Take these dialogues from the 1995 and the 2016 romance.

DDLJ (1995) – Raj agar ye tujhe pyar karti hai to ye palat ke dekhegi. Palat, palat, palat…

Befikre (2016) – Palatne nahi wala hai. Palatne ka wait to nineties me karte the log, I was just checking out his ass.

Phew, from Parvati to Pooh, let’s see how these ‘Befikre’ fare on our hearts.

Kadambari Srivastava

Grammar Nazi, word weaver, dreamer, bibliophile, technophile, caffeine addict, foodie, shuttling shopaholic! Mash it in a Bollywood recipe and voila! Pushpa, you’ve got her!