Bharat and Arjun from Purab aur Pachim and Namastey London – Two Mr. Rights in two very similar films need to be put side by side. Perhaps an unexpected choice but Bharat (Manoj Kumar) is the perfectly balanced Mr Right. He is humorous, a do gooder, but one of the few heroes of the 70s that was not vengeance minded. His entry to swinging Seventies London gives him culture shock, but he is not sanctimonious towards his assimilated friends and family. Even when he falls for the super funky Saira Banu, he does not push his Indian values onto her and allows her to embrace her culture on her own terms. Bharat’s cool and progressive attitude works well in contrast to the diasporic family he nudges towards understanding their roots. Arjun (Akshay Kumar) in the updated version wins us over for his non-judgemental ways when he meets his Westernized wife and her friends. Arjun’s old-fashioned courting eases his way into Jazz’s heart because he is patient, and knows that romance is not a quick affair. Both Bharat and Arjun are complete Mr. Rights because at the end of the day they treat their Westernized girls as equals and let them discover their roots and love individually.
