Subhash K Jha, in a new installment of This Day That Year, revisits the Kunal Kohli directed rom-com Mujhse Dosti Karoge , which starred Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji as it clocks 23 years.
Besides Hrithik Roshan’s grin, Kareena Kapoor’s pout and Rani Mukherjee’s sighing transparency, the pivotal character in Kunal Kohli’s debut film is Erich Segal’s immortal paean to mushy romance Love Story that has been a benchmark for celluloid’s flirtatious frolic for over 35 years now. Mint-fresh copies of the novel (to go with Sharmistha Roy’s slick-and-span and predictably colourfulsets) peep out of every nook and cranny of this fluffy romantic triangle.
In the 1973 blockbuster, Bobby, which was partly inspired by Segal’s novel, the 15-year old Dimple had created a nationwide furore when she looked Rishi Kapoor straight in the eye and said, “Mujhse dosti karoge?” . All the three main characters in Kohli’s film keep shaking hands and throwing the three magic words among each other like bits of confetti at a riotous wedding party.
The mood of infectious bonhomie in an upper middle-class household is typical of a Yash Chopra production and so are various thematic motifs such as chhildhood friends who grow up to be bantering lovers (Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai) , a parent’s death precipitating a flash-marriage in the heroine’s life (in Mujhse Dosti Karoge a grieving Kareena runs straight into Hrithik’s arms like Sridevi in Lamhe).
In a Yash Chopra production we can interchange the directors without making an iota of a difference to the gleaming surface. Thank God for the certainties of sleek salvation! But how far can we stretch Chopra’s magical formula without driving a wedge into the wondrous weave?
That question recurs in our mind with disturbing frequency as we watch fold after fold of silken frames come undone before our impressed but satiated eyes. Kunal Kohli’s debut film is supported by a dream team, each member putting his or her best into what’s undisputably meant to be a class act. Every time the mighty Lata Mangeshkar’s voice floats on the dainty soundtrack we’re transported into a world of aching longings.
But as Kohli tells the story of three lifelong friends Raj (Hrithik), Pooja (Rani) and Tina (Hrithik) two of whom are destined to be man and wife before the shimmering show reaches a rustling conclusion, we wonder where are the real emotions?
Rather than reach into the hearts of these three fine actors to crystallize the romantic poignancy indicated in the script about two sister-like friends , one plain and pure, the other glamorous and seductive pining for the same man (a sort of new-millennium version of Guru Dutt’s Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi) Kohli simply refers back to all of the Chopras’ earlier films from Daag to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, and also to Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
The end-product, though warmly welcoming, invites us into a spot-the-reference contest rather than an original and enduring work of romantic love. Some of the sequences that are meant to be cute end up being corny. The ‘final-parting’ scene where Hrithik brings gobi ka paratha for his ladylove Rani is unintentionally hilarious.
When the lovers aren’t parting they’re busy partying. Life’s one big rolicking rollercoaster for the protagonists. Though the three people locked in a triangle are trapped in a terrible dilemma, their ambience supports neither their emotional crisis nor their romantic yearnings. Instead, it lends a kind of jejune euphoria to the narrative. Like Satish Shah’s middle-aged Sikh character, the film never quite grows up.
As in all the Yash Chopra-inspired films the songs and dances are done with an emphatic elan. Whether it’s the rock ‘n roll grooves of ‘Oh my darling’ or the traditional wedding item spreading into a lengthy and luscious carpet of old film songs which has the audience roaring in approval , the music by debutant Rahul Sharma never ceases.
Unfortunately, the narration never quite seizes the day. Hard as the three characters try, they don’t have us rooting for them. Hrithik abandons the restrained demeanour of his last release Na Tum Jano Na Hum to play an aggressively furious lover who goes with his beloved’s unreasonable martyrdom only because, according to the film, love is about sacrifice(distinct shades of Subhash Ghai’s Yaadein here). Hrithik, thought brilliantly fiery. looks somewhat out of place doing a new-age Devdas, drink in hand , ire in his eyes and fire in his nostrils.
Kareena’s ultra-chic act seems modelled on her earlier role in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Stunningly incandescent, she really comes into her own at the climax when, in a far-fetched marriage sequence, she sacrifices her love for her two best friends. Rani is an ideal foil to Kareena. Dusky, petite, quiet and unostentatious. Though she does admirable little things with her facial expressions these get lost in the glamorous swamp that builds a wall between the audience and the characters even as it provokes the audience to peep into the beau-monde beyond. Uday Chopra belatedly turns the triangle into a quadrangle and builds on the image of cocky cuteness that he cultivated in his two earlier films.
As a writer and director Kohli tries hard to bring in his own touch to the Chopra-esque ambience. The sequence where Hrithik dances with Rani singing Raj Kapoor’s ‘Pyar hua iqraar hua’ is beautifully controlled in its boudoir ardour. On the other hand nostalgia makes way for corny traditionalism when Kohli puts statues of Radha and Krishna into Kareena’s bedroom just so that at the end she can quote the holy scriptures while easing out of the Rani-Hrithik relationship.
Simla and Switzerland are liberally interchanged in the narrative. But that’s the least of the problems in this lush but arid romantic triangle. The emotions are like enticing artifacts at a departmental store, prohibitively priced and intimidating in their glamorous glitter.
Hrithik Roshan had expressed his uncontrollable excitement about Mujhse Dosti Karoge during its release. “What I liked about Mujhse Dosti Karoge was that it came from a completely honest source. Kunal Kohli’s script is not trying to make an impression at all. It is an honest story. And its USP is Kunal Kohli. I have worked with the best of directors and I can say that Kunal surprised me with his clarity of thought. An actor feels very comfortable when he can trust a director’s instincts. In this case I could leave myself completely in the director’s hand and be more adventurous in my performance. In Mujhse…, I wasn’t afraid to step over boundaries because I knew Kunal was there to catch me if I fell. He knew when and how to control me, when I was going wrong. You know, every scene has its own walls (limits). You never know what a scene’s potential is until you climb those walls. In Mujhse… I was so clear-headed about the script and director that I was free to go beyond what I would have considered the appropriate limit for every scene. I think I dared to be adventurous as my character Raj in Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai. I could afford to be adventurous then because I had nothing to lose. But as you grow as a performer, you become aware of the audiences’ tastes and play it a bit safe.In Mujhse… I have definitely gone beyond my self-imposed restrictions. The dialogues are so beautifully written and the scenes so amazing that I couldn’t help doing something extra in every scene. A lot of times we changed the flow of the scenes and treated them differently. So though there was room for change, the script remained our touchstone. That is the amazing thing about Mujhse Dosti Karoge. The chapters remained the same. But we changed the footnotes constantly.”
Hrithik had special words of praise for his two leading ladies. “I have worked with Kareena in so many films that the comfort level is really high. I now understand her spontaneous style of acting, so I am less shocked by it . Because of the number of films we have done together, we know instinctively what the other is going to do next. I, on the other hand, like to think out my scenes. Now I can meet her somewhere halfway between the two extremes. It is not possible to be completely cautious with such a spontaneous actress. I think I always was a blend of spontaneity and caution. But after a little self-analysis, I have learnt to be more spontaneous. The credit goes to all the actresses I have worked with — Preity Zinta, Kajol, Kareena, Amisha [Patel] and Esha [Deol]. Not so much Karisma because she is not quite so spontaneous. In dealing with them I have discovered my own spontaneity.It was a pleasure working with Rani Mukerji. She is very professional, very friendly and easygoing. She leaves all negativity behind when she comes on the sets. And she’s a great friend. Rani and I make a very earthy pair. We don’t look unbelievably glamorous on screen. We look like a real couple.”
Adding, “Mujhse Dosti Karoge is entirely Kunal’s baby. The point is, Mujhse… isn’t candyfloss. It is a very, very intense film. The second half is propelled forward by the intensity of my character Raj. But the film isn’t about me alone. It deals with three characters — Rani [Mukherji], Kareena [Kapoor] and me — without prejudice. It is more a film about three friends than a love triangle.
I would say it does not deviate too much from what the audience is used to seeing. But it does have a lot of anger, intensity, frustration and passion.”
