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Saturday, July 27, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD BREAK KE BAAD
EDITOR'S PICK
`Break Ke Baad` - the ultimate teenage Bollywood rom-com of 2010
Ratings: ** 1/2
Bollywood has a sub-genre of romantic-comedies meant for urban, chic teenagers,
first pioneered with its full frontal glory by our very own coffee drinking
Karan Johar.
These films, and the people that inhabit it, are nothing like you have ever
known, or are ever likely to know. But the reality inside it is so glossy and
Cinderellaesque that everyone aspires for this free floating, un-rooted, but
super fun unreality.
"Break Ke Baad" is a fun example of that.
Aaliya (Deepika Padukone) and Abhay (Imran Khan) are childhood sweethearts whose
sweet course of sugarcane love encounters the roadblock of youthful ambition.
Aaliya, a fiercely independent, risk-taking person decides to go to Australia to
pursue her acting ambition, thus breaking the relationship. Both make mistakes,
but eventually discover themselves only to realize that it`s not that easy to
say `talaq` to a love, that has now matured.
"Break Ke Baad" is the ultimate, teenage, escape, love fantasy of
2010, much like "Jaane Tu…" in 2008 and "Love Aaj Kal" in
2009, in whose magical world, almost everything happens coincidentally and all
loose ends are tied up perfectly in the end and all that you see makes sense.
But we know that such a mythical, unreality can exist only in Bollywood.
Yet, the film is good in its own sub-genre. The strongest part of the film is a
well-baked script; tight, crisp and thankfully contemporary and often rooted
dialogues of Renuka Kunzru, which are funny at times, and profound in a cliched
way at others.
Yet the film will never make it to the annals of Bollywood greats. Neither does
it have the cuteness of Aamir Khan`s launch vehicle "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak",
or the undertone of class struggle depicted with extreme melodrama in
"Maine Pyaar Kiya", the overtone of struggle against tradition of
"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" or the excessive sugar-pulp and totally
nonexistent reality of "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (KKHH) - a film which this
one pays hearty tributes to.
The conflict is mostly in the minds of the protagonist, and not real. Ironically
its fault would perhaps be that it is not unreal enough like KKHH.
Though the characterizations, at least in the beginning and in a few side
characters, has the smell (or stench if you consider the escapist drama) of
reality, it flies off to KKHH land. At least the old films were caricatures,
exaggerations of people you would have encountered somewhere. No such luck with
"Break Ke Baad".
But it is fodder for teen fantasy, seeped in the dual confusion of maturing
while finding true love. It`s over two hour ride is fun, full time-pass and
paisa vasool.
Debutant director Danish Aslam was not interested in telling another run-of-the-mill love story and so he decided to explore space issuesRead More
'Break Ke Baad' explores new break-up mantra: DirectorDebutant director Danish Aslam was not interested in telling another run-of-the-mill love story and so he decided to explore space issues in relationshipsRead More
ABHAY GULATI and AALIYA KHAN have known each other since they
were four years old. Their friendship turned into love at the tender age of 15,
when Abhay realises Aaliya is the girl for him.
Aaliya’s life is defined by her burning desire to become an actress and she is
unmindful of what or who comes in her way. Abhay who is still unsure about what
he wants to do finds himself competing with Aaliya’s incessant plans and
projects to fulfil her dreams. While their relationship blooms because of their
personality differences, the baggage because of these differences also grows
silently.
Things come to a head when Aaliya decides to go to Australia to study and Abhay
has to deal with the prospect of a long term relationship, secretly fearing that
he will lose Aaliya forever. He takes a leap of faith and they decide to take
this time off from each other to figure out what they want to do.
The choices Abhay and Aaliya make from here on tests their relationship.
Aaliya risks everything and everyone she loves only to realise that there is no
joy in achieving one’s dreams if one has no one to share it with. Abhay risks
losing every shred of his ego, dignity and self-respect only to realize that
there is no bigger high than seeing your dream come to life, brick by brick.
They make mistakes, deal with disappointments, even lose each other – and
become stronger individually.
BREAK KE BAAD is not just a coming of age film, but a film about couples growing
up - together. In a fickle world where relationships break up on the smallest of
differences, Abhay and Aaliya manage to save theirs despite geographical ones.
