It was a pairing that taught us how to love back in the 90s. The King of Romance and the undisputable Badshah of Bollywood. The sweet croonings, the pataoing of families, the outstretched hands, even the hamming... DDLJ was the first movie I saw on a "date", almost two decades ago. And while time stops for no one, some things, like a beautiful bottle of wine, just get a lot better!
Add the reigning Queen of Bollywood to that mix, and you have a beautiful movie you will remember, jab tak hai jaan!
First, the story.
Major Samar Anand, a fearless officer with the Indian Army's Bomb Squad flirts with death every day of his life. The handsome stubble and the aviators glisten with sweat as Samar defuses yet another deadly bomb in the beautiful valley of Kashmir, and then heads off on his bike for some time with himself.
Enter Akira (Anushka Sharma), a sexy twenty-one year old filmmaker, dying to work with the Discovery Channel. Her good fortune lands her in the safe arms of Major Samar, as her dare to dive in the freezing waters of the lake turns deadly. In the jacket he leaves her with, she finds a diary, and is transported a decade back, into the life of a 25 year old Samar in London.
Samar loves Meera (Katrina Kaif), a girl who finds Indians brown and boring, and dreams of marrying an adventurous gora. She gets engaged to one, a handsome dude who owns a supermarket empire, but fate has other plans for her. Unable to resist Samar, who teaches her to drop her guard and find her inner self, she crosses the line she's drawn for herself, and for once, finds true happiness in his loving embrace. But when Samar is almost killed in a bike accident, Meera blames herself for it, and makes a deal with Jesus - bring him back to life, and in return, I will give up the one who's most precious to me.
Angry at Meera and at her Jesus, Samar decides to take them on and joins the army - I will embrace death every day, he promises - until Jesus takes me away from you, breaking your faith, or you come to me, breaking your promise.
Akira embeds herself in Samar's squad for her documentary, and the Gen "sex before love" girl falls head over heels, madly, truly and deeply in love with the generation older old fashioned Samar. And after a decade of dancing with death, Samar finally has a smile on his face, the childish innocence of super girl Akira winning him over.
In London to support her documentary submission at the Discovery Channel, fate plays another cruel game with Samar. Another serious accident lands him in hospital, with retrograde amnesia, back in time just before his first accident, and unable to remember anything after that. Akira seeks out Meera, knowing she is the only hope he has of ever regaining his lost memory.
Will Samar get back his lost years? Will Akira be successful in her love? And what about Meera? Were they ever meant to be?
Jab Tak Hai Jaan may have its faults - the retrograde amnesia and all that - but for anyone who's fallen in love, for anyone who's looking to fall in love, there can be no better way to learn what it means. Pure, undying, unaduterated love.
Now, for the performances.
Shah Rukh Khan has always been the Badshah of romance, no one can do it better than him. With Samar Anand, SRK brings yet another unforgetable Raj Malhotra alive. The cheeky jokes, a hint of a tear in his eyes, the arms-outstretched pose – irresistible, vintage Khan. And in keeping with the times, Samar's love is soft, restrained, mature. There are two scenes that stood out for me - both showing him struggle with his anger and passion, directed at the person he loves more than his own life.
Katrina Kaif as Meera is awesome, the perfect pairing opposite the King Khan. The undisputed glamour queen of Bollywood lights the screen on fire every time she's on it, and dishes out an out of the world dance sequence with Shah Rukh, an item number that sets a new benchmark, so far beyond the Sheelas and Munnis. And for those who hold her looks against her and think she cannot act, check out the scene in which she meets her mom and the scene in which she prays for Samar's life. She's always been one of my favourite actresses, and with SRK, she takes herself to a whole new level. Anushka Sharma is sexy and sweet, and very natural in her role as the bubbly Akira, although definitely second fiddle to Kat, and pretty much type cast in the roles she has come to be identified with.
Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh are cute, and add a beautiful segment to the film, although Anupam Kher as Meera’s dad doesn’t really have much to do.
London, Kashmir and Ladakh come to life in mesmerizing scenes, their pristine beauty adds to the wonderfully dreamy world of SRK, Meera and Akira. AR Rahman's score is not his best yet, but the songs have a way of growing on you - like all SRK movies, these are also sure to evoke stirring emotions in you, every time you hear the haunting melodies. ‘Challa’, ‘Ishq Shava’ and ‘Saans Mein’ are delightful, but unlikely to scorch the charts.
At just around three hours, some folks might find the movie a tad long, but for true blue romantics, it just doesn't seem long enough. SRK fans need no excuse to swoon over him, but if you have ever been in love, this is a must-see movie. Go watch it, and let the magic of the Yash Chopra, the King Khan and the Queen of Bollywood make life seem beautiful, and innocent, at least for a little while.
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