Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

At heart, 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' is an entertaining and sweet love story, with flashy and meaningful elements that make it a worthwhile watch.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani packs in abundant entertainment and hat tips to the KJo brand. It takes some time to ease into its dialled-up tone, hodgepodge of accents and cocky display of wit, something Vicky Donor achieved in minimal effort.

Hard for a film to lampoon profligacy while simultaneously wallowing in it. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is fascinating in its attempts to address the clash between progressiveness and tradition, resulting in all sorts of unlikely dramatic conflicts.

It's entertaining but not dependent on action and violence. It's star-studded but with genuinely talented actors, not just airbrushed beauty and family names. It's modern but not Western. It's family-oriented but not pedantic. And it's just a damn good time.

For all its jovial energy, Rocky Aur Rani is a huge pain when it starts dispensing life lessons. It's these small things that make Rocky Aur Rani easy to enjoy, even as the overblown, old-fashioned drama makes it impossible to rate beyond a point.

Despite some of its rough edges, Rocky Aur Rani delivers a king-sized entertainer that blends old charm with the newness of fresh ideas. It is a win for Karan Johar whose conviction works big time to satisfying results.

The 168-minute film ends up being ostentatious as well as pretentious, and while the conventional core of the contrived war between Mammon and Marx is the most honest aspect, it remains an overly long, tonally jittery, and stereotype-filled narrative. Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt are electric and entirely believable in their ardour, but the screenplay's post-interval section runs through a list of Worthy Causes that feels unearned.

It looks well-groomed and starts sounding politically correct by the end but RARKPK lacks rhythm and a beating heart. In its treatment, it seems the film indulges those who get away with casual misogyny as long as they promise a golden heart beneath a gold chain.

The film does make attempts at being more than it can be. There is a commentary on patriarchy, on misogyny, on cancel culture even. But all of them, except maybe the former, lack any nuance. It's all monologues followed by angry looks and while it does get the point home, the point in itself is shallow.

Despite the predictability and its duration, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is a wholesome family movie. It's light, fun and just the kind of film that you would want to watch with your entire family.

So loud! But hey, the lead women have proper jobs. So much gyaan. But necessary too? So many missteps. But woke too. So predictable. But some unexpected decisions too. So little physical chemistry between the lead pair. But they ace the non-physical one. So so long. No buts after that, it is long.