Of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Tamasha

Hindi films have often explored the theme of two different persons with the same face. In Yash Chopra's Lamhe, Viren Pratap Singh (Anil Kapoor) falls in love with Pallavi (Sridevi); after her death, Pallavi's daughter Pooja (Sridevi) falls in love with Viren. A conflicted Viren struggles to understand if he is in love with Pooja or if Pooja's face is a carbon copy of her mother, Pallavi. In Anand L. Rai's Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Manu (Madahavan) splits up with his wife Tanu (Kangana Ranaut), and meets Datto (Kangana Ranaut) who has a striking resemblance to his wife. He thinks he is in love with Datto, but it is somewhat clear that he is in love with Datto's face, which reminds him of his wife. In Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Sonia (Ameesha Patel) summed it up perfectly when she said that she feels tortured when she sees Raj (Hrithik Roshan) as his face reminds her of her dead lover Rohit (Hrithik Roshan). 

Interestingly, there have also been films that depict the concept of two different personalities of the same person. In Hrishikesh Mukherjee's comedy of errors Gol Maal, Amol Palekar takes us on a joy ride by creating two versions of himself to dupe his boss. In Vijay Lalwani's Karthik Calling Karthik, Karthik (Farhan Akhtar) suffers from a split personality disorder where he calls himself in the middle of the night. These films are often comedies or psychological thrillers. A few days ago, Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi completed seven years of its release. I had recently watched Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha and was still in the thinking temporal zone that an Imtiaz Ali film leaves us with. Curiously, it struck me that not only do both these films have the same theme of two different personalities of the same person, but they also have many other similarities. 

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the story of Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan) and Tani (Anushka Sharma). Due to the death of Tani's fiancé on her wedding day, Surinder is asked to marry Tani. After they get married, she tells him she will be a good wife, but she can never love anyone again. To get back her old happy Tani, Surinder plays Raj's role as Tani's dance partner. Somehow, by the grace of Rab, she cannot identify that Raj is Surinder only. Tani decides she wants to love again but is unsure who she is in love with—Raj or Surinder—even though they are the same person. 

Tamasha is the story of Ved Vardhan Sahni (Ranbir Kapoor). The story begins in Corsica. He meets Tara Maheshwari (Deepika Padukone). They decide to spend some time together without revealing their true identities or who they are in real life. He says he is Don, while she says she is Mona Darling. They decide that they will not meet again. Whatever that will happen between them in Corsica will stay in Corsica. But as it happens, Tara falls in love with Ved. Four years later, she looks for him in a cafe, hoping that she will bump into him. She does. He introduces himself as Ved, a product manager at a firm. They agree to go out, but soon Tara realizes this is not the Ved she fell in love with. The point of conflict between Tara and Ved is this dual personality of Ved, where Tara is in love with the Ved whom she met in Corsica, while he thinks he was only playing a role then. She breaks off with him. She tells him that he is suffering from a complex. Then begins his journey of self-realization. About finding who he really is.

In Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Surinder is mousy and timid. He works in Punjab Power, but there is nothing powerful about him. He has always been a good boy and fits the ideal child's description on those kitschy aadarsh balak charts. He goes on his mundane job daily, but when he sees Tani, he falls in love with her. To make her feel happy, he takes up the role of someone who is his exact opposite—loud, brash, and fun—Raj. I wonder the ease at which he can take up the role of Raj, perhaps, he always has this side to him, but her never showed it to anyone. Likewise, in Tamasha, Ved's daily job is like Surinder's. He is a lakeer ka fakir. He wakes up, brushes his teeth, and eats the same breakfast daily. He gets nervous during presentations. His routine is so mundane that he holds the elevator door for the same lady every single day. In contrast, Ved's alter ego, Don, is the exact opposite of Ved. Don is free, no one can capture him, he talks to the mountains, he drinks water from the ponds like an animal. When Surinder watches films in theaters, he identifies the characters on the screen that are like him. Ved, on the other hand, is fascinated with stories and imagines himself to be in those stories. In the end, Surinder and Ved's alter ego triumphs. I don't think either film advocates that any side is necessarily better, but both films' essential message is to learn to be comfortable in your skin and not lose your identity. At one point in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Surinder says that he can change himself completely to make Tani happy, but he will not change himself to get Tani's love. He will not be someone who he is not. Ved learns that he does not need to be a lakeer ka fakeer if he feels suffocated, and he can follow his passion for telling stories. At another point in Tamasha, Ved runs out on the streets of Simla, meets a procession, and starts dancing like a dervish, immersed in his newfound freedom. A feeling of letting go, where he seemed to have finally found his dil ki aawaaz.

I am not saying that Suri and Ved have the same motivations. Suri is unable to express his love for Tani. At one point, he puts a rose with a note he wrote for Tani, then hesitates and keeps it back. His alter ego, Raj, helps him express that love, and he openly flirts with her, saying that she has to tell him not to flirt with her. In the case of Ved, he has this side to him, and Tara helps him embrace that side. She acts as a catalyst to help him reach his full potential, or else he would have been stuck in the same mundane existence all his life.  

It is strange that not only the theme of duality of the lead roles is common to both films, but there are several similar elements in their screenplay. Surinder's alter ego is named Raj Kapoor. In contrast, Ved's alter ego is named Don after Amitabh Bachchan's eponymous character in Don, but he takes the most inspiration from Dev Anand. Surinder and Ved find refuge in Hindi film heroes for their alter egos. Surinder and Ved have the same last name—'Sahni.' In Rab De Bana Di Jodi, there is a tribute to the heroes of Hindi cinema, including Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, and Rishi Kapoor, in the song Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte. In Tamasha, there is a tribute to Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand in Matargashti. The song's lyrics refer to Dev Anand's films Tere Ghar Ke Saamne and Prem Pujari, and Ved copies Dev Anand's signature moments. The song also refers to Raj Kapoor's Chhaliya, and at many points in the film, the scenes of Tara and Ved are quite reminiscent of Nargis and Raj Kapoor. Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte and Matargashti refer to the same Dev Anand song, Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare. Thus, both films have a commonality: Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. 

As if the the above coincidences were not enough, there is more, which is my favorite. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Tamasha have a Japanese connection, and both films end in Japan. I have struggled for days to come up with a satisfactory explanation for the Japan link, particularly in the context of Tamasha. No film director would take an entire crew to Japan for one scene if there is something that he is not trying to tell us. In Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Surinder fights with a Sumo wrestler and wins tickets to visit Japan. Ultimately, they visit Japan, and we witness one of the best ending credits in a film when Surinder describes his pictures from Japan. In Tamasha, Ved and Tara went on their first date to a Japanese restaurant. The waitress offered them different varieties of water. "What a brand, Japan. Companies are the latest countries, and countries hare the latest companies," said Ved. Ultimately, Ved and Tara meet in Japan at a tea conference where the building's board says Oracle. Japan is a place known for its robotic mechanization and efficiency. That could have something to do with it. While Surinder fights a Japanese wrestler to prove his love, Ved fights his inner demons. They are both at peace in Japan and have found love in Tokyo. 

An interesting thought comes to mind. If Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was made by Imtiaz Ali, would Rahul realize that the Anjali he was friends with eight years ago is not the same Anjali he is now marrying? That's a discussion for some other day.

Dialogue of the Day:

"Pyaar to Rab ki meherbaani hai, toh pyaar me kaisa dard."

 —Raj, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi