Review
The Romantics
Movie
After CAT, ‘The Romantics’ is one web-series which I binge watched with zero expectations and no knowledge about the concept. To my surprise, it wasn’t a fictional drama but a docu-series.
How did I like it? Continue reading it?
Directed by Smriti Mundhra, ‘The Romantics’ is a series consisting of four-episodes presenting the long cinematic journey of late legendary Yash Chopra and the legacy he left behind.
Keeping the nepotistic angle aside, being a Bollywood buff, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of what filmmaking felt like from a maker’s point of view. The cinema giant, late Yash should be held responsible for fantasising the idea of love and romance so much and making Hindi cinema so filmy!
Finding his love in Pamela Chopra to having two sons, ‘The Romantics’ traverses his journey from debut film, ‘Dhool Ka Phool’ to last film, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’. An interview clip of late Yash is also played with Shah Rukh Khan (after Jab Tak Hai Jaan) where he had proclaimed this 2012 release as his last directorial. “Ab Iske Baad Filmein Nahin Banauga”, he had said and this uncanny coincidence breaks your heart.
Well, coming back to the series, it’s a chronicle from the time Yash parted ways with his elder brother, B.R. Chopra to making this big empire of YRF from ground zero diving deep into the pool of nostalgia with several cult-classics.
Though 1980’s is not deemed as a very good phase for the Hindi cinema despite the fact, Yash made some really incredible and challenging films including, ‘Chandni’, ‘Kabhie Kabhie’, ‘Silsila’ and many more. Though not all his experiments worked at the ‘box office’ but he has always been very proud of all these films. Nevertheless, Yash would often take these failures personally and on the verge when he was about to leave showbiz, he tried to gave his last shot with typical commercial masala film, ‘Chandni’ which was a huge hit and there was no looking back for him!
As a matter of fact, Yash’s dear wife Pamela Chopra who had written ‘Kabhie Kabhie’ helped him represent women quite opinionated, strong headed and beautiful, different from his contemporaries.
Several superstars and team associated with Yash Raj Films including Amitabh Bachchan, late Rishi Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Anushka Sharma, Bhumi Pednekar and many more speak their heart out but amongst all of them, Aditya Chopra was somebody who you want to hear speaking on and on.
Not only because he has so much to share about his father’s legacy but his understanding of film business and creative mind for filmmaking simply moves you. Watching this docu-series you’ll realise how Aditya is a potential heir behind taking the biggest production company a notch above.
ADITYA CHOPRA TAKING OVER!
The second part turns towards Yash’s prodigal son, Aditya Chopra taking over and how different from his father he wanted to create a film kingdom of his own. Once recalling he remember telling his father that he would direct a film the day he would be able to put 100% money into it.
Yash Raj Films was usually known for making high-end romantic films but Aditya always challenging his creative self, tried his hand in an entirely new genre with action-drama, ‘Dhoom’. The film was not just a blockbuster hit but also one of its kind at that point in time. Reportedly, the craze of the film was such that sale of Motorbikes too had skyrocketed.
From making king size Yash Raj’s own studio, ‘The Romantics’ is a celebration of this cinema giant and also addresses questions on Nepotism and future of YRF. Posing his younger brother, Uday Chopra as an example he says despite coming from an influential family he couldn’t make his brother a superstar because the audience did not just accept him.
In conclusion, he expresses his apprehension over the future of Yash Raj Films if anybody would be able to sustain the legacy he has created.
MUST WATCH OUT FOR:
The web show gives out a sneak peek into trivia related to various movies which one would surely enjoy. One of my favourites is from the movie, ‘Darr’ where kkk Kiran was inspired from a study of the BBC documentary which stated that people’s minds become aware to one sound, and it’s like a sharp current. So, you can’t say the word because and become aware of a sound. To make it a little different, the makers made him aware of the woman he loves the most, her name. So, that’s how he only stammers on the word Kiran.
Interesting na?
As a concluding note, I would just like to say that words will always be less to describe the beauty this web-show has. So, if you’re a true Hindi cinema lover, YOU CAN’T MISS IT OUT!
Remembering him I thank Yash sir for leaving such a priceless legacy behind!
