Aap Jaisa Koi

Ashok Kumar…hot? His tone smacks of surprise but there’s a glint of hope in it. Perhaps the sweet, sober fella too stands a chance with a lady who finds Dadamoni hot. His confidence grows as they test if their cute girl-meets-nerdy boy can be turned into a recipe for a rom-com whilst giving into the magic of the movies inside a cozy Kolkata theatre playing Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. Director Vivek Soni’s charmingly crafted Aap Jaisa Koi wears its old-fashioned heart on its sleeve but is also quick to dismiss outdated relationship ideals thriving in the shadow of patriarchy. Even though Aap Jaisa Koi begins with a song from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (and not the Qurbani banger of the same name), it draws inspiration from Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani for its social commentary wrapped in a romcom.

Sanskrit teacher Shrirenu Tripathi (R Madhavan) is unhappily single at 42. He nearly loses hope of settling down until he is introduced to 32-year-old Madhu Bose (Fatima Sana Shaikh), a pretty girl proficient in French. He lives in Jamshedpur; she in Kolkata. Despite their age gap, contrasting personality and mindset, they hit it off. An arranged marriage evolving into love seems likely but there’s more to their story than meets the eye. While he’s over the moon to have finally found a companion who loves him just as deeply, a nagging fear still lingers. Why would someone as beautiful, young, and accomplished as Madhu fall for someone like him? What could she possibly see in him? His fear turns into reality when ahead of their marriage, he discovers the two have a past. The movie begins on a promising note. A single man in his 40’s, believing in old school romance is ashamed of being a virgin because society feels so. For the modern world, he is abnormal, an awkward loser, who needs to do something about his situation because there’s no way he can be happy. Madhu on the contrary, is liberal and wonders why anyone would expect women to be virgins today. Their match feels doomed from the beginning until they find a common ground amid the chaos and moral conflict.

‘ओह, आप कितनी लकी हैं कि आपका पति आपको नौकरी करने देते हैं। शाम को देर से आती हैं, तब भी कुछ नहीं कहते।’ यह बात हर शादीशुदा कामकाजी औरत ने कभी ना कभी सुनी होगी। ऐसे पति भी खुद को मॉडर्न सोच का रोलमॉडल समझते हैं, क्‍योंकि वे अपनी पत्नी को जॉब करने देते हैं। वहीं, बीवियां भी खुशी से फूले नहीं समातीं कि वे कितनी भाग्यवान हैं। बस, हैपी एंडिंग। लेकिन कोई यह नहीं पूछता कि आप होते कौन हैं किसी को काम करने देने के लिए इजाजत देने वाले? पति-पत्नी तो शादी की गाड़ी में दो पहिए होते हैं ना, तो दोनों बराबर क्यों नहीं? और यही जरूरी सवाल करती है, करण जौहर के बैनर की ताजातरीन फिल्म ‘आप जैसा कोई’। बराबरी वाला प्यार, जिसमें ‘जितने तुम उतनी मैं’ की पैरवी करती यह प्रेम कहानी समाज में पसरी पितृसत्तात्मक सोच पर तगड़ा चोट करती है। कहानी जमशेदपुर के श्रीरेणु त्रिपाठी (आर माधवन) की है, जो 42 की उम्र में भी कुंवारे हैं। संस्कृत के अध्यापक श्रीरेणु के जीवन में कन्या का प्रवेश हो ही नहीं पा रहा। किसी लड़की को उनका नाम पसंद नहीं आता, तो किसी को उनका काम। ऐसे में, उनका बचपन का दोस्त दीपक (नमित दास) उनकी मुलाकात डेटिंग ऐप ‘आप जैसा कोई’ से करवा देता है। इस ऐप के जरिए श्रीरेणु एक कन्या से मीठी-मीठी बातें करते हैं, जिससे उनके उदासी भरे चेहरे पर मुस्कान तैरने लगती है। मगर चमत्कार तो तब होता है, जब कोलकाता की हसीन-जहीन मधु बोस (फातिमा सना शेख) उनकी जिंदगी में आती है।

What happens when a middle-aged Sanskrit teacher who has never had the pleasure of female company, forget about physical intimacy, is given a glimpse of heaven? At long last, something he never thought was possible, is within his grasp: a gorgeous younger woman is interested in him. Is it for real? Is there a catch? There’s promise in the premise. Relationship dramas are really where plots can dance around humans and their impulses, and actors can dig into nuance. The thing with Aap Jaisa Koi is that the surprise element is never given the kind of free reign that would lift the material.