Reminiscing 'Manmarziyaan' before Anurag Kashyap comes back with another romantic-drama
Anurag Kashyap, the flagbearer of unconventional storytelling in Hindi cinema is known for his dark and gory films. Hence, when he ventured into the romantic genre, it raised eyebrows. He shattered Bollywood's gold standard of romance with realistic romance in 2018—Manmarziyaan. As he returns with another teenage romantic drama Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat (releasing Friday), let's look back at the 2018 love-triangle drama.
Conventional yet out-of-the-box storyline
Manmarziyaan is about Rumi (Tapsee Pannu), DJ Sandz (Vicky Kaushal), and Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan). Rumi and Sandz are passionate lovers but Sandz is commitment-phobic with no goals in life. In the meantime, via a matrimony agent, Robbie chooses Rumi and the film revolves around the conflictual minds humans go through when in love. In the international circuit, the film was titled Husband Material.
Kashyap's love for portraying human relationships
The film is rooted like every other Kashyap film and exudes Punjabiyat at its best. The film has three love tracks—Kaushal and Pannu's passionate love story, Robbie's silent-yet-strong love for Rumi, and Robbie and Rumi's calming and fitting love story. Kashyap shows the intricacies of human relationships when passion takes over love, leading to conflict of the mind.
Writing poetry with light, visuals
Kashyap's visuals are striking. The man knows how to weave poetry through light. In Manmarziyaan, there are twin sisters who break into dance in the alleys of Amritsar (where the story is set), every time Rumi is about to make a decision. It shows the conflict in her mind and how she takes most decisions with her heart. The background score complements the visuals.
Amit Trivedi's music shows facets of love
Kashyap uses music to propel his stories. All his films have iconic and distinct music. He collaborated with Amit Trivedi for this film and he produced an album that had the peppiness of today's youth and emoted the raw and vulnerable meaning of love. From Grey Walaa Shade to Daryaa to Sacchi Mohabbat, the entire album goes through the gamut of love.
Complex, messy, and vulnerable characters
Love triangles are done and dusted in Hindi cinema but what makes this film stand out is its characters. The distinct characters, their psyche, and their inner conflict are shown with a tender touch and how we humans behave in general. The characters are flawed and messy—just like love. The movie encapsulates human inhibitions at its best, just like Anton Chekov's novels.
Exploring Bachchan Jr. through Kashyap's lens
The film marks Bachchan's return after a two-year hiatus. Kashyap explores his acting prowess which got overshadowed by Big B's mega-stardom. Bachchan 2.0 is about donning challenging and distinct characters. Kaushal and Pannu's adept acting skills are at their best and make the viewers relate to them. In the scene where Pannu screams at Kaushal, his eye movement depicts the dilemma with such ease.
Is 'Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat' a spiritual sequel?
In Almost Pyaar with Dj Mohabbat, Kaushal is back as a DJ making fans wonder if it's a spiritual sequel. Kashyap is on a journey to explore Gen Z teenage romances and their idea of love. He said in many interviews that this idea came while speaking with his daughter Aaliyah Kashyap. Alaya F and newcomer Karan Mehta look promising in the trailer.
What to expect from the upcoming film?
Though Kashyap has said that these two films are totally different, the look and color grade of the upcoming film promises certain strands from Manmarziyaan. As fans, we all hope that this Valentine's Day season, Kashyap brings kranti with DJ Mohabbat!
