It’s the classic, O.G rom-com that every desi is obsessed with, right? But what if I told you that Bollywood has finally decided to switch the ionic couple Raj and Simran with an adorable homosexual couple– Kartik and Anand?
Their struggles of fighting the world for their love, convincing their conservative families for acceptance is literally the same as Raj and Simran but this time it’s actually Jeetu Bhaiya (instead of Simran) running after a train to grab the hopeless romantic hero’s hand.
Well, with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Bollywood has finally given us the much-needed, new-age re-creation of Dilwale Dulhaniyaan Le Jayenge and this time it’s through a gender-less lens to celebrate and deal with the struggles of same-sex, rainbow love.
25-years-ago, Dilwale Dulhaniye Le Jayenge acquainted our grandparents’ generation to the concept of love marriages and made them realise that they’re not such a taboo after all.
We really hope that Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, which runs on the same tracks as DDLJ, opens boomers’ minds to accept homosexuality and makes them realise that there’s nothing wrong with rainbow love and the LGBTQIA+ community.
With Gajraj Rao playing Mr. Tripathi, the uptight, conservative father who tried to play by the societal rules, he wants to get his son married to a girl as soon as he discovers his son Aman (Jeetu Bhaiya) is in love with someone else.
Aman is a closeted homosexual who loves his family as much as he loves his boyfriend. After various failed attempts of trying to come out to his family and convince them to accept him for who he is, he succumbs to societel pressure, gives up and decides to marry a girl to save the love of his life ( giving me major Simran vibes)
But Kartik, Aman’s boyfriend being the crusader of change he is, tries to convince and normalise the concept of a same-sex relationship to Mr. Tritaphi and his family with all his heart, even if that means getting bashed with a huge ass danda for the man he loves.
Not only that, with his filmy soul that gives us major Raj vibes, Aman being teh rebel with a cause, he chooses to stay in the shaadi wala Tripathi ghar till the love of his life sits on the ghooda.
After a drama-filled scenario, set a day before the historical verdict, decriminalising article 377, Aman doesn’t end up getting married to the girl his parents choose for him.
Towards the end, after the verdict rules in the LGBTQIA+ community’s favour and legitimising Aman and Kartik’s relationship, Mr. Tripathi ends up showing his soft side with a sigh of relief.
As he gets off his patriarchial high horse, he sees his son’s happiness with a bleak hope of acceptance. He finaly says the words that set Aman’s dilemma between choosing his family and the love of his life free. He says, “Ja Simran, ja. Jee le apni zindagi.”
With all the fun-filled satire and with a clear and loud social message, I don’t think any movie can ever come closer to DDLJ, the way Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan has. Fight me on it.
