Finally, Karan Johar’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,’ starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, landed on Amazon Prime, making its OTT debut. As we missed watching it in theaters, we decided to give it a shot on Amazon Prime. While we found the movie to be a one-time watch, and we must say it’s primarily Ranveer Singh’s show as he carries it throughout, here are 7 aspects of the film that left us disappointed:
1. Glorification of Adultery & Cheating
It is quite disturbing how the makers conveniently glorified adultery. The portrayal of Dharmendra cheating on his wife, Jaya Bachchan, with Shabana Azmi, is disheartening. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Bollywood has chosen to romanticize adultery. How could we forget Gheraiyaan and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna?
2. Stereotyping Punjabis as Loud & Ill-Mannered
Bollywood should refrain from perpetuating stereotypes that depict Punjabis as loud and uncultured. And, what’s wrong with Ranveer Singh’s weird clothes?
3. Stretched Movie with Excessive Length
With a runtime of 168 minutes, the film feels unnecessarily stretched. It took us almost an hour to get fully immersed. The first half, in particular, is a drag, making it a struggle to sit through the initial sequences. It’s hard to discern what’s happening on-screen during that part.
4. Faulty Screenplay
The screenplay has several flaws with critical gaps, which is the main reason why the movie couldn’t create the hard-hitting impact typically expected from a KJo movie. The rushed development of Rocky and Rani’s love story leaves viewers confused. Furthermore, the film fails to provide insight into why Rocky’s grandmother, Dhanlakmi Randhawa (Jaya Bachchan), was okay with her husband meeting his ex-lover.
5. Lack of Chemistry between Alia & Ranveer
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect was the absence of chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, especially considering the film’s romantic genre and Karan Johar’s reputation as a maestro of romantic movies. Despite being a romantic drama, the film significantly lacked chemistry between the lead actors.
6. Lackluster Songs
While the movie features some great songs from the past, none of them truly stands out. Given that this is a Karan Johar film, the songs were quite underwhelming.
7. Missing Karan Johar’s Magic
Lastly, we have to admit that the movie lacked Karan Johar’s signature magic. While it may be considered an average entertainer, when it comes to KJo, we simply expect more, anticipating the kind of magic we experienced with classics like ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ or ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.’
Did you watch the movie? How did you find it? Tell us in the comments below.