Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na released 14 years ago. This Indian romantic comedy by Abbas Tyrewala aptly portrayed millennials and their relationships- from siblings’ bond to an oddball but relatable college gang.
It’s also crazy how the content hasn’t aged a bit and remains relevant to this date. Here are a few reasons why this uncharacteristically Bollywood film is still one of our dearests-
1. The sibling bond between Aditi and her brother, Amit, played by Prateik Babbar, reflected actual brother-sister relationships.
Amit and Aditi, always at each other’s tails, squabbling like Tom and Jerry, is how siblings act around each other. He also stands up for Aditi when Sushant Modi, Aditi’s fiancé, is being a serious jerk to her. This is siblings. We might fight 24×7, but how dare anyone else so much as raise their voice at our brother/sister?
Siblings-
Also, siblings-
2. The characterisation of the protagonists, Aditi and Jai, defied stereotypes.
Coy, submissive and hence an object of desire- this is your typical Bollywood heroine. But, Aditi, on the other hand, was loud, didn’t take bullshit from people and wasn’t afraid to throw a punch when someone ticked her off. Jai, the Rajput hero of the film, was miles away from the ‘macho’ stereotype that Bollywood heroes typically abide by.
3. The two parent-child relationships shown in the film- Jai’s mother and Aditi’s Peachy and Pumpkin- are wholesome portrayals of a family.
Peachy and Pumpkin AKA Aditi’s parents might be one of the coolest parents in cinematic history. And so was Jai’s mom. These characters kept up with the romantic involvements of their children and supported them through it all. What goals, man.
The sort of bond Aditi and Jai shared with each other’s parents was also heartwarming.
There is this particular scene, when Aditi’s dad is scolding Amit and her for fighting in front of a ‘mehmaan‘, hinting at Jai. Jai looks around the room as though thinking ‘kaun mehmaan?’
4. Savitri, the single mother- who has hustled hard and consciously raised a sensible and not entitled man in Jai- deserves a separate mention.
Jai and his mother, Savitri, played by Ratna Pathak, take turns to cook food. She raises him in a way that ensures he doesn’t turn into his father, who died in a ‘manly’ fight. She instills a certain sensitivity in him and he’s also able to express his emotions rather than suppressing them.
5. The music album composed by A. R. Rahman had some breezy, fun, and even intense compositions, that captured the essence of love and friendship.
Even after 11 years, we can still listen to its songs on repeat. From the lyrics to the melody- the songs carried this eternal charm and we are still spellbound.
6. Jiggy, Rotlu, Sandhya and Shaleen – a college gang of a few oddballs- showed friendship in the most relatable tint.
The story starts with the gang awaiting Jai and Aditi’s flight. They tell Jiggy’s date the story of how they ended up together. Their light-hearted conversation, with instances of pulling each other’s leg and laughing at each other, reminded us of our ol’ college group.
7. Although Aditi and Jai end up getting married, the film had at its heart the beauty along with the hurt of friendships.
Sandhya, who is dating Rotlu, somewhere likes Jai, where as Rotlu likes Aditi. How complicated and messed up is that? Yeah, but this is how life actually is.
8. Unlike Bollywood these days, the film didn’t put up with toxic masculinity and abusive relationships.
Sushant and Aditi’s relationship although started pretty smoothly ended up hitting a bump, when Sushant started exhibiting jealous behaviour that pretty soon escalated into aggression. But, the storyline does away with this toxic relationship. Jai is the solid foil of Sushant’s character- calm, composed and sensitive.
9. The breezy and sometimes absurd humour strikes a chord with the reality of millennial friendships.
10. And despite it all, the film still offered some Bollywood masala of the happily ever after, although in its own peculiar flavour.
Jai rides a horse to chase Aditi at the airport while the security thinks he’s a ‘terrorist’. And oh, before he does that, dude also goes to jail for punching Sushant. Drrrramaa.
Point is, we relate. Even to this date. And we continue to watch this feel good film and laugh, smile, and cry as we did the first time.
Images are screenshots taken from YouTube unless stated otherwise.