YJHD re-release stirs nostalgia for Bollywood’s romcom era, fans are ‘sick of larger-than-life pan-India films’
Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone may have multiple career defining projects under their belt but nothing really manages to hit the spot as wholesomely as 2013 blockbuster Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Not only did the film warmly bring the former flames back together for a warm (on screen) reunion, but also gave Gen Z, easily one of their most beloved contemporary classics. Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani re-release has fans feeling nostalgic and ‘done’ with pan-India wave(Photos: X) A big statement we know, but the proof is in the pudding. The film has officially re-released in select theatre chains today, and if trade reports are to be believed has already sold upwards of 26,000 tickets. Now the number is as much if not more than what some big banner massy, ‘North-meets-South’ action flicks have managed to rake in, in terms of ticket sales (yes, we’re referring to Varun Dhawan and Atlee’s tanking Ba John). Ranbir’s Bunny and Deepika’s Naina’s star-crossed love story, wrapped in the magic of friendship, clearly still has takers, pumped enough to make the trip to the theatres even though the film continues to stream on OTT. The nostalgia meter has just gone through the roof for fans with this, yes for YJHD, but also for Bollywood’s booming era of wholesomely crafted romcoms. And comments on social media aren’t shying away from expressing it: “i remember waiting in a long line to buy tickets for this film when it released and there were few people behind me who had to leave coz the show became housefull…it was damn crazy!” and “We need to bring rom coms back man! Come on. Bring back good music, decent writing- no one is expecting too much!”, read a few. Some comments even pointed out how despite the cinematic upscaling and excellence the pan-India projects are trying to achieve, as a product for audience consumption, they aren’t always being able to achieve the vision. A comment expressing the same read, “So true. Just a feel good, comforting film. I’m sick of the larger than life, Pan-India films. It’ll have all the big actors, director with good track record, big production house, top class music director; yet they don’t quite hit the note”. While Bollywood’s era of experimentation definitely shouldn’t be discouraged, fans at the moment appear to be looking for comfort watches. Take Maddock’s mammoth roster for its horror-comedy universe with names like Shraddha Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Alia Bhatt, Rashmika Mandanna, Kiara Advani and Sharvari headlining the projects, lined up to as far as 2028. It’s definitely fanned a lot of excitement, but there are still those odd comments pointing out, “Aren’t they over saturating and milking this horror genre too much now”. Late last month, the official first looks of Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor’s Param Sundari were shared and fans couldn’t help but point out what a dead ringer the vibe of it was to the early 2010s. Good news for team Param Sundari then?
