I believe that Farhan Akhtar is a true example of God’s crafts(wo)manship (has to be a woman; only she could translate her vision into such perfection ). His looks, his charm, his voice as he belts out Socha Hai or as he croons Tum Ho Toh, those eyes. Oh yeah. I could go on and on. I’ll never forget the time when I went to watch the preview show of Rock On. Which a friend was kind enough to ensure I got to see. Truth be told, it was Arjun Rampal who was the original pull. And that indeed, is a story for another time. Coming back, I can recall in perfect detail, the way my jaw dropped when I saw Mr. Akhtar on the big screen for the first time. God is a woman indeed!

But there’s always been something nagging in the deep dark recesses of my mind. Ever since Dil Chahta Hai and we had this debate in class (film studies, I’m guessing) when a really close friend asked a question that has remained with me since then: why did Dimple Kapadia’s character have to die in the end? What if this character hadn’t died? And instead, if she had continued to have a relationship with a younger man, a relationship for which we may not be able to put a name? Would the movie have done just as well? Or better? Or not so well? Would the viewing audiences have accepted such an ending? What if these two characters were to be joined in holy matrimony? Would audiences have been more receptive to that? Was the forecasting of the box-office response a factor in determining the fate of the character? And eye-opening session Sonia Johnson, in case you do happen to stumble upon this piece, sometime, somewhere.

I’m not sure if this has been written about before. But these are thoughts / perspectives / opinions of my own. Call it another way of thinking aloud. Don’t get me wrong - I loved the film – feel, format, friendships. And yet, the very end. When Aamir Khan storms into Preity Zinta’s wedding? Now this is really tough. Aamir Khan is definitely the one man I have loved for the longest time in my life. No debate about it. Well, maybe after Boris Becker. I was 8 when I saw him first in QSQT and man! Was that sweet! Falling in love with him, I mean. So to see him do something like this. I don’t know. The character he plays till then – incredibly real, I thought. I’ll never forget one shot in Tanhai – when he is on the train – the train is moving in one direction and he sits in the other corner staring the other way. Symbolising the loneliness. Genius. Absolutely. But somehow the end, and the character that Zinta plays? Not what I would have thought. This whole thing of being so grateful to a family that’s supported a woman when she’s growing up is fine. But does that mean she has to marry the boy of the house? Even when she feels that this may not be what she wants? Thankfully, she realises that this is wrong for her and makes amends. But if such characters on screen can be strong enough to change their minds, why cant they be strong enough to make it up in the first place itself? What happens to Preity Zinta in Lakshya and the femme fatales in Don – I’m not really getting into too much detail on those here. Suffice to say that it left for a lot more to be desired.

The reason I’m writing this now is Luck by Chance. The role that Mr. Akhtar essays comes across an honest portrayal of what he, as a struggling actor, goes through. Everything, from the acting classes, to cajoling Mr. Bhatt’s AD to pass on his photographs, taking the grandfather clock for the shoot and helping a friend in dire need. Some of the scenes, I could learn a lot from, especially given the profession I’m in. The easy charm with Dimple Kapadia’s character, how he oh so subtly eliminates competition in the last round and needless to say, turning out to be what probably a lot of other men would be. But it is Konkana Sen, with her last word, who is bound to remain with me for a much longer time. Her stand when Vikram meets her towards the end to apologise, her words - that it is guilt this time around that has brought him back, there may always be a next time and over and beyond all this, where does she feature in his list of priorities? – these are things that so many women go through. Not just in terms of marriages or relationships but also in terms of platonic relationships. It made me wonder. Why doesn’t Preity Zinta’s character ask these questions in DCH? Yes, the characters are so different. Yes, that was made a number of years back (but still, later than a film where a girl marries the man who originally loved her mother). Yes, maybe the audiences have evolved over the years. But maybe – just maybe - because LBC is made by a woman? Ms. Akhtar, no less. Just something to mull over.

Everything said and done, mine still remains one of the million hearts you broke, Mr. Akhtar (ref: Oye It’s Friday, featuring Deepika Padukone)