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Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
File:Rab ne.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Aditya Chopra
Produced by	Aditya Chopra Yash Chopra
Screenplay by	Aditya Chopra
Story by	Aditya Chopra
Starring	Shahrukh Khan Anushka Sharma Vinay Pathak
Music by	Salim-Sulaiman
Cinematography	Ravi K. Chandran
Editing by	Ritesh Soni
Distributed by	Yash Raj Films
Release date(s)	December 12, 2008
Running time	167 min.[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	20 crore (US$3.99 million) [2][3]
Box office	158 crore (US$31.52 million)[4]

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Hindi: रब ने बना दी जोड़ी; translation: A Match Made by God)^[5] commonly referred to as RNBDJ, is a 2008 Indian romantic comedy film directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Raj Films. Shahrukh Khan stars in the film as mild-mannered office worker Surinder Sahni, whose love for beautiful, vivacious Taani (Anushka Sharma), causes him to transform himself into the loud and fun-loving "Raj" to win her love. It was released worldwide on 12 December 2008.

The soundtrack of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was composed by Salim-Sulaiman and it became the first Bollywood soundtrack to reach the top ten albums sales for the iTunes Store.^[6] This film marks the return of Aditya Chopra to directing after 8 years, since he last directed the film Mohabbatein. The film was not heavily promoted pre-release, contrary to previous Khan or Yash Raj films, mainly because of the filmmakers' decision to keep it low profile due to the terror attacks in Mumbai.^[7]

Upon release, the film received positive reviews and broke many box office records. It was declared a blockbuster despite the fact that it was released only two weeks after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, amidst uncertainty and apprehensions from the trade regarding market conditions at the time. At the end of its theatrical run, it grossed over 158 crore (US$31.52 million) worldwide and was also the highest grossing film of the year in the overseas market, thus becoming Yash Raj Films and Shahrukh Khan's highest grossing film at the time of its release.^[8] The film is currently the tenth highest grossing Bollywood film according to worldwide gross collections.^[9]

The script of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was recognized by a number of critics and was invited to be included in the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just a day after its release.^[10]

Plot[link]

Shy, introverted, and kind-hearted Surinder "Suri" Sahni (Shahrukh Khan) is an office employee for Punjab Power. He meets the daughter of his former professor (M.K. Raina), beautiful and vivacious Taani Gupta (Anushka Sharma), during the preparations for her wedding. A short while later, the shocking news arrives that her fiancé and his wedding entourage were killed in a road accident. Taani's father suffers a heart attack at the news. Fearing that Taani will be alone in the world, the professor on his deathbed, requests Suri to marry her. Suri silently concedes as he likes her anyway; Taani tearfully agrees for her father's sake.

After an impromptu wedding, Suri takes Taani to his ancestral home in Amritsar. While his good nature leads Suri to treat her with exceptional care, by letting her have his bedroom all to herself, and patience, he is too frightened to profess his love for her. Besides which, Taani tells him that while she will try to be a good wife and thus respect her role in his life, she can never love him due to having no love left within her. Suri, least bothered and grateful for the increasing acts of wifely affection she does show, proceeds to indulge her wishes. These include regular evening trips to the cinema to see song and dance films which appeal to Taani's fantasies about romance and her passion for dancing. She soon asks for Suri's permission, which he grants, to take an expensive dance class with a Bombay company, Dancing Jodi, to unwind from her mundane life at home.

During those evenings spent at the movies, Suri realizes the strong, masculine images that Taani admires and later asks his long-time chum Balwinder "Bobby" Khosla (Vinay Pathak), a hair-salon owner, for grooming advice so as to win her love. Bobby gives him a complete makeover — shaving off his mustache (an accidental gag), modding his hairstyle, fitting him out in funky Western-style clothing including aviator-style shades with oversize pastel lenses. Suri is thus transformed into "Raj Kapoor", a name he borrows from the hero of the movie that Taani had admired. He joins the dance class to be near her. By chance — or, as he puts it, by divine choice — he becomes Taani's partner in the competition. Despite Raj's initial over-the-top attempts to emulate the "cool" images from movies, he and Taani become friends as they work together on their dance routine. Suri feels encouraged when Taani does not tie a rakhi (holy thread) on "Raj's" wrist during the festival of Raksha Bandhan (for to do so would indicate that she thought of him only as a brother). Thus, after some time, Raj declares his love for her.

Taani is shocked, to say the least, and enters into a period of internal conflict. Suri also faces a dilemma: Taani's misery as his wife in contrast to her delight with his fabricated alter ego, Raj. He thus attempts to win Taani's love as Suri, an act which only alienates her further. She eventually runs away to find Raj to tell him the predicament she is in, hoping he will help her. He offers to elope with her, which she agrees to, tearfully. They set the date for their elopement to the next night, the night of the competition. Later that night, Suri tells Bobby that he will end the charade in his own way, i.e., sacrifice his cravings for her love, leave her his property and transfer himself to Delhi.

On the day of the competition, Suri takes Taani to the Golden Temple to gain God's blessings for her performance that night and, internally, also for her life with(out) Raj. While there, Taani has a realization in which she believes God has shown her a sign that her marriage to Suri is divinely inspired. For the first time she reflects on her husband and becomes aware of the strength and integrity of Suri's character, something she can grow to love. Taani thus tells Raj that she cannot choose him over her newly discovered life-partner. She leaves him in what appears to be a state of shock with tears in his eyes. When the time comes for their performance Taani is stunned to see Suri instead of Raj joining her on stage. While dancing Taani puts two and two together and through a series of flashbacks awakens to the fact that Suri is Raj. Backstage she confronts Suri and when he confesses his love for her, she tearfully admits that she returns his feelings. The two, having won the competition, head off on a honeymoon to Japan.

Cast[link]

• Shahrukh Khan as Surinder "Suri" Sahni/Raj Kapoor
• Anushka Sharma as Tania "Taani" Sahni
• Vinay Pathak as Balwinder "Bobby" Khosla
• Manmeet Singh as "Raju" garage owner
• M.K. Raina as Taani's father and Surinder's professer
• Anuj Tikku as D.K.

Special appearances during the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte":

• Kajol
• Bipasha Basu
• Lara Dutta
• Preity Zinta
• Rani Mukerji

Production[link]

Theme[link]

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi tells a story from the point of view of an ordinary person and, most importantly, conveys a message that being 'ordinary' is cool. The filmmakers were confident that it would be able to strike a chord with millions because the film has ordinary people as its target audience:^[11]

"As middle class people, so many of us have a routine life. We wake up in the morning, get dressed, go to office, come back, sometimes for a change we buy things to take home, watch TV, eat dinner and go to sleep. And then we repeat this day after day, week after week. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi talks about one such man who lives a routine life. It is a simple film at heart."^[12]

Casting and filming[link]

In February 2008, Aditya Chopra announced that he will helm another film titled Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and that it will star his lucky mascot, Shah Rukh Khan. The female lead was to be a newcomer who would be chosen following a massive talent hunt for a young, demure woman with quintessential Punjabi features.^[13] In May Yash Raj announced the casting of the 19-year-old model Anushka Sharma as the heroine. Yash Chopra commented:

"We were looking first for someone who could truly embody the spirit of small town Punjab. We know we have found her in Anushka. While she has no previous acting experience, we have seen that unique spark in her that makes us confident that she will be a standout even opposite Shah Rukh"^[14] Sharma was chosen over hundreds of girls for this role and was kept hidden from the media during the filming. When asked about that, Khan said: "The idea was not to keep her a secret; we wanted her work to speak for her. When new actors come into films, it is important for people to see their work and then question them. It becomes easier after the film releases."^[15] Vinay Pathak was cast to play an important role in the film, making it its first commercial outing.^[16]

Filming began in May 2008; Yash Chopra was present at the shoot.^[17] A portion was shot with Khan at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.^[18] Khan had to lose the six-pack abs he developed for the song "Dard-E-Disco" of Om Shanti Om since he was essaying the role of a very normal, regular person.^[19]

Promotion[link]

The first look of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released in October in theaters and multiplexes across India, with full-page advertisements in national dailies. The first theatrical promo was released on November 14, during the screening of Karan Johar's Dostana. Initially very little was known about the movie and there were many theories floating around on the Internet about the story.^[20][21] The first music promo of the song "Haule Haule" was released on November 2, 2008 across all leading television channels to coincide with Khan's birthday.^[22]

Release[link]

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was released across 30 countries worldwide on December 12, 2008 in over 1,200 screens, including approximately 300 prints for the overseas market, making it the first time a Bollywood film was released on such a wide scale.^[23] Before release, the film witnessed a large volume of advance bookings.^[24] Aditya Chopra, who is known for maintaining secrecy over his films and not showing them to anyone until the day of release, made an exception and held a special screening on November 23, 2008 at Yash Raj Studios. The screening was attended by Khan and his family, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra and debutante Anushka Sharma.^[25]

There was a huge debate in the industry whether Aditya Chopra's decision to go ahead with the release of film in the wake of the terror strikes in Mumbai was the right one. With the trauma of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai city on November 26, 27 and 28 still fresh, there was divided opinion on the release schedule. While some felt that Chopra should go ahead with the release because the public, tired and depressed after watching news of the attacks and the aftermath on television screens, would be waiting for a true entertainer to divert its mind, others thought he should postpone the film release as the audiences, not just in Mumbai but all over the country, were still not in a mood to visit theatres.^[26]

Home media[link]

Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave the DVD of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that it is a good choice if you "want to watch a clean family movie at home." The DVD includes the documentaries, The Making of the Film and The Making of the Songs ("Haule Haule", "Dance Pe Chance", "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte") as well as a number of deleted scenes and interviews.^[27] The film was released on Blu-ray a year after its theatrical release.

Reception[link]

Critical reception[link]

Upon release, the film received positive reviews. Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times calls Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi an "agreeably amusing comedy/romance/musical" noting that, "the magnetic Khan is a skilled enough comic actor with his physical transformation—like a Peter Sellers-ish recessive turning into a Jerry Lewis extrovert—that believing Taani wouldn't notice isn't difficult."^[28] Rachel Saltz of The New York Times describes it as "soft, sweet and slow, in the words of one of its songs. It deftly blends comedy, the ruling tone of the new Bollywood, with melodrama, the ruling tone of the old."^[29] Manish Gajjar of the BBC gave the film 4 out of 5 stars noting that, "Shah Rukh Khan makes you laugh and cry as the nerdy-looking, clumsy, bespectacled Surinder and the all hip and happening Raj. A true professional in his own right, Khan breezes through his dialogues during the emotional and comic scenes."^[30] Frank Lovece of Film Journal International argues that it is "smarter and more self-aware of its rom-com contrivances than most Hollywood movies" and notes that while "the movie's cleverness eventually devolves into a simplistic Harlequin-Romance-for-males wish-fulfillment about beauty and the geek, it's a very well-acted variation on a Hollywood staple."^[31] Critic and author Maitland McDonagh of MissFlickChick.com stated that the film, "has been dismissed in some quarters as self-conscious and artificial, a coyly self-referential reworking of outdated movie tropes a la Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven, but it works for me in a way that most contemporary Hollywood romcoms don't." ^[32]

Some critics did not give the film very favorable reviews. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN was critical, giving it two out of five stars and stating that "Aditya Chopra's return to direction after eight years is marked by a flawed script, which in turn spawns a disappointing film. Where's the smart dialogue and the spirited characters that defined his debut film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge? There's no trace of either in this film ... the problem then, at the root of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, is that much like those artificial sets in the film, the emotions too are contrived."^[33] Derek Elley of Variety argues that the film has "a huge, hollow center that sinks the project early on ... A paper-thin script drags itself to the finish line amid tiresome mugging by Khan, a huge credibility gap (she never recognizes him without his glasses and mustache?) and a blah score with only one showstopper (featuring five famous actresses)." ^[34]

A number of critics have further noted the similarities between this movie and superhero films. Khalid Mohamed, of the Hindustan Times, gave the film three and half out of five stars stating that Suri "is a soul brother to the mousy Clark-Kent-cum-Superman" who "makes you laugh and sob alternately."^[35] Mayank Shekhar from Mumbai Mirror gave the film three out of five stars and argues that "[The] same person, oppositely twinned, is usually the stuff of super-hero films; the kinds of Clark Kent-Superman, Peter Parker-Spiderman etc. You feel entirely lost in this fantasy flick, because for most part, it’s built around something so intimate and real. It’d be much easier to travel to foreign countries around far-fetched situations with fake heroes." ^[36] In addition, Sudish Kamath of The Hindu states that while Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi could have been an interesting art film exploring the dynamics of an arranged marriage, the director instead "treats this character type like Sam Raimi would treat Spider-Man ... Superhero ‘Raj’ slips into costume and out, complains how it gets uncomfortable around the crotch, to win over his Mary Jane with not much saving-the-world business to keep him busy. But while Spidey does it for a bigger reason than just MJ, Raj’s sole motivation is to stalk his wife and play out his fantasy as somebody else. His obsession with his alter-ego reaches new heights when he wants his wife to cheat on the real him—the goofy Surinder Saini who starts off well."^[37]

Box office[link]

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was a "top first week earner", collecting 42 crore (US$8.38 million) in its opening week.^[38] By its fourth week, it had earned 86 crore (US$17.16 million), making it Khan's third consecutive blockbuster in two years.^[39] The film grossed $8.43 million in the overseas market of which $2.09 million was contributed by the United States and $2.24 million from the UK, and was declared a blockbuster in the overseas as well.^[40]

The film made a record theatrical run of 120 days in Mumbai theaters. At the end of its theatrical run, it grossed 157.89 crore (US$31.5 million) worldwide, thus becoming Yash Raj Films' and Khan's highest grossing film at the time of its release.^[8] It was the second highest grossing film domestically and the highest grossing in the overseas market that year. It is currently the ninth highest grossing Bollywood film according to worldwide gross collections.^[9]

Soundtrack[link]

The soundtrack of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was composed by Salim-Sulaiman. The song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" pays homage to Bollywood actors Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor and actresses Nargis, Nutan, Helen, Sharmila Tagore and Neetu Singh. The performance of the song includes appearances by Kajol, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji.^[41]

Serbian pop singer Jelena Karleuša remade the song "Dance Pe Chance" as "Insomnia" in 2010 and became a huge hit. Bulgarian pop singer Ivana also made a copy of the same song as "Nedei".

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi film's score is the first Bollywood soundtrack to reach the top ten albums sales for the iTunes Store.^[6]

Awards[link]

2009 Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards

• Won: Best Actor - Shah Rukh Khan
• Won: Best Debut Female - Anushka Sharma
• Won: Best Choreography - Shiamak Davar - Dance Pe Chance
• Won: Best Lyrics - Jaideep Sahni - Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai
• Won: Female Playback Singer - Shreya Ghoshal - Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai ^[42]

2009 Filmfare Awards

• Won: Filmfare Best Male Playback Award - Sukhwinder Singh ("Haule Haule")
• Won: Filmfare Best Scene of the Year Award (The rose scene)
• Nominated:Best Actor - Shah Rukh Khan
• Nominated:Best Actress - Anushka Sharma
• Nominated:Best Director - Aditya Chopra
• Nominated:Best Film - Aditya Chopra
• Nominated:Best Female Playback Singer - Sunidhi Chauhan ("Dance pe Chance")
• Nominated:Best Supporting Actor - Vinay Pathak

2009 International Indian Film Academy Awards

• Nominated:Best Actor
• Nominated: Best Supporting Actor - Vinay Pathak
• Nominated: Best Lyrics
• Nominated:Best Male Playback Singer [1]

2009 Stardust Awards

• Nominated: Stardust Award for Superstar Of Tomorrow - Female
• Nominated:Best Film
• Nominated:Best Director
• Nominated: Stardust Award for Star Of The Year - Male

2009 Star Screen Awards

• Nominated:Most Promising Newcomer - Anushka Sharma
• Nominated:Best Actor - Shah Rukh Khan
• Nominated:Best Choreography
• Nominated:Best Male Playback Singer
• Nominated:Best Female Playback Singer
• Nominated: Best Lyrics^[43]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Official trailer: General
• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi at the Internet Movie Database
• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi at Box Office Mojo
• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi at Bollywood Hungama
• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi at Rediff.com
• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' at BBC

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