It’s safe to say that globally, viewers have been pining for a rom-com which carries the same freshness and originality of early 90s flicks.
But it seems that most rom-coms released since the early 2010s have failed to make the grade, and the ever-growing pile of bland romances featuring even blander characters just keep expanding. Unfortunately, Aap Jaisa Koi is no different. Its meta-textual references, Wes-Anderson style technicolour scenes and its homages to films made in the 50s, seem to be an attempt to distract the viewer from the fact that it has nothing new to say.
AT A GLANCE
Film: Aap Jaisa Koi (Netflix)
Director: Vivek Soni
Cast: R.Madhavan, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Ayesha Raza, Saheb Chatterjee, Manish Chaudhary, Namit Das, Beena Banerjee
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
As the characters point out, this is a relationship which is centred around a well-worn trope, where “cute girl” meets “nerdy boy.” The film attempts to subvert this through its feminist messaging, but it falls short of offering the nuance needed.
Meet Shrirenu Tripathi (R. Madhavan), a Sanskrit teacher who hungers for companionship, yet inadvertently kills any chemistry he shares with his dates. Despite being essentially an incel type character, minus the bitterness and anger, Madhavan portrays him as a sweet, well-to-do type encumbered by his insecurity. Aap Jaisa Koi review
His little life, structured around a daily routine of watering his plants, feeding his pet rat (it’s unexplained as to how he got it, why and what its eventual fate is), and teaching his class is disrupted by Madhu Bose (Fatima Sana Shaikh). She’s a teacher who is independent, confident and inexplicably drawn to the male lead.
The film relies on the audience stretching their imagination to believe that such a pairing would agree to a second date, in order to explore the question at its heart: is it possible for a man who unwittingly carries deeply conservative ideals to truly understand and respect a modern and progressive woman?
Arguably, any honest exploration of such a dynamic is unsuited to a rom-com, especially one which spends the first half building up the relationship, and only has a meagre hour to portray the extent of Shrirenu’s conservatism, the type of liberal ideas Madhu holds dear, what it looks like when these ideals clash and what it takes to overcome such a clash.
The film ends with Shrirenu promising to be a better man and to simply learn how to be progressive without properly showcasing his ability to do either.
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As a result, watching this film is to imagine what could have been. Instead of a shock twist which reveals Madhu to be an agentic, sexual being, thus highlighting the extent of their differences (a twist which surprised no one), a few more dates could have not only made the audience understand the dynamic of this relationship, but also be more invested in it.
For all its flaws, the film effectively portrays the biting loneliness of modern dating. It’s something which shines through even during comedic moments. This is especially so in the first half of the film where just one meandering, meaningless phone call with a woman is enough to plunge Shrirenu into a romantic fantasy. This is clearly a man who, for the majority of his adult life, has been starved of true human connection. Aap Jaisa Koi review
This scene is heightened by Madhavan’s grasp of comedic timing and his ability to channel an awkward alter-ego through his physicality. Whether that’s through the self-conscious act of touching his hair, his slight slouch or the giddy smile which spreads across his face after a compliment.
The music in this film is also central to its comedy, such that it has a character of its own. It doesn’t merely create an atmosphere, but it adds to the story through the intertwining of digital sounds, such as that of a dial tone, with its main score.
If this same originality could have continued through the rest of the film, then perhaps it could have been the rom-com we all long for. Until then, we’ll just keep pining for “the one.”
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