Review: Yeh Jawani He Diwani

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Watched ‘yeh jawani he diwani’ today. Yes, finally! And have been singing ‘Illahi’to myself ever since. I loved the movie. Awesome songs, awesome dialogues, awesome acting from Ranbir, Deepika, Aditya and Kalki. It is a feel good movie, with a ‘slice of life’ story about the characters. One would easily fall in love with each of the characters, get swayed to their worlds, their dreams, ambitions (or the lack of it!).It is about something we can easily connect with- friends, fun, masti, dreams, career, love, life, time, the bygone days- and every time while spending time with friends being equally aware that today’s present is going to be tomorrow’s box full of memories… We all love the past, and we cherish our memories with all our heart. If you do too, you’d surely love the movie...

Talking about the lead characters, the awesome actors portray the awesomely scripted characters. Deepika’s Naina is a simple girl who has studied her whole life, and is doing medicine presently. She has done no pranks, no mischief, and no daring act in life to brag about. She had no friends in school because she didn’t talk to anyone, just sat at one corner and studied. She is bored with her life and decides to take a break from studying, give her priorities a rest and joins her friends for the Manali trek through make my trip. We see her enjoying herself for the first time, giving her too reserved self a farewell, accepting and attempting thrill, and falling in love. The smiley face of the ‘chasmish’ scholar is a delight to watch. My favorite dialogue of her- “if I stay here just two more minutes, I’ll fall in love with you, once again. And you won’t, once again.”

Ranbir’s Kabir (or Bunny) is carefree, a dreamer who wants to travel every corner in the world, live his life as per his own wishes, and follow his heart. He has a dream book which has a destination written in its every page, and a board in his room that houses photos from different cultures around the world. And he is a flirt, and his dialogue- ‘I don’t flirt with you because girls like you are not for flirting, they are for love, and that’s bad for my health.’- is a winner. I like the conversation that Naina and Bunny have during their visit to forts and other nooks and corners, a day before Aditi’s marriage, regarding living a unique life in foreign countries, experiencing different cultures vs.  Living near one’s parents, friends and loved ones. And the song “Kabira, maan ja” is the most soulful song of the year.


Kalki’s Aditi is shown as a rebel, wild yet friendly who takes no nonsence from people. Aditya’s Avi is her weakness, and love that’s never acknowledged. And why is Avi always drinking?! Why is Aditya Roy Kapur always given the drinking duties?! Well apart from that, the trio’s friendship is just so addictive. There’s friendship in the air, and Bunny, Adi, and Avi are best friends forever. Love the scene when Bunny and Avi are fighting before Adi’s marriage and stop after seeing her watching them with a hurt face. “Karan, Arjun, now hug each other,” she says. And the trio hugs. How cute...

Last but not the least, Madhuri Dixit's cameo in the 'ghagra' song is a treat to watch. Love her, always...

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju
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