We came back from a long-ish holiday and only just rebooted this week. When you come back from a long travel, there’s a storm of things to do at home. You have to unpack, do the laundry, put back the smallest of the earrings, unused pack of paper napkins and what not, back where they belong.

It’s the small things that take time and while you’re in the process of it, you slowly realise you’re back for good. You’re all set to get back to routine. I prefer coming back home from a holiday on a weekend. A good Sunday at home gives you all the required rebooting and recharging before the mad week begins.

Saturday was spent unpacking and setting up things and after all that work, we were looking forward to a relaxed Sunday. I stepped out for coffee in the morning and bought a bunch of flowers for the house too. All seemed to be back to how it was.

The desi girl in me had come out from the “I’m a pasta girl” phase and I was all set to dig my fingers in a bowl of dal khichadi and dahi. It was the food of my dreams this weekend. I cooked a big pot of khichadi and we had it for lunch and dinner.

My sister had come in for a quick visit to Mumbai and was with us on the Sunday. She was convincing me to watch Kal Ho Naa Ho with her which had re-released in the theatres recently. I was reluctant initially but eventually gave in. Both of us somehow convinced my husband into it as well. My sister played the “little sister” card very well for this convincing episode.

We stepped out for a couple of beers after dinner and then headed to the theatre. We reached ten minutes late and we weren’t worried a bit. We slowly dragged our feet to the theatre thinking it’s a 3 hour long film we have all watched more than 10 times and missing out 10 minutes wouldn’t be a mighty loss.

About the film –

The premise of the film is of course a love triangle which is done right with beautiful looking people, lovely clothes and New York City. Every emotion is heightened and there’s no limit to the dramatic background scores played over and over again for every scene. All of this, I agree, I am not a personal fan of. But this rewatch in the theatre made me consider so many aspects of the film that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Not when I was a kid when the film first released and not ever after when I rewatched it on the television.

I remember shamelessly changing channels or forwarding parts of the film which I’d think were boring. Also, there’s so much nostalgia associated to the film that it’s difficult to separate from the nostalgia while I write about the film but I am attempting to do it.

First thing that struck me was that this Kapoor household is struggling with several issues. The mother is struggling with the death of her husband even when so many years have passed and rightly so. He died by suicide and she still wonders what would’ve gone wrong. The pain is evident in her eyes from the first scene until about the end.

The unanswered questions, infidelity and his final act of ending his life are possibly the most disturbing, dark emotions to deal with. The oldest daughter is about 22 years old and the youngest son is hardly 12-13 years old. They don’t really explain the age gap but the grandmother’s overbearing love for the grandson are hints enough that the couple was probably forced to have a male child.

The family is also dealing with the father’s infidelity. The child born of that affair is being brought up by the mother under the same roof. The oldest daughter is tired of the situation and is probably lonely, almost unable to deal with all this because it’s a lot to take! She hardly has a friend or two and is tangled in this set up to the point of no exit. My husband pointed out, Preity Zinta and the Director make it all look cute but in a different film with a different setting, Preity’s character would’ve been shown as a complete mess.

The bond that the mother and daughter share though, is quite real. They are both going through hell in their own ways and they stand by each other but also don’t always understand each other, and that sort of pull and push is refreshing to watch on screen. I personally love the scene where the mother tells the daughter that your father loved you but he was weak. He had a weak moment and he decided to leave. This man (Saif), who loves you despite knowing that you’re in love with someone else and is willing to spend his life with you, has the strength to go through a lifetime with you. Such intense emotions and Jaya Bachhan does it all so well. There’s one more scene towards the end where Jaya Bachhan is saying that her husband wasn’t a bad person, it was just one mistake that led to what he did. Such a heartbreaking scene!

Greenest flag of all – When I watched this film on television few years ago, I was so involved in SRK, his screen presence and aura that I totally overlooked Saif’s character. He has to be the greenest flags in terms of the respect he has towards Preity’s choices. He’s kind and patient towards her, slightly foolish when it came to the “6 din ladki in” plan but he has all the qualities of a solid guy. He looks handsome in the most hideous outfits and that’s a Saif quality you can’t miss on screen.

SRK – In the midst of all that drama, there’s SRK and his charm that just sort of sweeps you off your feet. In terms of his character, not sure if I liked any of it honestly. He’s a glorified hero and because it’s SRK, he does it elegantly and that’s the saving grace.

The comic scenes – the comic timing in general in all the scenes is worth admiring. Every supporting character adds a comic touch on screen and you can’t not giggle at the jokes.

When I watched this film in the theatre I already knew I wanted to write about it with a fresh perspective of a 30 year old but what I wanted to avoid is writing about it as a nostalgia watch. Yes, it’s a film we’ve all grown up with, we know the lyrics of every song, we even rewatch some scenes until date and every millennial has a memory attached to this film but that’s all pretty much out there and agreed upon. I was interested in the million dollar question of whether I enjoy this 2003 release in 2024 in the theatres without having to walk out and I think this film has won my full 3 hour attention at the theatre.

By the time I post this, not sure if they will still be screening this film in the theatres but wondering if I’d love a re-release of some other such films.

-Aishwarya Bedekar