Normally a chai made with "mishri" (sugar candy) is the ultimate warmth a guest can receive from its host. The chai with "cheeni" (sugar) may not be compared to be as heart-warming as the one made in mishri and the chai with "gur" (jaggery) will definitely be a very poor competitor to the mishri laced chai if not an outrightly infra dig to some.

"To love is to care for the happiness of the beloved and not one's own" is what I wrote while doing a review of the movie Jodha Akbar. That was around the Valentine's day earlier this year. On the eve  of Christmas and New Year I am once again strongly motivated to share my feelings about "Rab Ne........." which I found to be extremely sweet, simple and spiritual.

We have been taught that the real love is unconditional. The love in which we are seeking the constant happiness of our beloved without a trace of caring for our own happiness alone qualifies to be the real love. Such a love is said to be in the heart of someone who sees the "Rab" everywhere and in everyone.

The protagonist of the story Surinder "Suri"  (Shahrukh Khan) exemplifies this beautiful theme to the hilt.  The love in his heart knows no limits. His is a one-point agenda - what and how to do to bring smiles to the person he has decided to love.

The hard-core critics may rip apart the movie by questioning as how a wife will not recognise her husband no matter how cleverly he impersonates himself as a different person. Rajeev Masand, a well-known film critic calls it a bizarre premise. Nevretheless, a film is not a chemistry laboratory where you use test tubes and burners to analyse the purity of the chemicals. The joy of watching a film is to be maximised for its positive impacts on our heart and that is what Rab Ne does in no unflattering terms.

If we do not see the hand of Rab in our love stories, if we do not believe that the marriages are made in heavens, this movie may hardly appeal to us. And if we do, we can never let go of the feel good emotions this movie evokes as in the this song which underscores the avowed philosophy of the movie.
"Tu hi to jannat meri, tu hi mera jind, tu hi mannat meri, tu hi rooh ka sukoon. Tu hi ankhiyo ki thandak, tu hi to dil ki hai dastak, aur kuch naa jaanu main, bas itna hi jaanu. Tujh mein rab dikhta hai, yaara main kya karu, Tujh mein rab dikhta hai, yaara main kya karu."

For those who have found their love in the sun, for those who have understood love's deep meaning. For those who are inspired by the love stories of Savitri and Satayavaan or Anusuya and Atri or for those who remember and believe in  what Rama promised while applying sindoor in Sita's hair with a silver coin  "even when your hair becomes as white as this silver coin, my love and care for you will not diminish a bit",  the movie is no less than a multi-cuisine banquet or a chhappan bhog with desserts straight from the heavens.

Hats off to Aditya Chopra for the incerdible stroyline, dialogues and direction, Salim-Sulaiman for the catchy music, Shaimak Davar for the choreography and to all others who have made this movie so magical and a treat to watch.

Shahrukh Khan once again proves his mettle as an actor which is umatched. His kind of acting to me has a divine element which is hard to acquire by practice alone. Whether he takes a shower under the tap on the terrace of his Amritsar house, whether he receives the telephone call with a polite answer " this is Punjab Power, lighting up your life" or whether he is asking his colleague to display the giant "I love you" in electric lights over the entire city, the magic of Shahrukh Khan's acting repertoire is visible. Vinay Pathak (as Bobby Khosla, the hair salon owner) is another one who becomes the toast of the viewers. Pathak seems to be getting better and better with every other movie unlike another Bihari actor Manoj Bajpai who never quite matched his acting skills of his initial movies Satya and Shool in later years. The debutante Anushka Sharma (Taani) is equally refreshing  and should surely be remembered for this role. The scenes where she is eating golgappas or the scene where she is serving biryani to her husband are difficult to erase from one's mind.

The film pays tribute to the legendary Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor through the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" with Shahrukh Khan palying the legends with his screen favourites Kajol, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherji, Bipasha Basu and Lara Dutta dancing in tandem.

There is another lovely song which in simple lyrics teaches us how to dance: " Left leg aage aage, right leg pichhe pichhe, aaja yaara let start ve, sar ko ghumale round, pair jara up down, itni si baat ve, woh banda hi kya, jo naache na gaaye, aa haathon mein to haath thamle, oiii dance pe chance marle. Ek haath ko uncha uthale, ek mandir ki ghanti baja le, le ban gaya step soniya, tu ban gaya hep soniya."

The movie captures some incredible shots of the Golden temple in Amritsar. The "Jap Ji" ( the mool mantra in Sikh religion) being sung in the background in one scene is picturised very effectively and and is enlivening to the soul.

"Ik Onkar, Satnaam, Kartapurukh Nirbhau Nirwair Akalmurth Aajuni Sebhag Gurparsad Jap Aad Sach Jugad Such Haibee Such Nanak Hosi Bee Such"
 
(There is only one God. His name is truth. He is the creator. He is without fear. He is without hate. He is beyond time. He is beyond birth and death. He is self-existent.
By Guru's grace chant and mediate on Him who is the origin of everything, True throughout the ages, True here and now O Nanak forever and ever true.)

Merry Christmas and happy new year to "Surinder" and "Taanijee".