Aditya Chopra must have woken up one day and thought ‘Why the heck is everyone else referencing my films in their films? Why can’t I do it myself?’ and at that moment the seeds for Rab Ne Banaa Di Jodi were sown. RNBDJ is the least hyped Shahrukh Khan film in recent times, but it will earn as much as his hyped films did and put Yashraj back on the trade map.

What is it about: RNBDJ tells the story of Surinder Sahni (Shahrukh Khan). Surinder works for Punjab Power (Lighting up your life, says Shahrukh in a wonderfully deadpan moment), drives a scooter and is a true nerd. Circumstances force him to get married to Tani (Anushka Sharma). He is desperate to obtain her love, but Tani has closed the doors of her heart. How Surinder transforms himself completely to get his wife’s love and whether or not his wife loves the true Surinder forms the crux of the plot.

What is Good: The film has just four main characters, Surinder Sahni and Raj - both played by Shahrukh, Tani played by Anushka Sharma and Bobby Khosla played by Vinay Pathak. Shahrukh’s Raj is slightly grating sometimes, but his Surinder Sahni act is excellent. Anushka and Vinay Pathak do wonderfully well and the leading lady is here to stay. Aditya Chopra lets the script meander slightly in the second half, but his writing is still top notch. The music, which was being termed as a letdown, works wonderfully well on screen. The medley with all the special appearances is also very well shot. The subtle comedy works out really well and there are several laugh out loud moments in the film.

What is not:Raj’s character – there should have been a limit to loudness. Also, the whole plot rests on the concept of the wife not recognizing the husband just because he has shaved of his moustache seems slightly improbable. One only wishes that the screenplay was so much tighter in the second half – it would have helped the film immensely.

Me Thinks: If you are the kind that enjoys popcorn flicks, RNBDJ is ideal for you. It lacks the hammerstrong emotional impact that Aditya Chopra’s previous flicks had, but it is as entertaining and your girlfriend might just fall in love with Shahrukh all over again!

Tailpiece:There is so much self referencing going on in the film that you will be forgiven to think that you are watching a Farah Khan movie and not an Adi Chopra movie. And the song with five heroines (five hotties actually) making an appearance is an added bonus.