Wanted to work on this cinematic parallels analysis since long but procrastination took over.
Today I finally present you parallels between Akash Malhotra (Aamir Khan) Dil Chahta Hai, 2001; and Karan Shergill (Hrithik Roshan) – Lakshya, 2004.
First let’s talk about the obvious:
– Both movies were directed by Farhan Akhtar, a master filmmaker, and a man of many talents. Dil Chahta Hai was Farhan’s directorial debut and a critical and commercial success. Lakshya, his second, however didn’t do so well but is now a cult film, and for all the right reasons! For a kick-ass analysis of Lakshya, please read this blog by one of my favourite writers Brinda and Neer! 😊
Both characters’ hairstyles were super iconic, thanks to Farhan’s former wife Adhuna Bhabani. For Aamir, she chose a short, spiked hairstyle and a soul patch, for Hrithik, she chose the shabby, low maintenance cut and later the military cut.
Below: Preity Zinta and Hrithik Roshan from Lakshya
Preity Zinta played the role of Shalini and Romila Dutta, Akash and Karan’s love interests, respectively. We’ll talk about her characters a bit later. Nevertheless, she demonstrated her acting chops brilliantly in both roles.
Now, on to the more detailed analyses:
– Akash is a commitment phobic, flirtatious character, whose father is a businessman. He is unsure of his life and no clear ambition. His tendency to run away from commitment is displayed very vividly when he runs away from Deepa, and later not accepting the reality when he actually falls in love with Shalini.
– Karan, though not flirtatious, is as aimless as Akash. He is faithful to Romi, and treats her with dignity and respect, yet he’s not the typical romantic boyfriend that Romi wants him to be.
– Akash is happy-go-lucky and can’t take any situation seriously. He thinks he can joke and look cool but crosses the line when he makes unsavory comments on his friend Sid and Tara’s relationship. Even when he’s sent to Australia by his father, he doesn’t show sincerity at work.
– Karan, though very serious about his relationship with Romi, too can’t take his life seriously. Even when he manages to enter the Indian Military Academy, he doesn’t pay attention despite being reprimanded several times by his instructors, to the extent of being humiliated.
– Akash learns maturity by crossing the line with his friend, but what makes him serious about life is when Shalini is about to marry Rohit, in spite of having feelings for him.
– Karan learns maturity by crossing the line at the academy, and facing his upset father, who compares him with his elder brother Udesh, but what makes him serious about life is when Romi breaks up with him for not respecting his own decision of joining the Army.
– Both Akash and Karan had problematic relationships with their businessmen fathers
– Akash and Karan, when asked about their plans, parrot similar lines about their plans for the day instead of their lives, but are uncomfortable when they are asked to get real.
– When Akash is heartbroken and lonely in Sydney is when he calls his father and they have the first heart-to-heart conversation with each other
– When Karan is about to go on the final mission, a matter of life or death, is when he has the most heartfelt convo with his dad.
– Both characters show incredible maturity when it comes to dealing with heartbreak. Karan channels it to excel at the academy and become a well-rounded officer, Akash does not become vengeful or try to get even with Shalini.
– The scene where Karan is outside Romi’s engagement venue seeing her get engaged to Rajiv is as intense as the scene where Akash attends Shalini’s wedding, confronts Rohit and confesses his love for her.
– Akash could have thought Shalini led him on despite being engaged to Rohit, but he did not think of her in a bad light.
– Karan could have been rude to Romi when they met in Kargil but he was in the line of duty and let bygones be bygones.
Over to Shalini and Romi – two polar opposite female characters.
– Shalini could not get out of a toxic engagement as she was indebted to Rohit’s parents for raising her like their daughter. She couldn’t tell Akash she loves him either. Only when she was pushed to the edge on her wedding day did she speak out her mind. Such a miserable state to be in!
– Romila, on the other hand, was a gutsy, independent woman who knew her rights. Even in college, she was defending people’s rights. She told Karan she loves him, later refused to be with him, even went on to break her engagement with Rajiv after calling out his hypocrisy over letting her travel to Kargil to cover the war.
Below: Farhan Akhtar with Hrithik Roshan
Perhaps Farhan Akhtar took bits from Akash’s character and put them into Karan’s character sketch – the circumstances were different, relationships were different, yet both are so similar! And so brilliantly performed by Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan! There’s a reason why these two are known as perfectionists and are names to reckon with in the field of acting!
Rupali Writes 