Anand (2004)

TRIGGER WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF RAPE

"Oka manchi coffee lanti cinema." And it truly is like an excellent cup of coffee, shared with a friend as she tells you a story about this creep she knew whose fiancé left him at their wedding because his evil bitch of a mother forced her to take off her dead mother's saree and change into something more "appropriate", which made her re-evaluate her decision, and come to the most important conclusion that nothing is more important than respecting oneself. And this is only the beginning! (Of the movie, I mean.)

Can I just say that everyone deserves a friend like Anitha (Satya Krishnan)? She was such an excellent support system to both Anand (Raja) and Roopa (Kamalinee Mukherjee), while being the badass feminist of everyone's dreams at the same time. Get yourself a gal who can do both, indeed. Yes, if I knew Anitha in real life, I'd have a massive crush on her. What's new? Which reminds me, Samatha (Bakhita Francis), Roopa, and Anitha should be India's Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Home Minister, respectively. God knows we need them now more than ever. 

Bonus points to this movie for getting the toxic ex representation so on point. Rahul (Anuj Gurwara) reminded me of way too many men I have known, and detested. *vomits* Another bonus point for making me realise that the "no one: absolutely no one:" meme was invented for NRI guys bragging about their salary. And bonus point to ME for coming so far down my TFI spiral that I knew exactly what the Indra (2002) reference signified, and I loved how they juxtaposed two movies that are complete antithesis of each other #indigenius. Speaking of references, another bonus point to Sekhar Kammula and team for the EXCELLENT blink-and-you-miss-it reference to Anand (1971), a Bollywood classic that has one of my favourite songs of all time, 'Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye', sung by Mukesh. It's really these little things that get to me, and make me appreciate the thought put into this movie so much. 

Also, yet another bonus point for one of the most appropriate movie titles ever.

I loved (I am going to be using this word a lot) how the movie dealt with such a heavy topic (falling in love with the girl whose entire family your dad killed in a case of drunken driving) in such a simple way. It even allows us to forget that for some time, because the narrative focuses on the Roopa-Anand dynamics more, and also on how they each grew as individuals. And that’s what’s genius (and this word too)!! Any mainstream movie would have given precedence to the heavy topic, but here, by shifting the spotlight on other aspects of their lives, it engages with that topic more meaningfully, and without the usual tired gimmicks. And considering that it was the director’s first movie, it’s even more impressive. Another thing that I absolutely LOVED (yep, get ready to grow tired of this word by the end of this "review") was Anand’s character arc. He’s so well-rounded, and I am still not over that scene (it's been 2 days, by the way) where he notices how Venkatlakshmi is repulsed by the fact that she’s holding the driver’s child and that’s what turns him off. And the way he balances fighting with Roopa and trying to impress her? Ugh SHIPPING. So hard. Sekhar Kammula is another man I can give rights to, based on the portrayal of women, and heterosexual relationships in the two movies of his that I’ve seen. What a criminally underrated gem.

Minor spoilers ahead:
I loved the way Anand doesn't apologise for calling Roopa sexy. AND I loved how maturely they handled the whole Rahul almost rapes Roopa bit but Anand saves her. This is another super heavy topic, and in any other movie this would have been the point where Roopa falls down at Anand’s feet and confesses her love and gratitude to him, like she owes him sth. This is another lowkey genius thing about this movie, how that whole trope is subverted- Anand immediately starts shouting at Roopa, but not in a victim blaming way, more like an exasperated and angry way that why are you still even giving him your attention. And he’s obviously also tensed that Roopa had to go through that, but he loses it in the heat of the moment. And that whole birthday gift thing UGH. So thoughtful and lovely, ugh it’s what makes this bond so special. *cries in Telugu*
Minor spoilers over.

In conclusion, probably one of the best movies from 2000s era to come out of Indian cinema. Also, 'Nuvvena' is probably (CAN I STOP REPEATING WORDS SO MUCH MY GOD) one of Shreya Ghoshal's best performances ever (CAN I ALSO STOP TALKING IN SUPERLATIVES). Watch this one with a cup (or many) of coffee on a rainy day, and you won't be disappointed. And if you are, that just means you have a terrible taste in movies. Bye.

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