Holiday Streams: Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor’s Anjaana Anjaani kindles hope with its soundtrack

When we think of films that give us Christmas feels, we rush to pick out a title from the innumerable Hollywood flicks that have come out over the years. But if you think about it, there are a few Hindi movies that give out major holiday vibes and that warm, fuzzy feeling. Although it has been criticized a lot by the critics and even the masses, one Bollywood film which many enjoy watching is Anjaana Anjaani.

It's been 11 years since the Siddharth Anand directorial was released, and the film brought together Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Ranbir Kapoor on the big screen for the first time. Anjaana Anjaani is about Akash (Ranbir) and Kiara (Priyanka) deciding to die by suicide because their lives are going nowhere. They unexpectedly meet and decide to do the things they always wanted to do before they died.

The whole film is set in the US, especially in New York City in winter. Akash and Kiara give themselves 20 days until December 31 to complete every wish on their bucket list. The two explore the snow-clad NYC and, in this process, eventually, find a reason to live with each other.

Anjaana Anjaani is not a great film, but it has a way of making you stay glued to the screen for many reasons. Firstly, the music is top-notch. Vishal–Shekhar composed the nine-song-long soundtrack. The lyrics have been penned by Neelesh Misra, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Anvita Dutt Guptan, Kumaar, Kausar Munir, and Irshad Kamil. Nikhil D'Souza, Monali Thakur, Lucky Ali, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shekhar, Caralisa Monteiro, Mohit Chauhan, Shruti Pathak, Vishal, Shilpa Rao, and Abhijit Vaghani have lent their vocals.

Be it any song, Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani, Hairat, Tumse Hi Tumse, Tujhe Bhula Diya, Aas Paas Khuda, I Feel Good, or the title track, all of them are cherished by music lovers even now.

To be honest, the film entirely thrives on its soundtrack rather than the story or even the stars. What elevates these tracks is their picturisation, courtesy of Ravi K. Chandran’s beautiful cinematography. All the songs and locales they are shot in show off the beauty of the US, from New York to San Francisco to Las Vegas.

But what the story gets gravely wrong is the depiction of suicide and mental illness. Sure, a person who feels like giving up on life has their baggage and reason for it. The tool is used to conveniently set the premise and then forgotten as the two do touristy things and everything they fancy. Are they doing okay? Do they need mental health intervention? Even a little disclaimer emphasising the fact that this shouldn’t be taken at face value would have been a decent enough gesture on the part of the makers.

The conclusion, which takes a long time to come through, gives hope that there's something or someone who adds a purpose to one's life. Mamta Anand (story), Advaita Kala and Siddharth Anand (screenwriters) give the topic of suicide a typical, frivolous and polished Bollywood treatment. Anjaana Anjaani fails to strike an important conversation on mental health.

However, when people watch this film after 11 years, they mainly enjoy just watching Priyanka and Ranbir, who shared the screen space for the first time. Plus, nowadays, we don't see these actors in a rom-com space wherein they sing and dance and are colourful in every way.

Anjaana Anjaani does make for a feel-good Christmas film, just like its songs.

So, do you think a holiday special film can only be in English? Let us know.

Anjaana Anjaani is available to stream on Eros Now, JioCinema, and ZEE5.