Movie night
Jab we met

“Jab we met” tells a story about the journey of Geet, a young lady on the train from Mumbai to Manali to get married to the man she loves without her family’s approval. On the train, she met Aditya, who is burned out by his work and personal situations. His dad, an industrialist, has passed away. His mom, who is supposed to own part of the company, ran away with another man years ago. His girlfriend is getting married to another man. The company with Aditya as the leader is not doing well. So in the middle of a company meeting, our depressed ML left without notice, abandoned his BMW car and got on a train without knowing where it was heading, the train Geet was also on.

They happened to share the same cubicle on the train, and she noticed something off from him. When he was about to jump out of that running train, she held him back. When he got off at the next stop, she followed him out of worries, and missed that train which was supposed to take her to her lover. Without any money or luggage, Geet followed Aditya and he very reluctantly engaged in conversations with her. They managed to get to Bhatinda, where her family is. There, when she was going to go to Manali in the middle of the night to meet her boyfriend, Aditya, out of options, had to leave with her. Arriving in Manali, they parted ways. By then, there was something lingering in the way he looked at her, but he just wished her happiness and went his way, as appropriately as any decent man would do.

Nine months later, his business was thriving. He then found out from her family that they had lost contact with her since their elopement. He went to Manali on his car now a Mercedes only to find out that her supposedly fiancé then (Anshuman) did not expect her to come and they ended up not getting married. Aditya somehow managed to find Geet and bring Anshuman back to her, only for Geet to realise that she has fallen for him, not Anshuman anymore.

The movie ended with Geet and Aditya’s wedding. Aditya also reconciled with his mom.

——
My thoughts on the movie

This is such a light and fluffy movie in K-romcom style, so it was a fun watch for me. But as I’m not someone who often looks for fluffy, there were things that I didn’t like besides things that I liked.

The movie is about Geet’s journey, so of course she’s the centre of the story. But I realised that Geet exhibited self-centred trait, and she’s probably totally unaware of it, so albeit good by nature, she can be quite annoying at times, and thinks everything revolves around her.

In the first half of the movie, “annoying” was what I thought of the FL. For the first 10 minutes into the movie, the ML didn’t utter a word, the FL even thought he was mute. But his eyes spoke. He was depressed. There was no life in his gestures.

The FL on the other hand was full of energy and talked nonstop. The good thing is that she is quite observant and sensitive, hiding behind her talking facade.
When he talked to her in a rather rude tone, she didn’t take it personally. She seems to be practising this well “When someone is rude to you, don’t take it personally. It reflects who they are rather than who you are”.

As the story went on, I came to think that Geet wasn’t in her right mind when she was first introduced to us, like she was high or something.

The good thing is that she could change. When she had to face the hard reality, she changed. And I like that she didn’t lose herself when she was at her rock-bottom. “Just because this is happening to me doesn’t mean this is your chance”.

I like that the ML is a very decent man. I like that he kept saying goodbye to Geet when they happened to cross paths. That was the right thing to do. He has feeling for her but he doesn’t act on it. He gives her space to work things out on her own.
He’s attentive and sensible. When they first met on the train, he looked like he didn’t care but actually he caught on some details, like where she was from and where she used to live.
And when she asked for his validation for her decision, he was honest. “What are you doing? What are you playing with your life?”

And when they met again, he encouraged her to do things the way he had been encouraged by her back then when he was at his worst.

***

Some issues I had with this movie are similar to issues I often have with K-romcoms.

When Geet missed the train a second time because she kept talking to the man selling water – was it a bit too much? How nonsensical is that?

She showed a tendency of making hasty decisions like running away, as if that’d solve everything. She blamed Aditya for her mishap (missing the train), forced him to follow her, giving him no other choice. At time, everything seems like a joke to her. How immature is that?

When he said he did’t even get the girl while doing all those crazy things, she said “I told you to elope with Roop?”. I was like “What?? What do you take love and marriage for?”. I guess she was just joking, but it didn’t land well for me.

And she thought he was in trouble because he was too serious. But no, that wasn’t the case. She didn’t even know what happened to him. And it wasn’t the case of “if you’re being too serious and things don’t work out, then acting without thinking of the consequences is the way to go”. But well, it seems to have breathed life into him, somehow 🤷‍♀️😬

The movie asked the question “Should I do what my heart tells me?”, to which one may not have a clear answer without considering the context. But relating what his mom did to what she was doing is a bit far-fetched.

But what I do agree is that sometimes, all that we need is a person telling us “Let’s get lost. Let’s go somewhere unknown. The paths seem lovelier than the destination” – a destination we may not know yet, and giving us a nudge, even better if they become our company.

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    @Seeker @Skiee @Minniegupta1

    Minnie, could you please help me with the tag list? I know I can go back to your “Love at first sight” post and get the tag list from there, but I wasn’t sure if all signed up for all movies, or if we have a specific tag list for each movie? Thank you.

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    This is a lovely take and I’ll be back on this 😍

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    I enjoyed Jab We Met, the FL was so hyper n crazy and the ML grumpy & swoony but all ends well as Hindi romcoms go. The songs were good too.

    Anyhow, what i really wanted was to drop a recommendation for you all, an Indonesian movie called Architecture of Love on NF.

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    Thank you, Claire! I would also use “annoying” to describe Geet in the first 20min of the film. LOL

    Uhm… I had a very weird experience rewatching this. For some reason, I re-wrote this movie in my head. 😆
    For the second half I was CONVINCED that Geet had married the guy and he had died and that’s why she was always wearing white and looked sad and couldn’t date Aditya. But none of that actually happened so imagine my shock.

    Anyway, I enjoyed the first half of the film a lot. Geet was annoying, but I also found her kinda lovely. She reminds me of Enrique from Flower Boy Next Door: loud and noisy, but adorbs.

    I like how she always had an answer to everything, and I especially like that the answer was completely ridiculous most of the time. It was hard to know if she was being honest or joking.
    And I like that Aditya would always go with the flow. He would try to fight her but give up in the middle of the fight and just go with whatever she was doing/saying. LOL
    I also like that he would always join to her crazy talk and jokes.
    And the puppy eyes!!! OH MY CAT. If looks could melt Geet would’ve become liquid by the end of the film.

    What I didn’t like much, because I didn’t understand it, was the ending of the film. I watched that part half asleep, so that may be it, but I found it confusing.

    Geet was rejected after proposing her crazy plan to her boyfriend, who knew nothing of what happened in the entire film, and she was disappointed to the point where she had to stop believing that if you want something you’ll always get it. Okay.
    But why did they turn the ex into the bad guy? And then Aditya tried to “fix her” by marrying her with the guy?

    The whole thing was hilarious but I was confused as heck. They insulted the guy and had the most sensual hug of the century just to conclude that she should get married to her ex…? Maybe my half-asleep brain couldn’t get it?

    Anyhow, I had fun and I liked their chemistry a lot. The soundtrack doesn’t go to my Bollywood playlist tho.

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      T you write the best stories. Especially imaginary ones. No wonder I love your Cast Away storylines.

      I don’t think they made the ex-bf negative. We always seemed like a jerk. I think the relationship was more in the FL’s head than real. The ex-bf also said the FL has planned everything down to the color of the curtains in their marital home. 😂

      But yes the ex-bf was nothing more than a plot device who as the FL told the ML she was glad the ML brought ex-bf back as he was *not* what she wanted. I liked the OTP started their relationship on a fresh note after being friends.

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        This movie gave me major trust issues. 😂 I will never trust my memories again.

        And you’re totally right about the ending.
        I also liked how their friendship was so pure and that the change to “something more” was somehow smooth, no draggy angst and hurt feelings.

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          I think when Aditya knew that the obstacle the ex couldn’t overcome then was his family’s objection, not that he didn’t love her (ok, we weren’t shown this, but I must assume Aditya knew it somehow 🤷‍♀️), he was determined to help give Geet another chance with her ex. The ex’s storyline was not well written, like Cera said, he was simply a plot device, but by that I got to appreciate Aditya character, so it wasn’t totally useless 😅 And that hug, that was when Geet let her feeling for Aditya show to him for the first time. Talking about that, I wasn’t a fan of Geet giving mixed signals to us viewers when she was with Aditya when they first met. I didn’t like that the bride-to-be Geet told Aditya that she would be smitten by him had the other guy not been in her life, when they were in that hotel room. That’s not a natural thing a person in love and eloping to get married would say, no? And why did they stay in the same hotel room in the first place? But if it’s normal in that culture to act like that between 2 adults of different genders then I’m ok. I just thought they were very close for two people who had just met.

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            Let me break it down:

            I think when Aditya knew that the obstacle the ex couldn’t overcome then was his family’s objection, not that he didn’t love her (ok, we weren’t shown this, but I must assume Aditya knew it somehow 🤷‍♀️), he was determined to help give Geet another chance with her ex. The ex’s storyline was not well written, like Cera said, he was simply a plot device, but by that I got to appreciate Aditya character, so it wasn’t totally useless 😅

            This movie was made about 18 years ago.
            Arranged marriages ruled the land. Most girls from rural Punjab didn’t have a say in where they would land as a bride – their life’s ultimate goal (unfortunately it’s still quite true in most conservative Punjabi families). Geet’s only measure of freedom was choosing the man she would marry. However, she also knew that choosing a man on her own meant being disowned. So, her plan was to return after a year and beg for her family’s forgiveness, believing that by falling at their feet, all would be forgiven. In essence, she wanted to have some say in her life, and when things didn’t go as planned, she took responsibility for it.
            Enter the pos ex. Vulnerable girls meet such spineless dickheads ALL the time, even today. They take the girls for a ride on their bikes (the epitome of masculinity in starry eyed sheltered girls) , feed them ice creams, take them for picnics, maybe even steal some kisses. A girl like Geet, of course, wouldn’t compromise her virginity—her most prized possession and essentially her character certificate. But for her, a few bike rides were equivalent to a promise of marriage. The guy, however, strung her along, knowing full well he had no intention of seeing it through. He just didn’t count on her stubbornness or her determination to follow through. Then, when he sees Aditya—a quintessential Indian chaebol—losing his mind over her, it finally knocks some sense into him, and suddenly, he wants her back. Cue the ‘must marry your first love, or else you’re easy’ trope.

            Talking about that, I wasn’t a fan of Geet giving mixed signals to us viewers when she was with Aditya when they first met. I didn’t like that the bride-to-be Geet told Aditya that she would be smitten by him had the other guy not been in her life, when they were in that hotel room. That’s not a natural thing a person in love and eloping to get married would say, no?

            Geet called herself ‘agony aunt’ 😂 Which meant she was basically giving him a pep talk about confidence and how good of a catch he was. It was actually a condescending thing to say, much like one would say – If I were 20 years youngers, I would totally dig you..(PHS are you listening?🤣🤣🤣). Both the talker and the listener know it’s a compliment to be taken as such.

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            That is such a valid point Claire. We got to appreciate the ML because of the @#$ ex-bf. 😂

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            @minniegupta1 Thank you for giving the cultural perspective. It gives clarity to a lot of things.

            Uri Seja Jeoha a lot of Ajhummas totally ❤ you. If only you knew. 😅😂🤣

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            And why did they stay in the same hotel room in the first place? But if it’s normal in that culture to act like that between 2 adults of different genders then I’m ok. I just thought they were very close for two people who had just met.

             
            This is actually the funniest part of the movie.

            No, it’s not only NOT normal. Normally they would not even be on the same floor 😂). This entire situation was created as a comedy.

            Considering herself already engaged to another man basically gives Geet the shield that she uses as labelling herself ‘off limits’. If you notice, she spoke to the man who pulled her into the train the same way. She spoke to Aditya in the train the same way.

            I guess she just loves listening to herself.

            So, when she fails to catch the train a second time, she is now stranded with no money, no phone, no clothes, no security and at risk (it is VERY dangerous for single women at night on streets) in a rural town called Ratlam (which is a real town in state of Madhya Pradesh).

            Such small towns, especially those days, didn’t have good hotels. This one particular hotel runs a shady business of renting out to prostitutes and their customers on hourly basis. (It is close to the prostitute corner which kind of made sense).

            With the immediate need to get off the street and into some sort of accommodation, they end up in this hell hole.

            Now, Aditya has never been to such a hotel in his life, so he uses alien words like ‘credit card’ (to which the owner replies ‘No credit only cash 🤣), and then asks for ‘tariff’ (a term used in elite hotels). So he finally is like – what is the room rent for a day?
            Aditya understands the deal right away when the owner asks – ‘Do you need for the night or hourly’?’ He scolds the man to keep his answers to what is asked of him.

            However, Geet, the naive, sheltered girl she is, has NO clue what the guy is saying, bless her heart, interrupts in her insufferable way (which Aditya eventually finds highly amusing and plays along) with the reasoning:

            a) They only have three hours before they need to catch the bus to Jaipur, and all they need is a place to wait.
            b) She does not have money, and Aditya (she doesn’t know yet he is as rich as a Croesus) is tight on money and self esteem so possibly not making sound financial decisions, tells the man that they would rent hourly. After all, why waste money?

            And that’s how they end up in the same room, to Aditya’s endless amusement.

            Though, right at this point, she catches them sharing a knowing glance, and she gets defensive and warns Aditya that if he has any nefarious ideas, she can do Karate’ on him. 😂

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            Thank you, Minnie, for the explanation of context and culture ❤️

            Probably the reason I said the above is that 20 years ago, during my college time, some of Geet’s behaviors would be considered sending mix signals if I was to do that with a guy I had no feeling for. I would have done that with no other intention than giving him confidence, and he would have understood. But we were taught to not do certain things, like sharing the same small space with someone of different gender, entangling with a stranger, talking too close,…, it’s just tiny things but if you notice, you’d see it. So I guess Geet is not a typical girl of her time, and that is the point of the show. But then, that’s why we thought what we thought 😂

            But the “agony aunt” is totally understandable and is so funny 🤣 And I assume Geet and Aditya were in their late 20s (for Geet) and early to mid 30s (for Aditya), not college students.

            Honestly I don’t think too bad of her ex. He’s definitely not someone I would praise, but I think Geet’s immagination and lack of life experience got ahead of herself. I felt for her but I wouldn’t put all the blame on the guy. Getting married is a big deal, after all.

            (PHS are you listening?🤣🤣🤣)

            🤣🤣🤣

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            The age would be Geet at 21 (she had just finished college) and Aditya in his late 20s.

            Actually, the ex knew the deal quite well. Just like the girls weave the dream of marriage after a couple of bike rides, the guys know that taking sheltered girls to bike rides means going to their families and asking her hand in marriage. So he was unfortunately quite a dickhead. Which is why he came running to her for marriage once Aditya read his the riot act. Those times, acknowledged crush with a couple of dates = marriage.

            They were scary times to be in love.

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            Thank you, Minnie. I understand the situation much better thanks to your explanation. I would have guessed the same things, because I’m from an Asian culture too, but what got me think what I said lies with Geet’s (or the actress’s) expressions. She warned him that she knew karate, but she didn’t look like she was nervous. Perhaps she was putting on a nonchalant facade, but her eyes looked a bit too excited, they didn’t show a hint of nervousness, although they showed a certain degree of uncertainty.

            But the whole thing in the shady hotel was hilarious. When I was dating my now husband, there was one time we wanted to go to a karaoke, because we both loved singing (we still do). And the owner of a karaoke we stopped at looked at us very knowingly. I was Geet then, I didn’t get it. But my husband did and he later told me that that karaoke was doing shady business LOL.

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            And @Minniegupta1 , just 10 years ago, I knew this girl who was studying in Australia then having to go back to India for a marriage arranged by her parents. She said that arranged marriage was really a thing in India.

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          Too much drama watching gives us plot amnesia ALL the time. 🤣🤣🤣 No worries. You got to see a new movie second time round. At least it felt new. So win-win.

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          Thank you to you both, @minniegupta1 and @ claire2009

          Thanks to this conversation I understand and appreciate the movie way better.

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    Hahahah..yes geet can be annoying 😂 but she taught me something I would’ve never thought at the time..Self love and making choices on your own and prioritizing yourself is not a guilty thing. I think that’s what Aditya learned from her too.. they were both two extremes..She was too careless and impulsive and he was too much not of any. So in the end I think they balanced each other.

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      So perfectly described. The yin yang ☯️ couple. The romance – from the ML’s side was pretty swoony. But i like that they both brought something to the relationship. I liked their travails and travels. The Decent Hotel (i think they kept on pronouncing it as descent) was hilarious.

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      Yes! ☺️ Without much effort, they would always complement each other perfectly. Very lovely duo.

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    Thank you Claire for such a lovely write up.
    The FL was 💯 annoying and I was like is she really the FL 🤷‍♀️ but her sensitivity and noticing the ML’s depression convinced me there was hope. I think her – I’m my favorite – line describes her best. She was the typical maniac pixie girl – till she wasn’t. As a FL and a character I found it difficult to relate to her but her loneliness hit hard. I guess she had always been surrounded by friends and a large (really how many were they) family and was the chatterbox. So her silence in Manali was scary in a way the ML’s wasn’t.

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      I did not dislike the movie overall. The ML seemed like a better or perhaps more seasoned actor. The OTP didn’t seem like a good match but they sold the chemistry somehow. 😂

      Claire i felt the FL was too childish and as you said self-centred as children are wont to be. Her so called maturity wasn’t convincing but as Skiee mentioned I think the OTP will balance each other out. I liked the fact that they started on a fresh note and how thw fake marriage apparently turned real.

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        They were once a real-life “it couple” of Bollywood

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          It’s amazing how they gave the biggest hit of their careers with each other post break up. There are people who still ship them together, which is kinda scary haha!

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            Although this is the first time I’ve watched an Indian movie, I’ve known for long that Indian women are beautiful. I must say actor Shahid is soooo handsome, his gaze is very Korean-style, which I am so used to 😅 He has a lovely singing voice, but I think he doesn’t dance as well as Kareena?

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            Lol Claire…my fingers are itching…

            Shahid is the dancer of the duo. The man is known to have a boneless body. Kareena on the other hand mostly pouts her way through a dance but she does it so convincingly, you don’t notice 😂

            Shahid didn’t sing any of the songs. In Bollywood, we have playback singers. One of the songs – Aaoge jab – was sung by a renowned classical singer which is very very rare. However, most singers are insanely trained and talented. All the songs had different singers. Did the subtitles translate the songs? Because unlike other movies, the songs in this movie moved the plot and also spoke of feelings, much like the songs in many K-dramas. For example, when Shahid returns after dropping Geet at Manali, the song ‘Na hai ye pana’ narrates his state of mind where he is happy and in love, but he is happy to love her from afar because she is his muse, and his motivation. He thinks of her as someone who he never had, but never lost either. It’s lyrics are very beautiful.

            Shahid is very handsome indeed and a good actor.

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            Typical observation by someone who has never danced and never will, which is me LOL I’m very physically clumsy, so no surpise I couldn’t tell who’s bad who’s good 😂

            Yes the subtitles translated the songs as well, and yes, the songs were the dialogues and monologues of the characters. Very beautiful.

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        Fun fact leads dated irl but I think they were broken up while shooting this😉. While on this can you please link the post where Claire told about how to attach images ??

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        Yes I wasn’t a fan of the FL either 😂 I couldn’t relate to her but I was happy to see her character growth.

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      Kareena is a great actress, but she can go a bit overboard at times. This role was perfect for her though. She was indeed a manic pixie girl, immature, lived in lala and, was a wee bit entitled. But she was also obstinate and took responsibility for her own actions.

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        I loved her in 3 Idiots

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          I loved her in Omkara and Udta Punjab. She was also great in Chameli.

          I would have suggested 3 idiots, but it’s more of a social commentary than romance, though the romance also works great in it. It’s probably my top 10 Indian movies.

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          “Three idiots” is so famous I heard of it. But I’ve never watched it.

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            It’s LMFAOing funny.. but I don’t know how much of the funniness will subtitles retain coz it’s all in the language.

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            It’s a pity that many nuances of a language could be lost in translation. We see that with English subtitles for Kdramas so often.

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            My boys watched it with subtitles in the theater. A decade late, it continues to be one of their favorite Hindi movie. I think the production team worked on the subtitles (which I think all Amir Khan movies do post Lagaan) and they catch a lot of nuances.

            We watched it in theaters. Hindi movies often have ‘intermissions’ – a coffee break so to say.

            So when 3 idiots had the intermission, lights came on, my husband and his friend left to get some refreshments, along with a lot of others. My older one, who had never seen an ‘intermission’ before, got so stressed out that he started screaming at the top of his lungs -‘Don’t leave, don’t leave, the movie is not over!’

            We still chuckle about it.

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      I totally get you.

      And yes! Her silence was scary. I think that’s why my brain tried to re-write the story to make sense to it the first time. 😂 The change felt drastic.

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        Her ex refusing to get married the first time was less tragic than him dying though 😅 I mean it’d be hard for Geet to get over the love of her life who died young, and we’d need another several hours to see her healing journey and be with Aditya, and that’d be a Kdrama 😂

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    It’s been ages since I have watched a Bollywood romcom. But a few years ago, I fell down a rabit hole of movies from the south of India. I wish I could recommend them but they are either not available outside India or not very romcomey, but lovely enough to satay warm in my memory…

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      *stay warm 😅

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      This is the first time for me. I’ve never seen a Bollywood movie before.

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        Very curious Claire, you said you saw similarities with K-dramas. What stood out?

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          The way the ML is understated and restrained. He doesn’t talk nonsense. He doesn’t try to talk smart like a typical Hollywood ML in a bad production. His behaviors are not exxagerated. That’s what stood out for me.

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          Oh but if you meant the whole movie, then there are a lot of similarities to a K-romcom.

          A character (in this case the FL) who seems to not pick up on the cues and just keeps talking (and listening to herself as you said 😂), but she’s good-natured and ended up teaching the ML one thing or two and helped him see life in a different way. She became the ML’s inspiration, and everything reminds him of her.

          And a big and seemingly wealthy family having no clue where the FL is during a whole 9 months. In Kdramas, we often see that regarding domestic abuse, family is always there 😬. But regarding other matters, like our characters’ relationships, and all other ordeals they have to go through throughout the course of the show, I always wonder where their family is, and how come they are totally unaware that their kid is in trouble and needs help?? Someything like that.

          And a bad ex and swoony ML that is patient, understanding, caring, undemanding, handsome, and rich ☺️

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            I don’t think the ex was wrong when he rejected her first though..like she was being insensible there..but the second time it was not right

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            I always wonder where their family is, and how come they are totally unaware that their kid is in trouble and needs help??

            Never. Those days? Double never. Especially in families like hers where girls were raised like cattle – dearly loved but still like a prized cattle. The family honour was tied to how the women behaved. Did you see the number of weapons the men took with them while chasing Geet and Aditya?

            @seeker

            (really how many were they)

            Cera, the family was huge.

            She is a part of a joint family. Two brothers, their wives, multiple children, She has several brothers, their wives, cousins, their wives, children, sisters (Roop is a cousin sister) etc etc.

            When she raw away, the first reaction was ‘how dare she?’ They would have thrashed Aditya to an inch of his life if they had caught hold of him.

            They also didn’t know where to look. They thought he was a struggling musician. So if they had found him again after an year, they would have still thrashed him 😂

            Here is another similarity between K-dramas and a typical (and I am honesty trying to avoid stereotyping) Punjabi in-laws – both want very rich and successful (good looks is a bonus but at the bottom of the pile of qualities) son-in-laws. Geet was in fact almost half serious when she said Aditya should elope with Roop because then her running away would not be as problematic because she had someone as rich as him for a relative now, right? Geet logic.

            Once they realised Aditya was THE Aditya, they were ready to forgive him.

            I did think the Dad truly loved his daughter though. It broke my heart when he said ‘I know my daughter. She could never have stayed away so long, no matter what she did.’

            Geet was so ashamed of what she did that she chose to atone for it the way she knew. Again, Geet logic. But in all honesty, going back alone after everyone knew she had ‘run away with Aditya’ would have caused her more shame, and would be even worse for the family because now she carried a stigma and her family would be stigmatised too.

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    I love this movie! Definitely found Geet annoying though 😂

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    @Seeker @Skiee @Minniegupta1 @enriquequierecagar (Sorry 😅, I am taking the liberty to tag you people, but I hope the cinema of India reaches more poeple)
    Okay, I found the movies I was talking about… But there might be availability issues… Also, these are a bit heavy on social themes (they are all “feel-good” nonetheless) and lack of social context might leave one scratching their head 😅, BUT…. as we all are now half-Asians thanks to Kdramas 😅, and as India being a part of Asia isn’t very different, I am taking the liberty of sharing them with you.. I really wish you can watch at least one of them 😅

    This is the only proper romcom I could find with English subtitles available (dubbed in Hindi from the original Telugu language). It’s quite unique 😅👍
    https://youtu.be/fAe2mzhNQnY?feature=shared

    Periyarum Perumal is an acclaimed Tamil movie where you might say “what the heck are these folks doing?” without knowing how caste based discrimination works in some parts (not necessarily geographical) of India. It’s a bit BRUTAL in how it depicts social injustice, but still very SOFT (especially in how the protagonist SEEKS JUSTICE). See if you can access this… https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Pariyerum-Perumal-BABL/0OWMTZTL4HDAINLOCZDGFPY4OL

    C/O Kancharapalem and Kumbalangi Nights, both explore religion as another basis of social discrimination.
    C/O Kancharapalem is a lovely social drama that seems like an omnibus of 3 separate stories, but there’s a twist in the end… https://www.primevideo.com/detail/CO-Kancharapalem/0OO645WDUCS01IUP3J948Y8ZFI

    Kumbalangi Nights link below. I really wish all people could watch this film… the theme is so lovely, and the music… heavenly!
    https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Kumbalangi-Nights/0HBV5G7X1PJ16OYMD66SJO0AVC
    Even if you can’t watch the film, do listen to the music 🎧😊❤….. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mDBk–fR_ALx0UWpn4zwSjzZJ3Z1ORrbk&feature=shared

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    @claire2009 @seeker @Skiee @Koalatown @sonai @enriquequierecagar @minniegupta1 @anne18 @vienibenmio @parkchuna

    Jab We Met

    This movie is not perfect, but it’s perfect in its imperfections. It’s a movie you might wander back to watch again and discover those little things that stay with you for a very long time.

    The reason I recommended this movie is because there was so much similarity between many of our K-drama tropes –
    A crazy, independent, stubborn FL who wants to live by her rules and has an equally crazy big family that loves eating and feeding.
    A stoic ML who has huge family baggage.
    She is the oblivious chatterbox.
    He gives her the looks.
    See where I am going? All it needed was the ‘falling into arms and gazing into each other’s eyes’ trope.

    Meet Aditya: A chaebol with the personality of a Monday morning, Aditya thrives on predictability and rulebook. His life was on the perfect trajectory until it crashed: his Mom eloped with someone, his dad died, and his girlfriend decided she wanted to be anywhere but near his family drama. Now his Mom is fighting him for a share in their family business pie because even though she ran away, she still was a 50% partner in turning Aditya group into what it is.
    Aditya, disillusioned, escapes into an abyss of emotional wreckage. He’s lost the spark, the drive, and the zest for life. Relationships feel like ticking time bombs, and he prefers to avoid any that could explode again. So wanders away, aimless, directionless, and almost meets the railway track.

    He meets Geet instead.

    Meet Geet. She is self-centred, a self-declared ‘I am my own favourite’ pixie manic girl who wants to write about her destiny in her own way. Her dream is to have a husband of her choice , take care of him, give him children, care for his family and spend the rest of her life matching curtains. She is in love with a dream. The only problem? She has chosen the wrong Prince charming. She is exuberant and does not heed many of the small boundaries that most girls of her upbringing do.
    She chats up strangers, talks to everyone and their Uncle in the same tone – as if she was born as their best friend. She is parsimonious and seeks justice in the most inane ways (how dare you overcharge me for water?)

    But here is the thing. Geet is emphatic. She cares. When she meets Aditya, she thinks her chatter will make his depression go away. She offers herself as an agony Aunt. All of 21, after all, she was the agony Aunt of all the girls in her hostel!

    So he runs from her. She decides she MUST save him. So she runs after him.

    And misses the train.

    The metaphor of the train in this movie is phenomenal.

    Catalyst for Change:

    The train serves as the initial point of contact between Geet and Aditya. Both characters are on different life trajectories when they meet on the train, and it becomes the literal vehicle for change in their lives. Geet is full of life, while Aditya is emotionally drained.

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      Their meeting on the train exemplifies how life throws unexpected encounters that alter your path, much like a train that can take you to destinations you hadn’t planned.
       
       

      Life’s Journey

      The train journey itself is a metaphor for life’s journey itself. Each stop represents different phases of life, with people entering and leaving your life along the way. For Geet, the train symbolizes her carefree attitude toward life, as she believes it can take her where she wants, much like her approach to decisions and relationships. The first dialogue – I can travel in any class, but my family insists I should only travel in AC class because I am a girl is telling. She is a rebel, open to exploring life outside the box, but she still obediently follows her family’s directions because she has to pick her battles. And takes things for granted.
      For Aditya, the train ride initially feels like a forced path he’s compelled to take, boarding without a ticket, indifferent to its destination. He doesn’t feel bound by its direction, believing he can hop on and off whenever he pleases, a reflection of his hopelessness and sense of having lost control over his life at the start of the movie.
       
       
      Missed Train—best laid plans crumble

      When Geet misses her train after stopping to help Aditya, it symbolizes how even the best-laid plans can fall apart. Always self-assured in her ability to steer her life, Geet faces the reality that sometimes life unexpectedly derails your path. This moment underscores the unpredictability of life, forcing Geet and Aditya into an unforeseen adventure, reminding them that detours often lead to new destinations.

      Crossroads and Redirection

      Trains in the film also represent crossroads and new directions in life. As Geet and Aditya’s journey progresses, they both change tracks—literally and figuratively. Aditya’s character arc, from a lost, brooding man to someone who rediscovers passion and joy, parallels Geet’s transformation from a whimsical, sheltered dreamer to someone who faces life with newfound resilience and clarity. Their journey on the train symbolizes how life pushes them onto new, unexpected paths, and how these detours eventually lead them to discover new meaning and purpose.

      Freedom and Control

      For Geet, trains signify freedom and the ability to go wherever she wants. She hops on and off trains with ease, confident in her control over her own fate because she is sure she will never, ever, miss a train. Her carefree attitude toward life is reflected in how she navigates trains—without worry, full of confidence, and trust that she can keep to her train (her plan) and she can reach any destination.

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        Aditya, on the other hand, initially views life more rigidly, as if he’s stuck on a one-way track. Over the course of the film, however, Geet teaches him to embrace the unpredictability of the journey while also learning that life is full of missed trains, new destinations, and change.

        Returning to the Train

        Toward the end of the movie, the train once again plays a pivotal role when Geet, now emotionally broken, hears it passing her by, reflecting how far she’s come from the carefree girl at the start. In this scene, the train no longer represents freedom for her but a vehicle to her true destiny. It’s a powerful metaphor for her inner state—and how the horn signifies that she is released from the emotional void she had been stuck in.

        Jab We Met has Geet’s chaotic, colourful world collide with Aditya’s black-and-white existence, creating a vibrant, imperfect, but utterly beautiful story that neither of them could have written alone. They find love not in perfection, but in each other’s flaws, balancing dreams and reality—together.

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