By Poorva Rajaram
So, obviously I didn’t watch Raanjhanaa for a steely realist depiction of JNU. And I don’t think the film even tried. JNU for them must have been shorthand for a 3000% cut in the wardrobe budget.
However, I didn’t expect faux-JNU to become my new favourite non-place. There are ACs in every building, solid-looking chairs, some exceedingly perky posterage, microwaves in the hostel rooms and some very non-repressed people. This JNU campus is basically Amity University.
The People
My falling-over-in-delight moment unfolds thusly: Sonam Kapoor is striding past hunky student politician Abhay Deol and stops for some good ol’ who-knows-more-about-inequality verbal foreplay. How does the film communicate to us that love has struck hard? When Sonam practically screams to Abhay “I seriously think you are overomanticising a situation which needs a much more logical approach.” a.k.a meet me at Parthasarthy Rocks so we can explore our new “serious” approach. Yipeeeee.
I mean why wouldn’t she want him? He plays with stray dogs and speaks at seminars titled Rural Development all while smiling as much as an evil-doll in a slasher film. And then of course, Chucky goes on to win the student elections.
How does Sonam skip the initial 5 years of being a lowly party-hand? She sleeps with power. And I can tell you from my personal lack of success, it’s not a maneuver for the weak-hearted. So hurrah.
I was kind of impressed by how much people touch each other in faux-JNU. Since they attach about as much meaning to politics as the film does to making sense, it was bound to be a rollicking free-for-all. As my new political hero – a joyously insincere female character – intones: “Yeah dude, it’s a completely ruthless and politically aggressive system”.
The Place
I was totally jealous of the classrooms in faux-JNU. They are out of an Airtel ad! I’m thinking of all those times my Ancient Society class has overflowed outside the hall. Every thing else about this campus is un-ancient. Also, faux-JNU is populated with some really spiffy lampposts. And the canteen, instead of slightly exceeding the sum of a few plastic chairs, evokes Channel [V]’s Humse Hai Life.
Also, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think the film overvalues the importance of Che Guevara in JNU life. It not being the 70s and all. He is everywhere — over the microwave, over the waterpipe — always ready to conjure leftist atmosphere.
The Clothes
Rather fittingly, Sonam wears black for her feminist monologue, an event the film erroneously refers to as a “street play in Daryaganj”. I’m not sure all the black clothes have the exact effect the costume designers were going for. There is black and there is black.
To quote Adrian Mole about his girlfriend, “Pandora only wears black clothes as she is in mourning for the world”. The black clothes of Raanjhanaa are, in contrast, tragically life-affirming. They are perfectly tailored, not-faded and judiciously matched with colour scarfs. Sadly, all the fuck-you-ness of JNU couture is lost.
The Politics
Someone in JNU should write a letter of thanks to the film. Faux-JNU student politics has the reach to pull down state governments. Raanjhanaa happily decides that JNU is in fact (not just in the minds of JNU students) the centre of the universe.
Poorva Rajaram studies history at JNU. She blogs here.
June 27, 2013 at 7:56 am
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha I love this!
June 27, 2013 at 10:33 am
I laughed and I laughed and I laughed! My parents are from JNU and I studied at TISS, and sometimes the strange way in which student politics is shown in movies just cracks me up!!
And I do get the over- exploitation of Che! I think it comes from the fact that people sell mugs and calendars with Che on it, This was probably taking it 10 steps further!!
June 27, 2013 at 3:55 pm
Your post sobered my Jnu feminist hulk feelings as I stepped out of the hall today afternoon, frothing. While I can laugh with you here, I was just shaking my head all through out as my parents (who haven’t seen Jnu) soaked in the faux Jnu.
And, logical approach? (Contrary to pragmatism) ROFLnonewouldevengiveherasecondglance. And, the point you make about faux Jnu politics being relevant to the world outside. Haha 🙂 touché
June 29, 2013 at 8:34 pm
It’s common knowledge that ‘your freedom to swing your fists end where my nose begins’, but there are some who wouldn’t stop until they have punched you and have been punched back. Aanand L Rai’s artistic freedom is an example of this kind. In the name of it, he can present characters who don’t have slightest of resemblance with the real ones. He is a chef who can serve you any recipe just by knowing its name; he won’t even bother to know whether this is a mexican, italian, continental or desi food. Such is his ignorance of the prestigious university of India. I sat through his tamasha only to note down how he went on to distort the image of JNU for making moolah at the box office.
As per his research, JNU elections are also about chor-police episodes in which the JNU president runs off to a canteen to save himself from constables and he manipulates politics by his nexus with Delhi police, supposedly Vasant Kunj policewallahs:-)
And Anand Rai’s version of JNU politics has the president banging the table at the VC office, shoving books and other stuff on his table, but he finds nothing wrong in it because all this was not an act of threatening. He has this impression that doing all this is decent and set us apart from others. Did he mean the others held their VCs by their collar for the approval of their demands?
Not a single shot in the movie resembles JNU. He probably didn’t even enter the campus once and that’s why his characters are based on anecdotes narrated by third parties putting on lenses of different types. Where on earth he met a character in JNU who proved equality by pecking on a leader’s cheek. Come on, Anand, don’t prove yourself so dumb by portraying characters born out of your ignorance.
Ignorance is not bliss, at least in this case!
July 5, 2013 at 9:17 am
hear hear!
July 6, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Totally hilarious, I love faux JNU, thanks!!!
July 7, 2013 at 6:20 pm
I went to the real jnu… thanx purva, i’ll spare myself the faux jnu…. will give the film a miss…