Jaya Bachchan’s journey from meek wife in K3G to matriarch in ‘Rocky Aur Rani…’

‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ is not just Karan Johar’s comeback as a director after a hiatus of seven years; it also marks Jaya Bachchan’s return to the big screens after the 2007 film, ‘Laga Chunari Mein Daag’. It has taken over a decade for the actress to be back on the big screens, and well, the impact that she has created as Dhanalaxmi in the film marks a fitting return for her.

THE IMAGE-SHIFT FOR JAYA BACHCHAN IN ‘ROCKY AUR RANI...’

Jaya Bachchan plays the character of Dhanalaxmi in Karan Johar’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. Stuck in a marriage without love, with her husband being wheel-chair bound, she has the responsibility to take over and look after the business. With it, she also has to take care of her household. The result - she maintains a stern control over everything. Such has been the bitterness in her life, which she tries to compensate for by having control over everything. So much so that she transforms into a negative character.

It is interesting to note that this is for the first time in her entire career that Jaya Bachchan played a negative role. However, her character is not altogether devoid of grace. Much like the characters which made her meek in films like ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, she transforms into the matriarch with an iron-fist, who would not ‘allow’ her son to be close to her husband (lest he becomes soft like him), and would fat-shame her granddaughter.

Dhanalaxmi comes in sharp contrast to all the characters Jaya Bachchan has played so far. Even if we do not go back to the initial characters like Mili or Guddi, where she is the sweet, charming and rather uncomplicated person, her other characters like Nandini Raichand in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ or Jennifer in ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ had been helpless and had their lives at the mercy of decisions made by others.

JAYA BACHCHAN’S JOURNEY FROM MEEK WIFE TO IRON-FISTED MATRIARCH

Jaya Bachchan’s last collaboration with Karan Johar was the 2001-film, ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’. She even won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. However, there was very little that she could do other than wait with tearful eyes for her son’s arrival, fix her husband’s tie, do puja and silently accept her husband’s decision when he disowns his oldest son and be okay with it. The only redemption that she probably found was she she said, “Keh diya na, bas keh diya.”

It is this line that echoes loudly in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ as well, However, here, it is not a moment of her putting her foot down, it is her establishing her control over the household, in a way that nothing or no one could go beyond her. The tables have been turned in the film for Jaya Bachchan’s character, and she exudes control and confidence even while performing the puja, commanding others to follow what she is saying. She is no longer subservient. Like her husband had brought the wave of the ‘angry young man’ into Bollywood, she has now turned to the ‘angry matriarch’.

IS JAYA AS DHANALAXMI KARAN JOHAR’S BRAVEST CASTING DECISION?

It is also interesting to note how Karan Johar had made a brave casting decision by making Jaya Dhanalaxmi instead of Jamini. Think about it, she is a Bengali and it would have been way more appropriate for her to play Jamini. But, she is chosen as Dhanalaxmi, the one who knows how much pressure is perfect to roll the laddoos or keep the relationship intact. Her off-screen persona, where she scolds people or the paparazzi for unruly behaviour, might have resulted in memes, but the balance of anger and affection she shows in a film makes her the legend that she is.

With ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, Jaya Bachchan has truly broken the boundary for herself and proved that she still has so much more to offer to the industry. With this film, and this character, we hope that it is only the beginning of a new journey and that we will get to see her more often on-screen, playing more nuanced characters with myriad of emotions.