The Romantics

It was really good to see Aditya Chopra talking, the pioneer of Hindi cinema, and Indian cinema as well, who bought us DDLJ, Dhoom, all these time he has been at the forefront of the trajectory of the industry itself, and I think his contribution is huge as a creative producer of YRF than the director, IDK, if that's correct because DDLJ still running in theatres is not a small feat and this kinda feat is never achieved by any filmmaker at all, he's the only kind. The film running in north India is understandable but re-releases of it running in other non-Hindi speaking states is definitely an outlier and no other film even comes closer to this kinda achievement.

On favouritism/nepotism: after seeing him talk for the first time, it feels like Aditya Chopra hasn't been part of that usual group of Bollywood folks that has triggered this whole nepotism thing. 2 parts of his talk: 1. Saying that he doesn't want to get into that group that make films just to get awards and competing for awards wasn't for him, making the best films was only his goals; 2. When he said that he introduced Ranveer Singh just because he did well in his first audition and how he always relates to the common audience as he himself is an avid film goer and does so every Friday which in itself shows his passion for cinema as a whole.

Overall, it's a documentary where most Bollywood fraternities talk and it slightly gave a feeling that this documentary itself was made & released now to make people feel that there's no nepotism in Bollywood and how these people even hate saying Bollywood itself, a more like a brain-washer for the common audience but just with a little understanding of the current pathetic state of Hindi film industry, one could easily understand that this is again a gimmick by these people to instate the confidence in Bollywood but these pricks aren't still getting the point that nothing matters in the end except making good films and if they start doing it again, everything's gonna fall in place again, it's damn so simple but these people's brains are so fried out of popularity that they're not able to see/imagine this simple picture of their mind, god bless them.

But, if you're still reading to see if you should watch this documentary or not, I'd say you must if you're following Indian Cinema since this is probably the first time the pioneer of Indian Cinema, Aditya Chopra has opened himself up and its really good to see him take us through his journey of film making and his passion for Cinema is just fascinating to see.

The Romantics is not only about the romantic films that YRF produced but all about The Great Yash Chopra & YRF. Also, it talks not only about the successful films but also about the films which failed. It also presented how Cinema has changed with its time and situation.

I've never watched an Aditya Chopra interview and by watching the documentary I got to know that he never gave that. But, it's so good to hear him, first he's a movie lover and then a producer, writer & director. It features the making of some iconic films, it would've been good if they showed the same of Veer Zara too. Lastly, if you've loved Hindi Cinema so far you'll love this.

Available on Netflix.

© MandalBros.

The Romantics (2023) : Series Review -

The Romantics follows the journey of the two "Big Chopras" of B-Town, Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra, through a docuseries format. This new form of storytelling is the safest bet for filmmakers because it's a non-narrative process. You don't have to worry about the story because you don't have any. You just take multiple people and ask them to open up about their experiences without any script, and everything that comes out is highly organic. This Smrithi Mundhra's docuseries is blessed to have one of the finest contents to explore, and fortunately the data is unlimited. It feels like four episodes are not enough to explore the journey of YRF. They had to miss out on many movies and events due to the 4-hour runtime. Having a story on Yash Chopra and Aditya is no less than a big golden egg. All you have to do is lay it properly, and the baby is certain to have good health and shape.

The Romantics has a peculiar structure from the writer's point of view because it has no head and no tail, like in mainstream format. The series is four episodes long and has only one aim: to explore the cultural impact and legacy of Chopras in Hindi cinema. While doing so, it doesn't shy away from accepting several heartbreaking facts and bad experiences, and it's a very good move. A docudrama should be as real as it can get, and Smithi knew it. She also knew that you cannot whitewash anybody when everything is available in the public domain, such as old clips, articles, write-ups, and recorded statements. Like every human being, Aditya and Yash Chopra both struggled with some things in their lives, and the series doesn't limit itself to glorifying them. Rather, it's a straight-forward take on their professional achievements, just like they always wanted.

Whatever you see in The Romantics is nothing new, except for a few shocking facts. I mean, who would've thought that Aditya Chopra was a better dancer than Hrithik Roshan!!?? Karan Johar evidently reveals it. Who would've imagined that Aditya Chopra had to follow Shah Rukh Khan for months to do DDLJ, and SRK was barely interested in doing that film? Who knew that Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra had creative differences on Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge's sets? After all this, the film turned out to be the biggest hit ever in YRF and Shah Rukh Khan's filmography. As they say, it was in their destinies. The Romantics will ride you through this nostalgic theme park.

Smriti has worked on nuances, mainly historical events of the time. Yash Chopra's most popular films belong to the romance genre, but I am a huge admirer of his early works like "Dhool Ka Phool" (1958), "Dharmaputra" (1961), "Waqt" (1965), "Ittefaq" (1969), "Daag" (1973), and "Deewar" (1975). All these films were made before the Emergency, and after that, Hindi cinema also changed. Action films took over, and the top hits of the decades were mostly action films, except for Raj Kapoor's "Sangam" (1964) and "Bobby" (1974). The Romantics didn't mention this vital fact. In one of the segments, it openly blamed the action and masala flicks of the early 80s. How could anyone forget "Kranti" (1981) so easily, which was the biggest hit of the 1980s decade and perhaps the last of the true red multistarrer action entertainers in Bollywood? Yes, Chandni (1989) redefined romance-mostly for the urban section-but the craze and love "Maine Pyar Kiya" (1989) received were 10 times bigger. Yes, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is a trendsetter and the longest running film in the history of Indian cinema, but it could never match the collections and family values of "Hum Apke Hai Kaun!" (1994). YRF's recent string of unsuccessful films ended with Pathaan, and that's what the lengends do. They don't stop after one or two failures; they continue their passion and achieve success with their work. Missing out on these facts was a big mistake considerably. I would've loved to see the inclusion of Spy-Universe, Broadway, and other recent events in Indian cinema, such as how South and Hollywood films have overtaken our Hindi market. The Romantics were shot before, so naturally they missed it, but let's just accept that it would have been a big bonus.

The Romantic is a nostalgic journey, but you have to be a Bollywood fan, a movie fan, or a fan of one of the superstars who is seen speaking in the series to understand it. Unfortunately, it's scattered because the linear equation isn't handled properly. That would have looked better because then you would have gotten to see their journey with a perfect line-up of events. The Romantics shuffles the events, and the editing skills are put on cold burner there. However, I liked the climax portion that features Yash Chopra's demise. As an audience of Hindi cinema, we have become habituated to watching emotional endings, and The Romantics follows the traditional pattern, despite knowing that it hurts the linear equation of the narrative. That's the masterstroke. Again, you have a burning quote coming from Adi Sir: "What happens to YRF after me?" That's a general question, but we never think about it. YRF stood strong after Yash Chopra's departure because Aditya Chopra was there, but who will be the next Aditya Chopra? "I'll die my boots on," and "This one will too." These two quotes hit hard and right at the core of your heart. The emotions are there, just like in any film, or, should I say, slightly more.

I am still confused why this docuseries has been named The Romantics? If it isn't just about romance, then why? Or did they use the other meaning of the word from mediaeval times? Smithi Mundra's case study is not concrete, but it isn't abstract either. I can only imagine the amount of pressure she felt before taking on this project. I mean, taking interviews of 35 people, bringing Aditya Chopra in front of the camera, telling the story that spans across 8 decades, carrying forward the iconic moments from classic movies, and giving a sneak peek into national events isn't an easy task. Smithi did that, so let's have a moment of applause for her. What's missed is missed; forget it and let's enjoy what she gathered. If this is how you make docuseries on filmmakers, then bring more stuff like this on bigger legends like V. Shantam, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, and many more. A major chunk of our audiences is not aware of all-time greats like DW Griffith, Fritz Lang, John Ford, Buster Kearton, Charlie Chaplin, Williams Wyler, Billy Wilder, Ingmar Bergman, and Jean Renoir, so better give them a case study of our legends. And you have so many of your favourite stars, their iconic moments, and memories to cherish in The Romantics. Turn binge mode on right this minute because The Romantics is just Fascinating!

RATING - 7/10*

Absolutely enjoyed the interviews and the stories. I am someone who doesn't like the Melodramatic bollywood, songs and dance movies but would definitely appreciate it's existence and important to the core of our Indian identity. This show has documented Mr. Yash Chopra's struggles and film making skills. There are interviews of his films actors and newer generation artists. And man! They managed to interview Aditya Chopra, yes you read it right. I never imagined I would see him in front of the camera. I believe this his way to give respect to his father. I would highly recommend this documentary to all the Bollywood movie lovers.

Docuseries review: The Romantics streaming on Netflix #sanjuzzreviews #Netflix #netflixindia #TheRomantics #YashChopra #YRF

This 4 part docuseries traces the journey of Yash Chopra as a larger than life director, who transformed Indian Cinema forever.

An inspiring tale of a visionary who broke away from the shadow of his illustrious elder brother BR Chopra, carving out his own niche in the industry, breaking pre-existing norms, achieving unparalleled success & leaving behind his everlasting legacy for all Indians to feel proud about.

It talks about his passion for making films, not always playing to the gallery, taking risks at times & putting up a brave face when the gamble didn't pay off (Silsila, Lamhe).

It also talks ABT his dream of putting Bollywood on the world map, having his own studio and finally handing over the baton to the next generation ( Adi & Uday) to carry his legacy forward.

With around 35 celebrities ( Amitabh, SRK, Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji Madhuri Dixit etc ) & friends lending their insights into the life of this enigmatic filmmaker, this one is definitely a must watch for Bollywood afficianado's !

Go for it ... Adios 🙂!!