Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is currently running in the cinemas. The lead actors Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt have garnered a lot of love for their performances in the film. Apart from them, the illustrious supporting cast of veterans Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan, has won everybody’s hearts. Jaya ji plays the role of Ranveer’s grandmother Dhanlakshmi, the stern matriarch who doesn’t approve of Rocky and Rani’s love. Her character had grabbed many eyeballs since the first glimpse of the movie and some had even compared her to Amitabh Bachchan’s Yash Raichand from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Now, director Karan Johar has opened up about Jaya ji’s character and how she gets no redemption arc in the film.
Karan Johar opens up about Jaya Bachchan’s character in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
In a recent interview with Bollywood Hungama, Karan said that the narrative of his film required a woman to be the head of the family. He believes that even though the phenomenon of patriarchy is related mainly to the male gender, it can stem from a character like Dhanlakshmi as well, who then teaches it to her son.
At the end of the film, Rocky and Rani (Ranveer and Alia) get married in the presence of their respective families. However, Jaya ji’s character, who disapproves of their relationship throughout the movie, doesn’t attend the happy occasion. Talking about this and her character’s concluding arc, Karan said, “There was a big debate about ‘Should she come around? Should she not? Should she be at the wedding? Should she not?’ I said she cannot come around.”
Karan Johar on a different ending for Jaya Bachchan in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
But there is a small ray of hope when Dhanlakshmi sends the family recipe of laddoos to Rani and writes a letter to her stating she would never be able to accept her mistakes due to her prideful nature. To this Karan added that he showed her alone in the end because it was her karma. “So it was a balanced kind of coming around but it’s not entirely… You show her alone which they would say ‘arre yaar, it’s looking very sad that she is alone’ but I was like life is not easy and there is payback. She has obviously her own karmic situation which had to be dealt with,” he said.
Talking about a different possible ending, Karan said that maybe Rocky and Rani could have lived with her happily as well. He added, “The film stops there but who knows, a month later Rocky and Rani, they could have gone and brought her back in. I’m leaving that to interpretation.”
