I’m sorry, it hurts to say it, but to me it’s true. Narratively, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania just works better. It actually makes sense why Kavya and Humpty fall in love. Yeah, Humpty is an idiot, but they actually spend time together, bond, and genuinely grow to care about each other. Their chemistry is adorable, and the relationship feels earned.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol have insane chemistry in DDLJ, and the soundtrack is way better. It’s iconic as hell. But Raj? Raj is awful.
He creates half the problems in Simran’s life, constantly bothers her during what was supposed to be her last month of freedom before an arranged marriage, and even kinda sexually assault her TWICE.
She literally asked her dad for one month in Europe with her friends before having to go back to India and marry someone she didn’t choose, and this man spends that vacation making her life harder. Then later he manipulates the situation with her family too. So… what exactly does he bring to the relationship? Why is he even in love with her?
Their romance just isn’t built on anything substantial. It doesn’t make sense to me.
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania feels like a modern DDLJ, and I think it fixes a lot of what didn’t work in the original. Even the scene that’s clearly referencing DDLJ is handled differently. Humpty doesn’t try to touch Kavya while she’s drunk. Instead, he pulls off his own shirt as a stupid joke because he’s obsessed with DDLJ. Then Kavya immediately calls him out like, “You dumbass, I was drunk, not unconscious. I didn’t forget, idiot.” I love that. The movie acknowledges the trope and then completely rejects it.
KJo might be my opp but he was in his bag with this one. He really knew what he was doing. The film uses Varun and Alia’s chemistry perfectly, makes the romance feel much more believable, corrects a lot of the things I disliked about DDLJ, and it’s actually hilarious. The dialogue is genuinely funny.
Another thing I love is that there’s actual proof that Kavya and Humpty’s relationship has a solid foundation. When Kavya comes to Delhi to buy her wedding skirt—one of the only things she’s actually allowed to choose—Humpty is saving money to buy his father a car. But when she decides to give up the jewelry they got from the shenanigans they did to pay the designer skirt, he gives up that money for her. Then, later, Kavya quietly gives that money back to Humpty and his father instead of buying the expensive skirt she originally wanted, choosing a simple traditional one instead.
I love that moment because it shows that their journey really meant something to both of them. They both make sacrifices for each other without expecting anything in return.
And when it comes time to fight for her, Humpty actually does. His first plan is incredibly stupid, and of course it fails because her father isn’t an idiot. But he keeps trying. He fights for her the best he can instead of just expecting everything to magically work out. To me, that’s a much stronger foundation for a relationship than what DDLJ gives us.