Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani

About the film

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (transl. Rocky and Rani's Love Story) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy family drama film directed by Karan Johar and written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, and Sumit Roy. Produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios, the film stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt as a couple with contrasting personalities who decide to live with each other's families for three months prior to marriage. The supporting cast includes Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, and Kshitee Jog.

The project was officially announced in July 2021 and marked Johar's return to feature film direction following Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016). Principal photography commenced in August 2021 and concluded in March 2023, with filming taking place across Mumbai, New Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir. The schedule and release were delayed due to Bhatt's pregnancy. Pritam composed the soundtrack and background score, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, while Saregama acquired the audio rights in a strategic shift from Johar's norm. Manush Nandan handled the cinematography, and Nitin Baid served as editor.

Plot

The Randhawas are a wealthy Punjabi family who run a successful confectionery business named Dhanlakshmi Sweets, led by the authoritative matriarch, Dhanlakshmi Randhawa. Her husband, Kanwal Randhawa, uses a wheelchair and suffers from memory loss following an accident. Their son, Tijori, mirrors Dhanlakshmi's controlling nature and dominates the household alongside her. Tijori's family includes his submissive wife Punam and their children, Rocky and Gayatri.

One day, Kanwal mistakenly kisses a stranger, believing her to be a woman named Jamini. Concerned for his grandfather, Rocky investigates and discovers an old photograph of Jamini. His search leads him to Jamini's granddaughter Rani Chatterjee, a well-known Bengali television news anchor. Rani hails from an intellectual family—her mother Anjali is an English professor and her father Chandon is a Kathak dancer.

Rocky and Rani arrange a meeting between Kanwal and Jamini, who are revealed to have shared a brief extramarital affair in 1978. Rekindling their bond, Kanwal and Jamini's interactions bring Rocky and Rani closer, and the two begin a relationship. Although Rocky proposes, Rani initially dismisses it as a temporary fling but later realises her love for him.

Production

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was officially announced on 6 July 2021 by director Karan Johar through his social media accounts, with the title initially stylized as Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. The announcement confirmed Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the titular roles, alongside Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi in key supporting parts. The project marked Johar's return to feature film direction following Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), and notably, his first directorial venture not to feature frequent collaborator Shah Rukh Khan in any capacity; Khan had appeared in all of Johar's previous directorial ventures, including the joint production venture My Name Is Khan (2010), with the notable exception of Student of the Year (2012), which saw him partner up as a presenter and producer and marked Bhatt's debut, while Ae Dil Hai Mushkil featured both Bhatt and Khan in separate cameo appearances.

Johar began developing the film during the COVID-19 pandemic after his planned historical drama Takht—which also featured Singh and Bhatt and was to be written by Sumit Roy and Hussain Haidry—was postponed indefinitely. He assembled a writer's room comprising Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, and Roy to develop the story, screenplay and dialogues. Khaitan, who was given his first big break by Johar, had notably worked with Bhatt and cameo star Varun Dhawan, her fellow debutante in Student of the Year alongside Sidharth Malhotra, in his first two films; he and Johar later produced Malhotra-starrer Yodha (2024), which was his first independent production debut.

The film marked Jaya Bachchan’s return to acting after over a decade; she had last worked with Johar in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). She was confirmed to play the female antagonist. Dharmendra agreed to join the project, stating that the role suited his age and screen image, and expressing enthusiasm about reuniting with Bachchan and Shabana Azmi after several decades. The role of Jamini was initially offered to Sharmila Tagore, a frequent collaborator of Dharmendra, but she exited the project before production began due to a cancer diagnosis. Anjali Anand, a television actress, was cast in her first film role as a member of the Randhawa family. Saswata Chatterjee was originally approached for the role of Chandon Chatterjee but declined the offer; the part eventually went to Tota Roy Chowdhury, whom Chatterjee later stated was “his biggest regret” to have turned down. Bashir and Azmi were previously supposed to work with Johar on My Name Is Khan (2010), but while Azmi opted out due to scheduling conflicts with other projects, Bashir was replaced due to a rejected visa application.

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by Pritam, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, both in their second collaboration with Karan Johar after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Pritam described the soundtrack as a "homage" to the music of Hindi cinema from the 1960s and 1970s. The audio rights were acquired by Saregama for ₹30 crore (US$3.5 million), replacing Johar's norm label for his directorial ventures, Sony Music India, a decision he described as both strategic and sentimental. He noted that Saregama—formerly His Master's Voice—had released the music of early Dharma Productions titles such as Gumrah (1993) and Duplicate (1998). The acquisition also granted the filmmakers access to Saregama's catalogue of vintage Hindi film music without requiring separate licensing, which Johar had to comply with in both Student of the Year and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, where old songs were extensively used, particularly in the latter.

Key details