The disappointment that was Roja

We went to buy groceries yesterday and Shravan sees this DVD that has Mouna Ragam and Roja in one. Now we both absolutely love MR (Mouna Ragam, not so much Mani Ratnam), and I loved Roja the one time I saw it, so I was super excited about seeing it again.

Roja came out in 1992, when I was in the 9th standard. We saw it at Prarthana, the only drive-in theatre in Madras. It was raining and there were 5 of us in the car. I was on a 'date' with whatshisname and everyone dared us to kiss. But Arvind Swamy was more interesting to me than this boy!

Arvind Swamy.. what a dream boat! Especially when he looks out of his 'prison' room and croons to Roja....*sigh*.... never mind how he looks now!!!!!!

Anyway... back to the movie. I was soooo disappointed!!! I am very sad. Somehow, the cracks in the movie stuck out distinctly this time around.

Like the climax. Rishi (Arvind's character) is running for life down slope after slope and finally comes to this dam across which stands his Roja. How did he know his way there? How did Roja and Nasser and the army know that they would meet at that exact time and that exact place? Why does Pankaj Kapoor's character (can't remember his name) let Rishi go? And why the hell didn't the army shoot down Pankaj when he was right there, a sitting duck??

The music was absolutely amazing! The soundtrack has definitely stood the test of time. Confirms my belief that A.R. Rahman is by far the best musician of our time.

I felt the movie lacked depth. When I saw it the first time, sitting in the car, with the wipers on fast, it seemed so full of emotion. I remember coming home with a blissful weight in my heart. I didn't feel a thing this time. Anyone want to venture a guess why? Let me know!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roja
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105271/