Movie Rewind | Chalte Chalte: Flawed Shah Rukh Khan and steely Rani Mukerji ask if love can survive marriage

In 2003, Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji starred in Chalte Chalte, a film that dissected the oft-used cliched phrase ‘happily-ever-after’. Just a year or so before that, Rani had starred in Saathiya, a film with similar sentiments: Getting caught up in the heady rush of love, without quite realising what it entails. In both the films, instead of the film ending with two lovers ending up with each other by jumping on a train, or at a ruined wedding, our leads get together early on. In Saathiya, it takes a near-tragedy to realise the power of their relationship.

In Chalte Chalte, there is no tragedy.  The couple must decide whether it’s a relationship worth fighting for.  In the film,  Raj falls in love with Priya immediately at first sight, to the point that he risks financial sensibilities and chases her to Greece as she goes to get married—and she, overcome by the romance of it all, reciprocates. They’re married immediately. 

The rose-tinted glow fades quickly, as Raj and Priya are different in every possible way, in terms of preferences, lifestyle, and just personalities. Earlier, Bollywood would have you believe that love is enough to bridge all the chasms—but Chalte Chalte reminds you that it really, isn’t enough. The couple argue, squabble about the little things—a towel on the floor, the shoes in the wrong place, a thoughtless action here, and a blunt reply there.

But the little things are never little; they expose rising insecurities and frustrations that the couple cannot quite communicate.  Raj is hot-tempered, impulsive and harbours deep worries about his wife’s immense wealth—a fear that his little messy apartment and his dishevelled way of living doesn’t meet her standards. Worse, there’s an ex-fiance in the background who has everything that he doesn’t. 

The anger bursts forth, when Priya, who is just as stubborn, headstrong, makes a rash decision to help Raj out of financial misery, by calling upon the ex-fiance. The wound bleeds. 

The rage and resentment is set alight and in an excessively melodramatic manner, Raj loses his cool, humiliates both of them, till she finally responds with a slap and leaves the house.  Obviously, they reconcile by the end of the film in the most Bollywoodish manner—but yet, also not without some poignant questions. A tearful Priya asks Raj, what’s the point of being together, if they’re only going to make each other unhappy? Is it really worth it? 

But of course, love trumps all in a Bollywood film, and the couple realises that they would rather be together and work out their differences, than be miserable apart.  

Chalte Chalte had its faults of course: It has its share of excesses and SRK doesn’t make it quite so easy for you to root for his character sometimes, almost leaving you to side with Rani, when instead, a more nuanced perspective for the film would’ve been, there is really no right, and no wrong—or maybe, they’re both wrong. 

Nevertheless, 23 years on, Chalte Chalte is still a fresh film of its kind: A couple struggling with a marriage, and contemplating what happily ever after really means. 

Nevertheless, 23 years on, Chalte Chalte is still a fresh film of its kind: A couple struggling with a marriage, and contemplating what happily ever after really means.