Classic Romantic Moment Series: Rahul and Anjali Dance Wordlessly in the Rain

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai – the story of two college best friends (Rahul and Anjali) meeting years later after one is widowed – is one of the most immensely loved and popular Bollywood movies on the planet. The all-star couple – actors Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan – are the most iconic and loved movie couple of Bollywood. This is because their chemistry is off the charts, and I hope you’ll agree with me if you read this moment!

KKHH is an incredibly good family movie, as Rahul’s (Shah Rukh Khan) daughter and mother try to set him up with his old best friend, Anjali (Kajol). It’s hilariously cheesy through the college flashbacks, tearfully heartbreaking with love triangles, and powerfully emotional with a story about first love. Though it’s nothing like My Best Friend’s Wedding or When Harry Met Sally because it is a Bollywood musical mix of romance, comedy, and family humor, it addresses romance between best friends in a way both movies do. It’s a classic and you are bound to watch it and laugh, sob, and swoon. Did I say swoon? Of course! See below:

THE LEAD IN:

Rahul’s young daughter, Anjali (named after his best friend in a weird way…like if you were going to name her Anjali why didn’t you marry Anjali in the first place?) is attending a camp where Anjali, Rahul’s old college best friend, is a counselor. Little Anjali and her grandmother slyly lure her father there by pretending she is sick. Once there, he joins in the camp fun and is playing charades with Anjali and the student campers. He’s assigned to act out the phrase, “I Love You,” as Anjali tries to guess.

The beautiful, sweet, and very competitive Anjali tries to guess at Rahul’s terrible attempts at charades.

Rahul, like many dumb boys, is momentarily stunned at figuring out a way to say “I love you” even though he is just acting it out.

He eventually attempts sign language well enough for her to shout at him, “I LOVE YOU!” which catches him by surprise. And then he says, “Yes, it was I love you.” At this point, they’ve already lost the game. She sighs, “You couldn’t do that much?” He responds, “No.. I couldn’t.” Regretfully, she says, “If you had done it, we would have won.” She is referring to the game of charades, of course, but their exchange alludes to a deeper meaning. If he had been able to say, “I love you,” earlier in their friendship, they as a couple, might’ve won out.

THE ROMANTIC MOMENT:

It then rains and the campers clear out, leaving Rahul and Anjali stuck alone in the rain. A wordless dance seems to be indicated.

This photo is blurry with a smoldering passion to be.

Instead of saying, “Naturally this rain has brought out my deep-buried love for you and I would like to show it with expressive dance,” Rahul says, “Come with me.” He leads Anjali to a dry gazebo.

As Anjali is un-self-consciously drying her hair, Rahul starts to get down on one knee, making the audience very nervous. WHAT IS HE DOING?!

Anjali’s face says, “Uh…you dumb butt, what are you doing?” Her face also says, “I am super nervous because you are super hot and I have loved you for years. So I think I will insult you as much as I can.”

Rahul, in a very sexy turn, uses only his collarbones and arms to speak. He motions that he’d like to dance…with her.

Anjali is STALLING, because can you say no to Shah Rukh Khan asking you to dance in the rain any more than you could say no to a baby stranded outside your window in a Dr. Zhivago-like winter storm? “No music,” she says.

Ah, but luckily for everyone, Rahul has figured out a formula to convert smoldering into music. He strokes the air with his fingers and we all suddenly hear music.

Anjali succumbs with an answering smile full of both light joy and, I think, deep emotion.

The music swells and Anjali is swept off her feet as she gazes, starry-eyed, at Rahul and he looks intently back.

He pulls her to him in the dance and checks out her collarbones the way we were scoping out his earlier. Who knew collarbones could be so important? But I mean, now I’m glad I have them.

Anjali tries to pull away from Rahul’s collarbones. Can it be done?

The collarbones are too compelling, it seems. With a smolder of all smolders, Shah Rukh stops her and simultaneously increases the sales of red saris worldwide.

Anjali turns.

She traces the face (with an expression that won her best actress for this film) of the man she has loved for years.

The camera, nasty being that it is, chooses this particularly tender moment to zoom in on her ring. I hate the camera.

“Do you love me?” Rahul’s eyes ask cautiously. “Have I hurt you?” his rain-slicked expression wonders. “Why didn’t I give you this ring?” question his woeful eyebrows. (“How many desktops can I make this the screensaver of?” I ask. )

Anjali’s eyes answer in turn as they fill with tears in pain and horror at her feelings for him. The heartless camera shows that ring again, that ring which he did not give her.

Rahul looks at her once more, an admonition not to go.

She flees as the drums kick up and beat a pounding pattern of heartbreak into the audience’s hearts.

Rahul is left looking like the air’s been torn from him. Which, figuratively speaking, it has.

Am I a demon for ending this post like this? Do you still think it’s romantic even though this scene ends so intensely?

Has this made you need to watch this movie? Comment below! This movie is on DVD, Amazon Video and this scene itself is on YouTube.

You can watch the scene here:

Photos: Dharma Productions

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