After #SRKAJOL, Ranbir-Deepika make mush as magical as it gets

Change is probably the only constant thing in life. While we will soon take a bow and welcome the industry's truly most electrifying pair - Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol - after a five-year hiatus (Their last film was Karan Johar's My Name is Khan in 2010), we can't ignore Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone who seem to be taking the mantle forward by reinstating the celluloid's faith in the fact that some pairs have a hypnotic effect. It is a far-fetched comparison for any 90s kid, who feel SRK and Kajol are unmatchable. But for those who have tracked the journey of RK and his former lady love Deepika, this is one pair that comes closest to having the potential of recreating the similar magic.

To understand, what makes the Dilwale pair so invincible; it is essential to understand how they look so easy on screen together. In 1995, when the duo starred in Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayengey, they proved how they bring the best out in each other. They were likable individually - he after impressing with fifty-shades-of-psychotic in a string of negative roles and she coming fresh from the success of stock fares.

But, Chopra moulded SRK into Raj - a mirror image of the man of Simran's dreams. He wasn't successful, he failed exams, was nothing close to being the perfect man and yet, he won. The filmmaker's edge lied in the creating a hero who is pristine at heart despite being completely flawed. One needs to acknowledge the novelty of Chopra's storytelling that created the phenomena which Twitter trends refer to as #SRKAJOL.

The triumph of the pair is in creating an inimitable palpable chemistry. At no point does their romance look oh-so-raunchy, which is why they click with the Indian masses. They are a regular couple, who do nok-jhok and patch up with the same child-like glee. The 20 years of DDLJ video shot by Rohit Shetty has Kajol complaining to Shah Rukh about how he forgot their anniversary (rather the film's anniversary). And another striking scene in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, has the two patching up over just a harmless peck. And so, their 'aww' factor lies in this simplicity.

Our Tamasha pair, who is coming after the magnanimous success of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, has the insurmountable pressure of outdoing their last outing. And going by the film's initial glimpses, it will be more thrilling this time around as the actors will explore more dimensions of their chemistry. It will be deeper and not merely crowd-pleasing and frivolous. It will be lovin' ala Imtiaz Ali style.

RK and Deepika's love story on celluloid has the benefit of being rooted in real life. Much alike SRK and Kajol, their delectable chemistry draws from their friendship in the past. Their familiarity in personal life has turned into a lingering camaraderie on screen, which shows. And mostly, it is their conscious move to avoid replicating anyone else that makes them winsome. At an event, when Ranbir was asked to comment on how he feels being compared to the DDLJ duo, he said, "It's a great complement but I would rather me want me and Deepika to be the first of our kind than be the second'SRKKajol.'"

For a time, when the Hate Storys of the world are more frequent and Sooraj Barjatya hasn't made a film in six odd years, Ayan Mukerji with YJHD struck a balance between lascivious and quaint romance. Yes, there was indeed the much-anticipated kissing scene in the film but that's hardly the film's most memorable bit. What we remember most are the dialogues - 'Tu right nahi hai Naina,bas mujhse bohot alag hai' and 'Tum pehle bhi itni haseen thi ya phir waqt ne kiya koi haseen sitamb'. The doe-eyed Naina and the frivolous Bunny make for an unlikely pair - she a geek and he a nomad seeking for a rush. Deepika and Ranbir sincerely brought about zing to the roles. And, as for her, she gets him. She can finish his sentences. And that isn't restricted to films.

Interestingly, Ranbir and Deepika's YJHD pairing reminds us of a Hank Moody line, 'Ah, damn you smell good, like home and you make excellent coffee that's got to count for something, right? Unfaithfully yours.' While the idea is patriarchal that free-spirited men need demure women to settle them, romantics fell hard, head-over-heels in love with the characters. To their credit, Ranbir and Deepika so effortlessly made it look enchanting and simple. They look like each other's 'home'. It is refreshing to see Deepika match Ranbir's full-blown charm with her innocence and understated sexiness, which no other on-screen pair has managed this well after SRK and Kajol.

With Tamasha, the duo goes on to try newer tricks - role-play as strangers, have a fling and move on. But, like Imtiaz has always believed, when love comes calling it is hard to not be swept off your feet.

While we tip our hat to the evergreen jodi of Shah Rukh and Kajol as they return as Dilwales this Christmas to cast their spell yet again, it wouldn't be unfair to say that Ranbir and Deepika's names too are beginning to be spelled in the same breath like #SRKAJOL. The latter's chemistry reflect modern-day romances. They are friends who have each other's back and for the Gen-Y kids, they make mush as magical as it gets.