New Delhi May 18 :Sanjay Mishra received praises galore for his performance in the 2020 film, Kaamyaab, which was backed by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. The actor played the role of a retired character artiste who returns for a long-awaited leading role in a film. Kaamyaab struck a chord with the audience and film critics alike and helped Sanjay Mishra gain a new stature in the industry. Many believe that Kaamyaab is the first film in which Sanjay Mishra played the protagonist. But before Kaamyaab, Sanjay Mishra was seen the lead role in the 2018 film, Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain, which showed the veteran actor in a different light altogether. Initially, a rude and sexist husband, Sanjay Mishra’s Yashwant Batra tries to win back the love of his wife, Kiran Batra (played by Ekavali Khanna), after she leaves him and moves to her parents’ home.
Today, Angrezi Mein Kehte Hai completes two years of its release. In this week’s Monday Masala, we revisit the film and this beautiful story. Directed by Harish Vyas, Angrezi Mein Kehte Hai is an offbeat love story about a couple married for 24 years, but without a fragment of love. Postal department employee Yashwant Batra (Sanjay Mishra) and his wife Kiran (Ekavali Khanna) is this loveless couple, stuck in this institution because their elders decided to get them married. Yashwant is a dominating and sexist middle-class man, who doesn’t care about his wife’s feelings, so long as she packs his lunch, supplies him ice for his evening drink and gets all his work done on his every instruction. For years, she suffers his noxious behaviour without complaining even once.
However, one day, after getting humiliated by his in-laws, Yashwant and Kiran end up in a heated argument. That’s when their daughter, Preeti (Shivani Raghuvanshi), reveals that she has secretly married Jugnu (Anshuman Jha), which results in more confrontations. Yashwant asks Kiran to leave and she doesn’t oppose. But when she leaves, he realises his mistake.
After a chance meeting with a man named Feroz (a character played by Pankaj Tripathi), and learning about his love story with his ailing wife, Yashwant decides to revive his dying marriage. He is a changed man now. With some help from his daughter and her newly acquired husband Jugnu, Yashwant tries to woo his wife back. And here, Yashwant turns into a quintessential Bollywood hero.
The story now takes a comical turn. From wearing a pink shirt to writing love letters, Sanjay Mishra’s Yashwant tries every trick in the Bollywood book of love to get his Kkkkkiran back.
Can you imagine Sanjay Mishra doing the Titanic pose with a woman on a boat? And that too in a dream sequence? Yes, he did it all in this film. From the 90s hero’s udta hua scarf to Shah Rukh Khan’s trademark sweater, Sanjay Mishra not only did all of this, but also looked dapper. All while a sad romantic song played in the background. He also leaves gifts for his wife at her doorsteps.
And then, there’s the airport chase scene too. Remember Jai (Imran Khan) singing Tera Mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Nata Koi for Aditi (Genelia D’Souza) at the airport in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na? Yashwant doesn’t sing out loud, but he confesses his love for Kiran in a typical airport scene. She leaves for the US with her brother anyway, but after his confession, they exchange letters and meet again after a month. Yashwant doesn’t forget to pick her up from the airport wearing her favourite shirt. They romantically hold hands, only to be shooed away by a security official. The newly-met lovers leave on a scooter and Yashwant asks Kiran to hold him tightly.
Sanjay Mishra says at the end of the film, “Har kahaani ka hero Shah Rukh Khan nahi hota. Kabhi kabhi, aapki aur humari tarah, ek aam insaan bhi hota hai.” Yes, he may not be the usual Bollywood hero, but he is nothing short of one.
