Aap Jaisa Koi writer Jehan Handa: ‘We want romance to make you think too’

(From left) Fatima Sana Shaikh and R Madhavan in Aap Jaisa Koi. Pics/Yogen Shah, Instagram

Modern-day Hindi rom-coms are gasping for air. While the early 2000s gave us charming stories like Jab We Met (2007) and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008), today's love stories often feel lost and clichéd. That's why before assembling to write Aap Jaisa Koi, the writers had a clear mission - bring the romance back, but with an update. Jehan Handa, who has written the R Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh-starrer along with Radhika Anand, tells us, "Rom-coms are not about meet-cutes anymore. There is a certain maturity that's expected. We asked ourselves: What does love mean in a world of therapy-speak, career anxiety, and gender politics?"

Gender politics became a key factor when telling the Netflix love story, directed by Vivek Soni. Shaikh's character is a self-assured woman from Kolkata, and Madhavan's protagonist, a 40-something Sanskrit teacher from Jamshedpur. "In the past few decades, women grew up not wanting to be their mothers, and the men grew up expecting [to find] their mothers in their partners. Modern relationships require a fair bit of unlearning. We knew we had to address that in our storytelling. In a dialogue in the trailer, Madhavan's character almost apologetically asks her to dial down her personality. He is a soft guy who has been conditioned," explains the writer.

Jehan Handa

Ask Handa what is missing from rom-coms today, and he says, "A lot of films today mistake aesthetics for feelings. We wanted something that doesn't just look pretty, but also [captures] the real heartbreak. We talked a lot about how Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge [1995] was radical for its time; Shah Rukh Khan's character saying ‘I'll win your parents over' was rebellion then. What's rebellion now? You have to fight your own instincts and be better personally. For example, a large part of the audience loved Raanjhanaa [2013] where the hero is running behind the woman. Maybe they thought that was okay. But we need to say newer things about love. We're not doing that enough right now. This month alone, we have three romantic releases - Metro… In Dino, Saiyaara, and Aap Jaisa Koi. Romance can make you feel good, but we want it to make you think too. What do we expect from the person we fall in love with? What do we owe ourselves?"

Imran Khan

Next, Jehan Handa is writing Imran Khan's comeback vehicle. The writer, who admittedly grew up watching Khan's Break Ke Baad (2010), says the star wanted an evolved love story. "It's not like I'm sitting with a guy stuck in 2010 talking about camera angles from Break Ke Baad. He's the one asking, ‘How do we do this now?' He brings his experience as a father, and knows how to navigate these themes. The co-writer is also a mother, and she brought her perspective."