When we talk of Bollywood’s most romantic movies, first thought is “ DDLJ ” and when we talk of finding a boyfriend/ husband, our first thought is “Raj”. We all have watched this movie a hundred of times and it may be safe to say, we were all in love with it…but not anymore! It took us two decades to realize that this movie has the fatal disease of patriarchy.

The opening scene deals with the nostalgia of Amrish Puri a.k.a. Baldev a.k.a. Bauji. He is imagining himself surrounded by ladies and their flying dupattas in the fields of Punjab.

He wants to go back to India, but then he needs the money, but he immediately leaves for India after Simran returns and arranges a full fledged Indian wedding. Well, guess he became Heisenberg in a month.

The typicality of the scene cannot be questioned, since every home coming scene deals with women running around and welcoming the “pardesi”.

Bauji, being the typical patriarch, is the one having the last say in all the matters even when his opinion isn’t even asked and being the typical NRI who loves his India and culture, and of course, India ki mitti ki khushboo.

He had the same reaction the whole movie (FYI we had the same reaction after understanding the underlying chauvinism)

Enters Simran and along with her enters misogyny:

We are introduced to Simran as a girl with dreams and of course, her dream is to fall in love with a stranger. And then, the letter comes and voila!! Wish fulfilled!! You now get to marry a stranger! What else could we women dream of? It’s not like we want to have a career or something. What is she complaining about?

And our “dream boy”, Raj is introduced, doing the “manly” stuff like playing, failing and actually going to college.

The friends decide they are going to travel Europe for a month and that’s where the problem starts. Simran seeks permission from her mother and her replies are two folds:

1. Girl’s , at this age, going alone is not right
2. Why even ask me? Don’t pretend I have a say in this. Ask your father.

Finally Bauji lets her go and live her life for a month. Because we all need Bauji’s permission and ashirwaad to make our choices! Do not even try to apply logic here! Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Finally, one of the most celebrated scenes, the scene where they meet for the first time in the train, yes we know you have been waiting for this.

Yep, that’s how we roll!

Here is how he tries to impress her: makes lame jokes, takes the bra, leans on her, “Maine aapko kahi dekha hai”, leans again, “Aapki aankhe mujhe meri daadi ki yaad dilaati hain” and literally lays on her lap.

Bonus, he is not even interested in her, he just does that because he just happen to be in the same closed room with her! And the rest of their meetings are a series of harassment. He literally tears her dress and jokes about having sex with her, but diffuses the situation by saying he knows what a “Hindustani ladki ki izzat” means.

News flash: Izzat isn’t in her vag!na and You don’t sleep with ANYONE who is drunk and not in his/her senses. If the supposed “hero” is a douche, what can we say about the people who follow these examples because being a “Raj” will get you chicks!