Let’s be real, there aren’t too many on screen couples as loved as Raj and Simran from "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge". For so many of us, Raj Malhotra was our dream guy. He was cute, popular, and funny. And also reeeaaally problematic!
Oh c’mon, don’t act as if you don’t know. We’ve all seen the movie some 700 times and we’ve all cringed hard at some moments. But you know how love is. Because when it came to Raj, Simran (and we) totally ignored the multiple red flags. We shrugged it off and continued falling in love because, "Senorita, bade bade deshon mein aise choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai". Only these "choti choti baatein" are big warning signs! Don’t believe me?
Here are some not so cool moments that should have made us root for Baldev Singh over Raj:
1. When he was a friend Rocky needed to stay away from.
Situation: You want to go for a Eurotrip but your friend doesn’t want to. What do you do?
Raj’s way of dealing with this was to yell "Oh shut up!" at his friend Rocky’s excuses and hit him on the head. Who wouldn’t want to keep this guy around? *eye roll*
2. When he just wouldn’t hear a "No".
Clearly Baldev Singh owned the only shop in the entire area, because, for some reason, Raj and his friends HAD to get their beer from there. This is after the poor man told them that the shop is closed, repeatedly!
After Rocky couldn’t convince Baldev Singh to sell him some beer, Raj tried to change his mind by lying about a headache and tugging at his heartstrings with some good old emotional blackmail. And then, like the adorable hero he was, when Baldev Singh looked away, Raj lifted a crate of beer and threw money at the shop while running away.
3. When he had no concept of boundaries.
Who can forget that totally cringey train journey? When Raj’s pick-up line(s) didn’t work on Simran, he discarded all respect for her boundaries, making her truly uncomfortable. Our girl is literally shrinking further away into the corner while Raj is almost on her lap trying to read the upside-down book along with her. Lest we forget, this is literally the FIRST time the dude has met this person. Smh.
4. When he made Simran uncomfortable at the opera.
What is with this guy and the lack of personal space? Simran made her dislike for him known after he was an absolute creep in the train, yet here he is running after her, feeling her up and even dropping her to the ground!
5. When he played this really creepy prank.
Raj played multiple pranks on Simran throughout their trip, but the one when they shared the hotel room truly takes the cake. He thought it would be super hilarious to lie to her and tell her that they were intimate the night before, while drunk. This obviously upset Simran, who started to cry. And right then, our hero gave her this lecture about how he understands a Hindustani woman’s izzat. Well, where was this understanding when you were checking out her bra in the train? Yaar, this guy…
6. When he professed his feelings in this ridiculous manner.
Since it was established in the past 1 hour of the movie that Raj doesn’t do anything in a conventional manner, how can his proposal be typical? In true classy Raj style, he told Simran that he loves her without any warning and as she tried to make sense of this random ass confession, he started laughing and telling her how love is too much for him.
7. When he landed up at the wedding!
Would it have killed Raj to maybe mention his feelings once on the trip, or maybe ask Simran if she’s interested? If "palat" is the only sign we’re going by, couldn’t he have at least told her he’ll drop by? How is it okay to just come unannounced for the wedding of a woman you like, without any actual confession of love? Also, how is he assuming that Simran is waiting around? Oh, wait, that "palat" answered it all, I guess.
8. And finally, when he made his love sound like ownership.
In most of Raj’s conversations with Simran, he makes their love seem like something he owns. Look at his line for example, “Koi bhi ullu ka patha sirf ek angoothi pehanakar tumko mujhse nahi cheen sakta. Tum meri ho, sirf meri” or “Toh kya hua agar maine jhoot sirf tumhe paane ke liye kaha tha…”
It's like this spawn of Satan looked at their love story as some duel that he has to win. Which he did, much to everyone's delight. But that doesn’t really change the fact that he had a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do.
To sum up my rant, I'd like to say "Bhaag Simran bhaag, bacha le apni zindagi".
