Bollywood: Anil Kapoor dishes out some marriage advice ahead of 'Jugjugg Jeeyo' release

Family reunion. Things take a dramatic turn. This reminds us of 2015’s hit family entertainer Dil Dhadakne Do. Back then, it was Zoya Akhtar, now, it is Raj Mehta (Good Newzz) and Karan Johar, famous for his dramatic yet entertaining touch, delivering us the fun-filled package via Jugjugg Jeeyo, another family entertainer starring an ensemble cast of Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Neetu Kapoor, and debutante Prajakta Koli.

Jugjugg Jeeyo, out in UAE cinemas Friday, is about a young couple, played by Varun and Kiara, who are on the brink of divorce. They head home for a family wedding, after which they promise to spill the heartbreaking news. But as the Punjabi family reunites in Patiala, Varun’s character discovers his father (Anil) also wants a divorce from his mother (Neetu). Drama, emotions, unresolved yearnings, and unexpected reconciliations, all come into play in this family entertainer.

From the trailer of Jugjugg Jeeyo, we witness comedy (with chunks of misogyny), divorce and family drama, and lots of entertainment. But it is also underlined with a deeper message. “It depends on how deep you go,” says an energetic and evergreen Anil over a Zoom conversation with City Times. “Basically, it is a family entertainer which is definitely underlined with a message because divorce is a very serious topic, and since we are talking about it (in the film), it is done in a very light but sensitive and realistic way.”

Watch the trailer below:

Perhaps, that is why we feel the similarity between the two films. Both films tend to talk about serious issues such as divorce and extra-marital affairs in a light but realistic way. “That’s how people connect to the film,” Anil says, “today, whenever people go to watch a film, they want the film to connect with them. But, it should not feel like everything is over the top, instead the situation should be real.”

And that is, as Anil says, the hallmark of Jugjugg Jeeyo; a modern take on a family entertainer.

Anil’s relationship advice

At a very comic point in the trailer, Anil’s character Bheem is referred to as a veteran in handling marriages. So naturally we asked for some relationship advice from Anil, who recently celebrated his 38th wedding anniversary with Sunita Kapoor. “If you’re asking my character Bheem for advice, then I think you are asking the wrong person,” he says, “Bheem is a very selfish man who wants happiness only for himself.”

“But if you’re asking me, then I feel we are all different individuals. My advice might not be right for the other person and vice versa. Sunita and I have been married for 38 years, there are some things which we both have sacrificed and compromised for each other. But we love each other’s company, we have a lot of common things, and even when we have different tastes, we have an understanding, which must be one of the reasons for this longevity in our relationship,” Anil said, adding that he and Sunita are school sweethearts who started dating and then got married. “So it has been 38 years of marriage, and 10 years of courtship as boyfriend and girlfriend before we got married. It has been almost 48 years!”

Shaking a leg with young co-actors

Songs from the film are already trending on social media. The Punjaabban, voiced by Tanishk Bagchi, Gippy Grewal, Zahrah S Khan, and Romy, is already the audio for many reels on Instagram. At a recent awards night in Mumbai, several actors, including Anil, Varun, Karan, Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan came together on-stage to groove to the song.

It is a typical Punjabi wedding song, and Anil, even at 65 (shocking, we know!), doesn’t fail to shake a leg with his young co-actors in the film. “Varun, Neetu, and Kiara are great dancers,” he says, “so matching steps with all three of them was quite tough and scary. The choreography team was very kind and made me feel comfortable, otherwise it was very difficult to match steps with them.”

Watch the music video below:

Anil, a veteran in the industry, is always open to learning from the young ones. “Be it my kids, or the many young people I work with, there’s always so much to learn,” he says, “their take on food, creativity, relationships, friendships, social media and how to use it, and of course, fashion.”

“So I keep on learning and taking tips from all the youngsters. But I don’t force myself to do what they are doing, I learn whatever is good and incorporate it into my 360 degree life.”

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