Kal Ho Naa Ho
A 2003 Bollywood film written and produced (but not directed) by Karan Johar. It is generally considered a good "introductory film" for those new to the genre.
It centers around business student Naina Kapur and her family and friends, all of whom are unhappy... until the outgoing Aman arrives in their neighborhood and takes it upon himself to better their lives. Wacky high jinks, romance, and a healthy dose of angst ensue.
This film provides examples of these tropes:
- Bittersweet Ending
- Blithe Spirit: Aman.
- Chekhov's Gun: Naina's complaint that the mailman continuously mixes up the last names Kapur and Kapoor.
- Also, all of Aman's conversations with Priya.
- And Aman's habit of crossing his fingers when he lies.
- Cool Loser: Sweetu.
- Rohit too. Despite being a good catch, the women who express interest in him either have ulterior motives, or only do so after prompting.
- Crowd Song: "Pretty Woman," "It's the Time to Disco," and "Maahi Ve" all qualify.
- Genre Savvy: Aman. He instructs Rohit to woo Naina with a series of blatant cliches... and they work.
- He also recognizes himself as the Hypotenuse of the Love Triangle. And his actions suggest he knows that the Death of the Hypotenuse is the best method of Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Naina.
- Disappeared Dad: the late Mr. Kapur.
- Dramatic Irony
- Drunken Song: Rohit and Naina bellow the chorus of "It's the Time to Disco" as Aman drags them home from a bar.
- Dysfunctional Family: the Kapurs.
- Ear Worm: The title song.
- Everything Fades: The title translates to "tomorrow may not be."
- Evil Matriarch: Lajjo for much of the film.
- Family Business: The Kapurs have Cafe New Delhi; the Patels have Dial-A-Dhokla.
- Final Speech: To quote one movie reviewer, "Madame Bovary has nothing on Aman."
- Go Out with a Smile: Aman
- Gold Digger: Camilla.
- Handsome Lech: Averted with Rohit. His introduction sequence first shows him unsuccessfully trying to flirt with three different women, but it then shows him to be a gentleman, and rather sensitive at that.
- He's Not My Boyfriend: Inverted. Naina pretends to date Rohit so Aman will leave her alone; however, Aman quickly figures out that they're really just good friends.
- Heartwarming Orphan: Gia.
- Ho Yay: Aman and Rohit. Oddly enough, neither feels the need to clarify that they are just really good friends.
- Lampshaded by Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan at the 2003 Filmfare Awards.
- Hollywood Heart Attack: Averted. The film establishes that Aman has a heart condition, his heart attack happens during strenuous physical activity, and it's implied that he hasn't been diligent about taking his medication. Upsetting, yes, but hardly shocking.
- Hollywood Pudgy: Sweetu is treated as a Butt Monkey by many of the characters for being "fat." She's full-figured at most.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Aman takes this to an extreme with everybody.
- Innocent Innuendo: Rohit gleefully tells Naina that he spent all weekend in bed with "Laila." Cut to Rohit's bedroom, where we see Rohit... and Laila the golden retriever licking his face.
- Just Friends: Rohit and Naina, until the Relationship Upgrade.
- Love Triangle: Aman, Naina and Rohit.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Genders inverted; Aman is this to Naina.
- Meet Cute: Aman and Naina do this twice. The first time is a Crash Into Hello, subverted because Naina doesn't see him. The second time, she opens her window to yell at Aman to keep quiet. The two have a silent mini-conversation with their eyes until Naina stomps away, at which point Aman begins the first Crowd Song.
- Mistaken for Gay: Aman and Rohit, by Kantaben and later Rohit's father. Subverted in that both Aman and Rohit are aware of the misconception.
- Multigenerational Household: the Kapurs.
- Narm: Though not as bad about this as certain other films, a few scenes would have benefited from toning down the waterworks.
- Narrator: Naina. The entire film is a Flash Back as she tells the story to her younger sister.
- Nice Guy: Rohit.
- Sad Bollywood Wedding: Where everybody cries.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Naina and Rohit.
- The Glasses Gotta Go: Subverted. Aman removes Naina's glasses for what he intends to be a Beautiful All Along moment, but it backfires because Naina really is Blind Without'Em.
- Naina does eventually get contact lenses, however.
- The Matchmaker: Aman.
- Theme Tune: the titular song.
- The Unfavorite: Gia.
- Wedding Day
- White Shirt of Death: Aman has an entire white outfit of death during the title song.