# Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी)
**Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani** (रॉकी और रानी की प्रेम कहानी; often shortened to RARKPK) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy family drama film directed by [Karan Johar](https://www.edgepedia.org/karan-johar) and written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, and Sumit Roy[1](https://admin.indiannewslink.co.nz/uploads/INL_513_August_15_2023_update_e91e77a66f.pdf). It stars [Ranveer Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/ranveer-singh) as Rocky and [Alia Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/alia-bhatt) as Rani, two lovers from sharply different Punjabi and Bengali households who swap families for three months before marriage, and it became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2023[2](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-prime-video) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/0611dc57ac808c3ccee9a09b265eb859).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 28 July 2023, in theaters; runtime 2h 48m[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani) |
| Director and writers | Karan Johar; story and screenplay by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, and Sumit Roy[1](https://admin.indiannewslink.co.nz/uploads/INL_513_August_15_2023_update_e91e77a66f.pdf) |
| Lead cast | Ranveer Singh (Rocky), Alia Bhatt (Rani), with Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Tota Roy Chowdhury, and Churni Ganguly in pivotal roles[2](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-prime-video) |
| Production | Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios; producers Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, and Apoorva Mehta[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZAyjBMTiaM) |
| Box office | Nearly $45 million worldwide per Bollywood Hungama; ₹1.536 billion (₹153.60 crore) India nett[3](https://apnews.com/article/0611dc57ac808c3ccee9a09b265eb859) • [6](https://www.boxofficeindia24.com/movie/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-2023/box-office-collection) |
| Streaming | Exclusively on Prime Video in India and 240 countries and territories from 22 September 2023[2](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-prime-video) |
| Awards | National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment; Alia Bhatt won Filmfare Best Actor (Female)[7](https://odishapostepaper.com/uploads/epaper/2025-08/688d1d16269b5.pdf) • [8](https://www.yugmarg.com/edition/2024/01/30/pages.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The story follows a familiar opposites-attract setup with a structural twist. Rocky, a loud and colorful Punjabi boy from a wealthy sweet-shop dynasty in Delhi, and Rani, a well-educated Bengali television news anchor, fall in love despite dramatically different personalities[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani/movie-review/102181636.cms). When their families oppose the relationship, the two devise a plan: to live in each other's homes for three months before taking the relationship to the next level[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani/movie-review/102181636.cms).
The exchange places each lover inside the other's family culture. Rocky, the scion of a multi-millionaire mithai-wala, lives in a sprawling Delhi mansion with his grandfather ([Dharmendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharmendra)), an ultra-stern grandmother ([Jaya Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaya-bachchan)), his father ([Aamir Bashir](https://www.edgepedia.org/aamir-bashir)), mother (Kshitee Jog), and sister (Anjali Anand). Rani's household includes her English-speaking mother (Churni Ganguly), an unconventional father who is a Kathak dancer and teacher (Tota Roy Chowdhury), and a grandmother (Shabana Azmi) who once loved and lost[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-movie-review-karan-johar-alia-bhatt-ranveer-singh-8864475/). The Punjabi-Bengali culture clash drives the comedy, while the household swap lets the film examine gender roles in both homes: the bullied women of the Randhawa household find their voice, and Rocky himself learns that no one has the right to be nasty to the ladies of the house[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-movie-review-karan-johar-alia-bhatt-ranveer-singh-8864475/).
## Production and release
Karan Johar described the coronavirus pandemic as the impetus for making a "quintessential Bollywood" movie as his next directorial venture[11](https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/karan-johar-explains-what-led-him-to-direct-rocky-aur-rani-ki-prem-kahani-11648366258478.html). The film was his seventh feature and his first in seven years[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahani-karan-johar-socio-political-film-8866300/).
The film opened in theaters on 28 July 2023[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani). It grossed over ₹1.68 billion (₹168 crore; US$21 million) worldwide in its first nine days, against a production budget of ₹1.6 billion (₹160 crore; US$20 million) and a marketing cost of ₹180 million (₹18 crore; US$2.3 million)[1](https://admin.indiannewslink.co.nz/uploads/INL_513_August_15_2023_update_e91e77a66f.pdf). By the end of its run it had made nearly $45 million worldwide according to the Bollywood Hungama website, and its gross in the United States was $6.8 million[3](https://apnews.com/article/0611dc57ac808c3ccee9a09b265eb859) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani). Amazon announced the film as one of the year's highest-grossing Bollywood movies when it began streaming exclusively on Prime Video in India and 240 countries and territories on 22 September 2023[2](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-prime-video).
## Music
Pritam composed the music, with lyrics by [Amitabh Bhattacharya](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bhattacharya)[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZAyjBMTiaM). The Film Information review judged "Tum kya mile" the best song and found the others well-tuned but lacking a super-hit quality, a shortfall it expected to limit the film's box-office potential[13](https://filminformation.com/featured/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-review-28-july-2023/). The song "Dhindhora Baje Re" later earned [Vaibhavi Merchant](https://www.edgepedia.org/vaibhavi-merchant) the National Film Award for Best Choreography[7](https://odishapostepaper.com/uploads/epaper/2025-08/688d1d16269b5.pdf).
## Reception
Critical response was broadly positive but divided on execution. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 82% Tomatometer from 22 reviews, with an average of rated reviews of 6.70/10, and a 92% Popcornmeter from more than 250 verified audience ratings[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani). Indian reviews ranged from 2/5 (Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express and Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV) to 4/5 and 5/5 from outlets including Bollywood Hungama, Filmfare, India Today, and Flickonclick[14](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/rocky-aur-rani-ki-prem-kahani).
**Praise centered on the film's gender politics.** The Associated Press reported that the film won praise from most critics for its gender politics and for challenging male stereotypes and prejudices, standing out in a 2023 Bollywood year dominated by hyper-masculine action hits[3](https://apnews.com/article/0611dc57ac808c3ccee9a09b265eb859). Namrata Joshi of The New Indian Express wrote that it "marks a tectonic shift in mainstream Hindi cinema's perception and representation of gender dynamics"[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani). Rolling Stone India called it Karan Johar's funniest, most joyful, and most political film in a while[15](https://rollingstoneindia.com/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-film-review-karan-johar-ranveer-singh-alia-bhatt/).
**Critics also flagged weaknesses.** Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2/5, finding the film loud and melodramatic in the old mainstream Hindi family-drama mode, with every note hammered in through on-the-nose dialogues[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-movie-review-karan-johar-alia-bhatt-ranveer-singh-8864475/). NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee called it "a shiny but shallow family drama that uses disappointingly obsolete methods to serve up contemporary, pertinent theories"[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani). [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) opinion column noted that the film keeps drawing attention to gender stereotyping, body shaming, patriarchal norms, cancel culture, and hyper-wokeism, most evidently in the meeting of the flamboyant Punjabi family and the intellectual Bengali family[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahani-karan-johar-socio-political-film-8866300/).
## Awards
The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and Vaibhavi Merchant won Best Choreography for "Dhindhora Baje Re"[7](https://odishapostepaper.com/uploads/epaper/2025-08/688d1d16269b5.pdf). At the 69th [Filmfare Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards), Alia Bhatt won Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) and [Shabana Azmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/shabana-azmi) won Best Supporting Actor (Female) for the film[8](https://www.yugmarg.com/edition/2024/01/30/pages.pdf). Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, and Sumit Roy were nominated for the Filmfare Awards for Best Screenplay and Best Story[16](https://gscepublications.com/infocus/January-2025/Achievers-In-focus-Year-Book-QR-Code-e-Book.pdf) • [22](https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards-2024/nominations).
## Themes and interpretation
The film's central device, the family swap, turns a standard romance into a two-sided critique of household gender roles. A Common Sense Media review notes that various characters are trapped under social obligations based on stereotypes of gender and patriarchal codes[17](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani). A Khaleej Times review lists the themes the film jostles with: internalised patriarchy, toxic masculinity, cancel culture, body shaming, senior citizen romance, parental control, and gender inequality[18](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/reviews/movie-reviews/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-review-a-gender-discourse-in-retro-mode). The Daily Star highlighted how the climax dismantles conventions around kanyadaan ([Hindu wedding](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindu-wedding) ritual of a father giving away the bride), with Rani's father, rather than the women of the family, helping her wear bangles and put on the veil at her wedding[19](https://online.thedailystar.net/entertainment/tv-film/news/turning-the-tables-social-conventions-3430341).
Academic and press commentary has placed the film alongside *Barbie* (2023) as one of two films from different countries released that year addressing the dismantling of patriarchy in different ways[20](https://vyanjanasociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AL_Samayiki.pdf). Ryan Gilbey of The Guardian wrote that the finale "out-pinks Barbie"[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani). A 2025 semiotics study of the character Rani found that audiences read the film's feminist message in varied ways: most informants accepted the intended progressive message, some negotiated with it while criticizing details such as subplots, and one oppositional reading judged the feminism symbolic and focused on the upper-middle class[21](https://repository.unpas.ac.id/82893/).
## References
1. [Indian Newslink, 15 August 2023 (entertainment section)](https://admin.indiannewslink.co.nz/uploads/INL_513_August_15_2023_update_e91e77a66f.pdf)
2. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani now streaming on Prime Video, About Amazon India](https://www.aboutamazon.in/news/entertainment/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-prime-video)
3. [Bollywood celebrates rocking year, riding high on action flicks, unbridled masculinity and misogyny, Associated Press (30 December 2023)](https://apnews.com/article/0611dc57ac808c3ccee9a09b265eb859)
4. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_aur_rani_kii_prem_kahaani)
5. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani – Official Teaser, Dharma Productions (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZAyjBMTiaM)
6. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani box office collection, BoxOfficeIndia24](https://www.boxofficeindia24.com/movie/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-2023/box-office-collection)
7. [Odisha Post e-paper, National Film Awards report (August 2025)](https://odishapostepaper.com/uploads/epaper/2025-08/688d1d16269b5.pdf)
8. [Yugmarg edition, 30 January 2024 (69th Filmfare Awards report)](https://www.yugmarg.com/edition/2024/01/30/pages.pdf)
9. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani movie review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani/movie-review/102181636.cms)
10. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani movie review, The Indian Express (Shubhra Gupta, 28 July 2023)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-movie-review-karan-johar-alia-bhatt-ranveer-singh-8864475/)
11. [Karan Johar explains what led him to direct 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani', Mint](https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/karan-johar-explains-what-led-him-to-direct-rocky-aur-rani-ki-prem-kahani-11648366258478.html)
12. [Is Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani Karan Johar's most socio-political film yet?, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahani-karan-johar-socio-political-film-8866300/)
13. ['Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' review, Film Information (28 July 2023)](https://filminformation.com/featured/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-review-28-july-2023/)
14. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) – Cast, Review & Details, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/rocky-aur-rani-ki-prem-kahani)
15. ['Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' Review, Rolling Stone India](https://rollingstoneindia.com/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-film-review-karan-johar-ranveer-singh-alia-bhatt/)
16. [Achievers In Focus, January 2025 yearbook (Filmfare Awards 2024 winners)](https://gscepublications.com/infocus/January-2025/Achievers-In-focus-Year-Book-QR-Code-e-Book.pdf)
17. [Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani – Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani)
18. ['Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani' Review: A gender discourse in retro mode, Khaleej Times](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/reviews/movie-reviews/rocky-aur-rani-kii-prem-kahaani-review-a-gender-discourse-in-retro-mode)
19. [Turning the tables on social conventions, The Daily Star](https://online.thedailystar.net/entertainment/tv-film/news/turning-the-tables-social-conventions-3430341)
20. [Dismantling Patriarchy in The Film Texts, Vyanjana Society](https://vyanjanasociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AL_Samayiki.pdf)
21. [Representasi Feminisme dalam Film India "Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani", repository Universitas Pasundan](https://repository.unpas.ac.id/82893/)
22. [List of Nominations for 69th Filmfare Awards 2024, Filmfare.com](https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards-2024/nominations)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2020s › Hindi films of 2023*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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