Vijay as Raja from Poove Unakkaga (1996) and Shah Rukh Khan as Sunil from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994) were more similar than I thought. When I watched Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa for the first time the climax took me back to the climax of Poove Unakkaga. The art of letting go was perfected by these two fictional characters.
Raja and Sunil had a lot to share in common. Ambitious individuals whose love was not reciprocated the way they wanted. But they took the hard decision to let go of their love so that their loved ones stayed happy. And with no doubt, the characters of Raja and Sunil played by Vijay and SRK respectively are still held close to heart by their fans, going back to them always for comfort and escape from the macho heroes played by both Vijay and SRK.
Raja and Sunil never missed a moment to brighten up their environment. And both used music as a way to get into the hearts of people. Both of them get devastated on seeing their loved ones fall in love with another guy in front of them. Both were broken but smiled through their tears to see their loved ones get happily married. In a sense, both these movies helped Vijay and SRK enter into the hearts of millions of fans just because they were ready to let go of their love to see their loved ones happy.
In Poove Unakkaga, Raja took the onus upon himself to see Nandhini getting married to Lawrence with the approval of her parents instead of eloping. In KHKN, upon seeing Anna and Chris still not over their love, Sunil decided to withdraw his marriage proposal accepted by both families so that Anna and Chris can be together. Both did the ultimate thing to see their loved ones happy accepting the pain to see their loved ones part ways from them on a new journey.
In Poove Unakkaga, even though Raja had a chance to forget Nandini by getting married to another girl, he chose not to. And he even stated that it was not a decision made in frustration but a decision made to reminisce about his love (although one-sided) as long as it lasts. But in KHKN, we see Sunil getting a second chance with a random girl, with the Goan gangsters Anthony and Vasco assuring us that Sunil will be all right. But Sunil is never gonna forget Anna, we know right? But both of them did move on. Making a lesson that stood the test of time and is relevant even now.
Separated by miles. Separated by timelines. Yet Sunil and Raja showed the world how letting go is a form of loving.
Read more from zigarthanda on Instagram too!