Editor’s note: This review first appeared in 2012. I brought it out of storage because Challa remains one of my favorite songs. The movie is a bit absurd in plot points, but the songs are beautiful.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (As long As I Live) is Yash Chopra’s last film as a director. His death just before the film’s release marks the end of a two-decade collaboration between the director and Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s reigning king.

JTHJ tells the story of Samar, an NRI living in London who works three jobs to make ends meet. While removing snow at a church, he meets Meera (Katrina Kaif). Predictably, the two fall in love. Just before Meera tells her father about the romance, Samar is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. Meera prays that if God lets him live, she will never see Samar again. 

When Samar lives, Meera holds true to her promise and lets him go. Rejected and bitter, Samar returns to India where he becomes a major in the Indian army bomb disposal unit. After more than 100 bomb disposals, he becomes known as “the man who cannot die.” He meets reporter Akira (Anushka Sharma), who decides to tell Samar’s story. Akira falls for Samar, resulting in an awkward unrequited love story. When her story is picked up by the Discovery Channel, she asks Samar to come to London for the interview. 

While in London, Samar is hit (unbelievably) once again by a car and suffers retrograde amnesia. His most recent memory predates his break up with Meera. Many awkward moments ensue for Meera as she tries to help him. Eventually, Samar remembers the truth and returns to his bomb disposal unit duties. Will Meera return to him and break her promise to God?

The film is a fun frolic through a plot that most viewers will recognize as boy meets girls, boy and girl fall in love, an overwhelming obstacle separates the lovers, fate brings the lovers together again. The end.