Dil Aashna Hai (...The Heart Knows)

Dil Aashna Hai review :

Directorial debut of Hema Malini; Dil Aashna Hai which released in last week of 1992 was badly affected by the Hindu Muslim riots at that time. This was the first film SRK signed but Deewana released first in June 1992. Both had the pretty Divya Bharti as his heroine. Dil Aashna hai was loosely based on British TV series Lace (1984) which is about a call girl searching for her real mother. Interestingly, Hema Malini used the same story with few changes and made Tell Me O Khuda in 2011 with her daughter Esha Deol.

I saw Dil Aashna Hai on its very first day on VHS and found it an okey dokey fare. SRK and Divya had great onscreen chemistry which was evident in Deewana also. The older stars like Jeetendra, Mithun, Dimple and Amrita were wasted though!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

A story about a courtesan who was conceived illegitimately. She met a boy (SRK's character) who was willing to help her find her mother (with no strings attached). He was willing to do anything for her. The story was complicated due to there being three possibilities of a mother. All three were very accomplished in life. Her friend (SRK's character) had issues of his own. His father couldn't stand to see his son paying attention to a courtesan. He was told to leave his love alone, and leave it a night friendship. He decided that she was worth it to him and for his relationship to continue. It's a sweet story. It doesn't have the best ending (lacking closing lines), but over all is good enough to watch.

Dil Aashna Hai is mostly associated today with Shah Rukh Khan's name, as it was one of his earliest films, and how can anyone not wonder what this phenomenal film star was like way before the craze that followed soon after. But it is is also the first directorial venture of Hema Malini, herself a huge star and one of the most popular actresses in Indian films. And sadly, it was also one of the last films starring the young and talented Divya Bharti.

Dil Aashna Hai leaves one wishing for more. As mentioned above, Hema Malini was a successful mainstream star but she experimented with serious cinema as well well in several films directed by Gulzar, such as Khushboo, Kinara, and Meera, as well as other attempts with Rihaee, Ek Chadal Maili Si, and the likes. Sadly, unlike Rekha or Dimple Kapadia, she never got due recognition for these efforts to leave a mark as an actor. And neither does this film.

Knowing of Malini's experimental acting choices, one wishes Dil Aashna Hai had more depth, but instead we are presented with a most formulaic script and a rather typical star-studded product which lacks originality and offers nothing new in story or execution. The film has multiple subplots, but every story is too repetitive although the concept of one girl looking for her biological mother from a sea of options is not too bad.

Given the extraordinary number of famous faces, the film might have been quite an attraction back when it opened, and rightly so. The trio of Dimple Kapadia, Amrita Singh and Sonu Walia is very good since all three of them have great screen presence even if some are better where strinctly acting is concerned. Kapadia is obviously given more importance but all three are good. Jeetendra and Mithun Chakraborty replay the romantic heroes they played countless times back when they were younger.

The only source of freshness in an otherwise dull story which lacks originality is in the lead pair of Divya Bharti and Shah Rukh Khan. Bharti is the film's main protagonist, and she is very enrgetic and convincing as the young orphan looking for her roots. Khan, in one of his early films, is not given enough scope or the freedom to let himself go wild at the camera as he would do so famously later on, but he is good enough within the framework of the film and is good support for Bharti.

Dil Aashna Hai is actually much better than expected at the end of the day. Despite its lack of ideas, it works to a considerable extent. The story flows well, and Hema Malini's direction is not bad at all. The film's many stars give the film a sort of energy and interest not warranted by the script, and those fond of Hindi films always like their heroes and heroines gathered together in one film, so those looking for some nostalgic entertainment might want to give it a try, at their own cost.

Hema Malini was a good actress but as a director, she failed to give hit films. This film was also supposed to be Shah Rukh Khan's debut but thankfully, Deewana came and gave him his first hit. Otherwise, this movie would be his debut and yes, this movie was a box office disaster.

The movie is about a young girl you is brought up in a brothel, she makes a living as a cabaret dancer in some other guy's club. She is not a happy person as she knows her mom is alive but can't find her, with the help of a friend(played by SRK) she goes on a search. However, the search gets complicated as many people are not as they seem to be and too many characters create a confusion. Will the girl find her dear mother? Will she be able to bring a permanent smile on her face? Watch the movie to find out.

The movie is all about a search to find the girl's mother and the search goes well but there are too many subplots which drags the film. The attention a viewer has on the main plot is not long lasting as the subplots tend to bore the viewer. The film is lengthy and editing is not well conducted as the film has many rough patches. To make matters worse, there are quite a lot of arguments and problems between characters and the overacting in these scenes tend to irritate. Music is the saving grace thanks to a couple of good tunes but none of them are up to the mark, none of them became hits.

Direction by Hema Malini is poor, she fails for the most part. She handles a few scenes well and the comic scenes are good for its time although clichéd in parts. Her direction falls flat when the emotional and serious parts of the movie occur, it looks unintentionally funny in some scenes. The end is also not justified and the subplots don't connect with the main plot which means all these subplots move parallel as a result, there is no flow in the storyline of the film.

Performances are anything great either, SRK is functional but this is one of his earlier films and he wasn't much of a good actor. He did much better in Raju Ban Gaya Gentlemen and Baazigar after which he actually started to rock as an actor. The heroine has a meatier role than SRK and she does a decent job, the rest overact horribly. Even veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty does a bland job, this is one of his weak films.

On the whole, Di Aashna Hai is a poor film, it fails for the most part though a few scenes are worth watching. However, the movie in general is a wasted product. Die hard SRK fans might like it but this is definitely not one of SRK's good films.