Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

HDDCS must have come straight from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's heart. Each and every scene is well-executed. It's a little unrealistic to have the husband help find the wife's lover, but movies have that little license to stretch the truth and I suggest we just let loose once in a while. Aishwarya Rai has been presented more beautifully than she already is. It's so ironic that she was once written off as wooden because she truly shines in this film. Her emotional scenes are a delight to watch. Even when she's not speaking, she communicates with her eyes, which is lovely. Even Salman Khan acts FAIRLY well in here. You can't tell when he's crying or laughing, but every time he irritates you, just turn to Ash for solace. Ajay Devgan does what he's best at. The romantic, silent hero. Hey, he's good at it, so I have no complaints.

The sceneries are beautiful. There's not a song on the soundtrack which I don't like. Chand Chupa Badal and the title song are especially beautiful. The choreography is superb. The "Tadap Tadap" scene is perhaps one of the best I've ever come across. I confess. I actually cried during that song. :P The characters are so well-etched that you really don't know who to root for. You want Salman to get the girl, but you feel for Ajay, too.

Bhansali is an artistic genius. He has surpassed his previous film (Khamoshi) with this flick. Can't wait for his Devdas.

One day, a movie called "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" was released. It was one of the best movies in Hindi movies and remained that way only until a few months ago. I believe we have a movie to take that place.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a genius. What more is there to say? This movie is undoubtedly the best movie I've seen in years, packed with superb acting, beautiful costumes and dazzling scenery. It's better than Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Duplicate put together!

This is THE best movie of the year. I know the word "TAAL" comes into mind, but that was junk compared to this. Aishwarya Rai gives a MUCH better performance in this movie. She is the most surprising thing about the movie. She has proven herself to be one of the best, if not the best, talented actress. Now Aishwarya has risen to the number one actress spot on my list.

This is an absolute must for any person who watches Indian movies or even once did and now doesn't. This movie WILL NOT fail you. If possible, try to get the movie on DVD, that is the only way to recapture the actual colour from the film.

I missed the first half which was supposed to be the "comedy" section I suppose.There were no subtitles and since I speak no Hindi,it took me some time till the first commercial to find the title and look up what the plot was supposed to be. By that time,I was already aware that Salman Khan had broken his teacher,student relationship and been banished,that he loved Nandini,that she was allowed to break things willy nilly but not to refuse marriage with a man she didn't love. The comedy part escaped me. I was about to change channels when I realized the husband was played by the young man who did such a good job in the recent movie about a young Sikh freedom fighter. When he,playing Raj, and Nandini, left for Hungary,I thought it was for a belated honeymoon. Remember-no subtitles. But THAT was supposed to be Italy????? My only complaint was that the hotel staff on the phone spoke English with an Italian accent when they were so obviously Hungarian. Silly me. I don't understand the lure of Italy perhaps when Hungary is so distinctive and charming. Why couldn't Sameer be half Hungarian? I'll buy the movie for my kids,since they ARE half Indian and half Hungarian and it was nice to hear the language and see how well the people fit in. I loved the Hungarian dance sequence. Maybe they'll redub it and take out the reference to Italy.It just wasn't right.

"Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" is Bollywood in its purest form - and a stunning achievement. It's an epic of grand emotions, gorgeously filmed and well acted. At 188 minutes, it seldom seems overlong and at the end left me crying. Yes, they pulled all the right strings.

The story tells of Sameer (Salman Khan) who comes from Italy to India to learn classic songs - and falls in love with Nandini (Aishwarya Rai), the daughter of his teacher. I don't want to spoil what happens next, but a couple of unexpected things kept me involved in the somehow simple story.

The first hour does not really progress much story-wise. It's all character development and a lot of song and dance. It's actually more a mixture of a ballet and a musical, than a film. There's more music than in your average Bollywood film - and what feels different is that it's not your usual number where the actors pretend to sing, but it's more like traditional background music, where you listen to music and the actors dance and move to it.

The second half involves a lot less music but the plot gets heavier. And until the end, it builds up. Competent direction by Sanjay Leela Banshali ("Devdas"). Additionally, the images are amazing. Director of photography Anil Mehta ("Lagaan") is in the bloom of his craft. Even if you don't like the story, you'd have to agree that it's a visual feast.

That, of course, is also true for Aishwarya Rai. 1994's Miss World has never looked this good, I believe. She radiates beauty in almost every shot and is the most charming when she's the most natural. It's easy to see why Sameer would fall in love with her. Khan plays Sameer as he plays a lot of his characters, and it works. He too looks very good in the film. Of course he takes off his shirt a lot - but his body appears more virile than in other pictures so that it too works well. Finally, Ajay Devgan plays the solid counterpart to the two love birds. His role gets more important as the film progresses and his performance comes off as both strong and restrained.

"HDDCS" might have some flaws (the music, although rather good, is not memorable), but it is great entertainment. Out of all the love stories Bollywood offers us each year, this one emerges as a winner.

Rating 8/10

As with nearly all my viewing, this was recommended by a reader.I admit that I am not as familiar with these films as I should be. Just based on popularity and persistence, they need to be understood. Gosh, it about 1 1/2 hours straight of two people falling in love before any drama sets in. Then it shifts to Budapest posing as Italy; I guess the audience would not know the difference.

The negatives are obvious. It is just too long for the trivial story. There are cultural stereotypes whose behavior must be essential to the pleasure of the thing, stereotypes I did not know. There is a ton of singing and dancing but like an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, it all sounded and looked much the same. The girl who is such a beauty that she causes two good men to fall in love dangerously deep... she's a petulant, selfish brat.

But the colors and the staging are so lush that I got a sugar high and was just about sad to see it end. I don't know anything like this in the west where the simple show is so dominant and so well done. And this is well done. There is a kite-flying scene that just took my breath away. I replayed it a few times. One of the few dramatic moments is when the couple has to be permanently separated. She hears about it an rushes through the house; her dress catches fire and she doesn't even notice, the dancing colors adding to the way the environment tells us what is going on.

I won't ruin the ending. Anywhere else I would gag, but here it was a reward — truly romantic. Now I have to look up more of this fellow's work. The way he uses the environment reminds me of a young Yimou Zhang.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.