फिर भी दिल है हिंदुस्तानी

Not many movies have been set against the media industry as the backdrop. The other ones that come to mind are "New Delhi Times" and "Main Azaad Hoon" and both of them though critically acclaimed didn't set the cash registers ringing. Hey, I am lost for words... jinxed perhaps?

Year: 2000. Situation: TV channels was still an sunrise industry. There wasn't a glut in the market vying for the audience or a murky fight for the TRP's. Perhaps owing to which, the audience couldn't understand the meaning of media manipulation.

The movie starts off on a light note with the boy and the girl working for competitor's TV channels on loggerheads with each other, no rocket science here... love-story ensues and finally getting down to serious business to fight for justice for unjust done to common man. The audience expectations were probably not correctly calibrated and the "fighting for a cause + patriotism + national movement" came as a bolt from blue to the audience resulting in an indigestible fare.

• SRK:: Gives his 100% to the role making it a very convincing portrayal.

• Juhi:: Very good and as usual compliments well with SRK.

• Satish Shah & Dilip Tahil as gullible media magnets were justified.

• Paresh Rawal as the "eye-of-the-storm" has his moments and delivers to the utmost perfection.

• Govind Namdeo and Shakti Kapoor as vile politicians justify their parts well.

• Johnny Lever is usual self.

• It was nostalgic to see a few characters from "Nukkad".

Jatin-Lalit provide good music. There is no doubt about Javed Akhtar's capabilities on lyrics. Sharmista Roy and Farah Khan deserve a special mention for contribution to art direction & choreography respectively.

Director ensured that all the ingredients were in adequate proportions and doesn't go overboard on any of them. There is a soul in the movie and the goods have been delivered with conviction.

Had the movie been made today, the audience would have related to it spot-on. The movie has a good social message and deserves to be posthumously declared as an satire on the media.

PS: Evidently, outright rejection from the audience has put off SRK to make meaningful cinemas.

A very bold offering by Dreamz Unlimited, "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani", takes the audience into an area of Hollywood that has been explored many times before: corrupt politicians. Although this time the crusaders against these power hungry fanatics are the two TV journalists Shahrukh Khan and the glamorous Juhi Chawla.

The film is fast and the storyline moves just at the right pace, the only problem is some of the songs are not the musical extravaganzas one would expect from such a huge film. A point to be noted is that a few of the songs are there to add layers to the story and thus you would find yourself enthralled by the onscreen action.

Shahrukh does a fantastic job of playing the role of a TV News Spin Doctor, realising the values of truth and honesty. The character he portrays is believable; his transformation is his conscience, not his personality.

Juhi Chawla, a veritable goddess of the silver screen, gives her character the right amount of charisma, charm and sophistication. Another bonus is that Juhi looks stunning in every scene.

The film also makes use of great camera angles and uses a wide variety of special effects that will leave you clinging to your seat. A great sequence in the first half of the film will make you wonder if you are actually watching a movie from Hollywood.

Indian patriotism takes a backseat until towards the end, so the film does not suffer the stereotype that I expected from the adverts.

Overall the film has a watertight storyline, great humour, packed to the brim with action, and who can actually say no to a film with the gorgeous Juhi Chawla!

Its a movie which tries to encompass love, comedy, and dark comedy. But it seldom happens that all three can be added effectively into one flick.

The movie starts from the light- hearted professional rivalry of Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, turns into a love story somewhere in the middle, and then turns into a a vitriolic satire on the society, system and law. The strongest part of this movie is the direction (a director ought to be a good story teller and Aziz Mirza excels in it.) and of course, the music by Jatin- Lalit ranges from an average to the Excellent, especially in songs like "aur kya...".

Shah Rukh Khan, in some scenes overacts, while Juhi constantly maintains her performance level, Paresh Rawal is extremely wonderful as the convict, he represents the common man, and steals the scenes from SRK and Juhi. Dilip Tahil and Satish Shah are too good as epicentres of laughter while Johnny Lever is just OK. Bottom Line: A feel good movie.

Yes it is a bit overdone, not as slick, but it is 6-7 years older. The same story line, young folks starting out looking out for number one (themselves), then circumstances around them and the corrupt political scene changes them and patriotism takes over. The difference is that there is no violent ending and violence is not espoused in this film - but that was my least favorite part of RDB. Shahrukh Khan is of course the king himself and delivers the goods. This what he does best, the goofy adorable, the not very brave but eventually coming through boy next door type. Juhi is very beautiful and talented and does not disappoint. The music does a bit, but eventually you get to like it. The movie is very funny - a great way to be entertained.

Way ahead of its time in the Indian context. Audiences in late 90s-early 2000s just wanted to see a romcom, especially if it featured SRK. The movie starts off that way but takes a political turn which exposes the nexus between people in power. It kind of displays the current situation in India in the year 2019. A lot of scenes would remind viewers of real-life situations that have occurred in the country over the past few years.

Maybe it was too much to take in for the viewers of the early 2000s, but this film would be a sure shot hit if it were to be released today or it may get banned in the country. Although, it does get too melodramatic in the final sequence.