Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin

This is indeed an excellent indian version of It Happened One Night, the classic with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert both of whom were about 6 inches (or nearly) taller than our Bollywood counterparts. The story has been indianized very well. The lead actors played by Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt provide a refreshing change from all the fatty and middle aged ones we have seen so many times in Indian movies of yester years. Aamir has done an excellent job as a smart mouthed reporter so much so the role looks tailor-made for him. Pooja Bhatt is always good in her dad's movies. Her hairstyle became a rave among teens of the nineties. Many twists and turns are provided in the story line to keep the indian audience seated for 3hrs. With good songs thrown in from time to time...it does the job. Check out 'Adhayen bhi hai', the fishermen song, the title song, 'Mainu ishq da lagiya rog', 'Dulhan tu dulha main ban jaonga', 'Tu pyar hai kisi aur ka' and above all 'O mere sapnon ke saudagar'. Deepak Tijori is good in cameo. Although the plot is already-seen, already-known many many times in many many movies (both Western and Indian), Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin is refreshing and is a must-watch for the whole family.

From tackling grim and mature subjects like Arth (1982), Janam (1985) and Naam (1986) in the 80s, Mahesh Bhatt moved on to more commercial cinema in the 90s. Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin was a musical romcom starring Aamir Khan, Pooja Bhatt and Anupam Kher.

Loosely inspired from 'It Happened One Night' (1934), Bhatt Saahab was clever enough to indianise the plot for his audience through a lovely soundtrack (Nadeem Shravan in full form) and presenting a fresh young pair - Aamir and Pooja - who sadly never teamed up again.

Pooja played a richie rich heiress on the run from her eccentric father (Anupam Kher) while Aamir Khan was Raghu Jaitley, a street smart journo, who strikes a deal to help her out in return for her exclusive story. The film also had elements of 'road movie genre' which was not quite common in Bollywood those days.

Aamir and Pooja rocked as a pair and this film certainly ranks amongst Pooja's top three performances - the other two being Daddy (1990) and Sadak (1991).

I watched the film in its first weekend at Gaiety Galaxy, Bandra and then multiple times on VHS. The melodious numbers, Aamir Pooja's super cool chemistry and the hilarious climax is still etched in my mind. Do give it a try if you still haven't seen it.

It is a great a movie. It has a very good storyline and it doesn't bore you for one moment. It is really fun to watch it. Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt are both great in it. Very good romantic movie with amazing songs.

Does the heart listen? Just follow your heart and avoid conflict (easier said than done)...that is up to debate.

I liked Aamir and Pooja, I saw this during early 90s. Another reason why I miss the 90s. I could write a Thesis on why the 1990s were the best time for Indian cinema.

A magical time in Indian cinema. Pooja Bhatt was the only honest and real actress around, now they all try to be all that and then some. Sorry girls there is only one Pooja Bhatt and she is still fabulous.

There is a song that my dad recorded on a song tape...(I had my own collection). The one I am referring to is when Pooja's character is singing about her boyfriend and Aamir's is singing about his imaginary girlfriend.

All the songs are poetry put to music and they are the soul of the film. All Bhatt productions are very soulful. That is what makes them special.

The song where they conflict is the best because it demonstrates how complex love can be. Pooja's character does not want to change her mind...Aamir's character is aware of her situation and yet he does not willing to give up. Singing about emotions is the best form of expression. Music is great but words are clear and direct.

Pooja Bhatt is too young and too talented as an artist to sit behind the camera. I loved all her movies. I also liked reading her interviews when I was younger.

Aamir Khan is perfection that continues today...Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan are also very good actors in the work that they do.

Everyone knows my favorite is Shah Rukh Khan ever since the 1998 Awesome Foursome concert.

Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991) Review :-

Another Easy and Extended remake proved once and for all that 'It Happened One Night' is mightier than all Rom-coms. Generally, most of the movie buffs have seen the original Hollywood classic and even in India it has found good number of fans. When it comes to the remake of the film after 6 decades one genuinely think about it's timeless script and writting but there are several other factors which makes film an unforgettable classic. Because you always copy something which is really amazing, you don't copy an ordinary film. It Happened One Night was remade many times but Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin came in 90s when Modern Bollywood audience was just ready to accept a brilliant rom-com. But after 6 decades you know lot of water flowed under the bridge and film techniques increased almost at thier best level. It hurts when you fail to make a Classic film after so many advantages but here, the case is closed even before the verdict because It Happened One Night is unmatchable forever.

Now let's talk about what's similar here and what's different. Like I stated, Dil Hai Manta Nahin is an extended remake that means it adds little bit more than the original. It tries to make it more funny but ultimately causes the humour look cheap. Especially, it has certain goofs in pivotal characters, take Pooja's father character for instance. A millionaire with such cheap wit doesn't make it look good at all. Even the leading character of the film is no different to the formality of goofs. Couple of side role characters seems useless after one point. It isn't just about the characters but several changes made in the script also behave like loopholes. The narrative is about 155 minutes long when the soul of the story was too small to explore in this much time. Most of the screentime is covered by songs when it could have been trimmed. It can't be called Flaws but definitely slows down the pace of the film which is harmful in repeat watch. It Happened One Night was made in tight runtime of 105 minutes, i don't know which part to skip even if i am watching it for the 50th time. But Hollywood doesn't run on songs and Bollywood film cannot walk without songs especially in Rom-com genre.

Musically, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin is on upper side. Almost all songs are good and even the worst one is decent making it one of the finest music album of 1991. Two-three Songs are brilliant and if i have to name my personal favourites then "Mainu Ishq Da Lagya Rog", "Adaye Bhi Hai" and "Title Song" would be in the list. Nadeem-Shravan were Kings of Music in 90s and this one is another fine piece of work from them. Chori Chori released in 1956 too had a great Music Album and this one is definitely somewhere close to it.

Aamir Khan makes a decent news reporter as Raghu but like i said goofs in his character's writing didn't let him pull off everything. However, this one was fairly good enough for him in early 90s. Pooja Bhatt as spoilt heiress Pooja is close to awesomeness, especially in couple of emotional scenes but she could have been more wild and outrageous. Supporting cast is barely okay as most of them were trapped for pulling cheap humour. Mahesh Bhatt delivers a good rom-com but seriously, is it enough when you're remaking a timeless film? He copied everything from the original, he added something of his own yet failed to deliver a Classic. It clearly shows that Bollywood is 60 years behind Hollywood and still chasing the same stuff despite advanced filmmaking. Mahesh Bhatt is not the name which comes in my favourite directors list. He's good but not great hence i feel this film would have became much better with some other director or else it could have never been made because no other director would have chose to remake such an iconic film. It's a big burden after all therefore entire team deserves kudos for thier attempt. Chori Chori was slightly lower than It Happened One Night because it couldn't brought glamour as our audience wasn't ready for it in 50s. Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi is slightly lower than Chori Chori and i think verdict is sealed here, though it can be very much likeable film for fresh audience who hasn't seen those 2 earlier films. The film has been overlooked by 90s audience but today it deserves to be watched at least once. This review might look pretty negative but believe me it isn't and my final rating would be appropriately enough, it is just that i am huge huge fan of It Happened One Night and nothing can ever beat that film.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest