Aashiqui

I love Bollywood romances, and I absolutely loved this! The songs are beautiful (especially Dheere dheere). What I found just as moving as the songs is the depiction of a fantastically pure, innocent and passionate romance between the couple. It's so beautiful in its earnestness and intensity (which the less romantic among us will find very silly) that it's almost haunting.

A sensitive but impetuous young man falls in love with a withdrawn and shy orphan girl. Their love comes across all sorts of obstacles and, of course, overcomes them all. There are good themes about women empowerment, valuing love and relationships, and good winning over evil.

What I found really attractive throughout the movie is the haunting, yearning, love-filled gaze the couple has for each other. There are several scenes where they just gaze into each others eyes with such longing and tenderness that anyone who has ever loved will feel their passion themselves. Anu Aggarwal has these beautiful eyes that communicate both the ecstasy and pain of her love, and Rahul Roy has a soft-hearted passion in his tone.

Yes, there are mannnnyyyy deux-ex-machinas. The tears are always rolling. The bad guys are really bad, and the good guys are really good. But the movie recognizes and even indulges in its silly passion. Towards the end there is a line spoken to one who doesn't understand, perhaps also spoken to those who have groaned and winced and rolled their eyes through the whole movie -- "Yeh tu nahi samjhega. Yeh love story hai. Aashiqui." (You won't understand -- it's a love story. It's passion). It's a fantasy, and for that it's really beautiful -- a fantasy where goodness and badness exist only in purity; where love is good, and good conquers all.

For a six year old child it is very difficult to remember about movies and songs. However there are movies, their music and there was Aashiqui. It was not just another movie with hit music. It was a phenomenon. The sale of music players was increased dramatically in those days. Practically every home in India had a audio cassette(today's CD/DVD wielding kids would probably never know of them!!) of Aashiqui in their home. It is not very common to come across albums with almost all the songs being awesome. However in this case, the word "almost" can be easily dropped. Each and every song of this movie is timeless. Nadeem-Shravan may not be creative and experimental like A. R. Rehman, but it is true that if "melody" had a second name it would be Nadeem-Shravan. "Aashiqui", "Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin","Sadak", "Saajan", "Deewana", "Dil Ka Kya Qusoor", "Salami", "Damini", "Dil Wale", "Raja Hindustani", "Jeet", "Pardes" are examples of this genius combination. Mahesh Bhatt is one of the finest filmmakers we had, but it is sad that his biggest commercial success is probably his weakest work as a director, or probably got overshadowed by the lovable music. The acting in this movie is anything but good. Rahul Roy caught the fancy of many young girls in those days and his hair style was an instant rage, however the guy just couldn't act and sadly it was clearly visible in the movie too. Recently in a TV show, Kareena Kapoor admitted, she has a poster of Salman in her room, which she replaced with Rahul's when Aqshiqui released. However anybody who had seen this movie can easily predict that Rahul lacked the charisma to be a major star. Anu Agarwal showed the signs of things to come. Apart from acting in B-Grade Hollywood soft porn, the girl couldn't achieve anything. It is common for an actor to pull off a movie single handedly despite of shoddy script and bad music. In some cases even some directors have pulled off a movie by tight narration despite unconvincing performance. Aqshiqui is one of the rare cases, where Music alone pulled off a movie.

The upsides of being well-fed are so inimical to beholders of poetic flair what was not eaten for privileges unattached can be shown as digested to shine just for the liquor that goes by in the name of poetry unappraised for poets in the courtyard of courtesans ruling organisations of networks with iron hands of discards discarding every miniscule of cultivated culture personal miles apart from the next endeavor subsuming collaterals of empires as bigots of classisism on high seats of untenable risks buttressed by licenses of contraband unsustainable by laities with gifts of gabs. Jabs of attitude become rehabs of nurture dispensing nurture in installments of various bravado for ministers dithering as authority in the frolicking of eternal nappies by the rollicking spots of coloured frocks.

The songs are evergreen for any Bollywood romance fan. The songs turn this movie from average to brilliant. Superb soulful music!!!

I learned guitar just to play the Saason ki zaroorat music. All songs were absolute diamonds. And not to forget, I had a fantastic Rahul cut hair too. 20 years since, the music still sounds honeydewed and has acquired a legendary status. Just as we could appreciate 60s-70s music being a 90s kid, I expect todays kids to train their ears to learn the greatness of the 90s.