De tout coeur

This was the first actual Bollywood film I've ever seen. I knew nothing about it going in, other than that it was considered a classic and featured "that Indian guy" (Khan) who shows up in every other film. Needless to say, after I became accustomed to the singing and dancing, I was able to dig in to the film a bit. It got slow at times but I was intensely interested in figuring out what the heck was going on. In the final moments of the film, my friend and I just sat frozen. I've never seen a movie that had singing, dancing, and ended with a bang. Needless to say, I'm hooked on Bollywood and determined to make everyone I know watch this film.

This movie is close to my heart. It stands out as one of a kind to me in the world of Bollywood cinema, which is usually frivolous and contrived. Every part of this movie was well-made, the music was used brilliantly and it was just emotionally very touching. The chemistry between Shahrukh and Manisha was subtle but definitely there. Manisha's acting in this difficult role was done superbly. It is surprising that many people disliked this movie because of the ending, as I think it was beautifully portrayed. My favorite movie of all time- I would recommend this movie to anyone who is a hopeless romantic like myself and would do anything for love.

This is a haunting film. Everyone raves about the music and cinematography (which of course are excellent), but I wanted to write about the often maligned plot. After seeing Dil Se for the second time, it was easier to see how the seemingly irrational actions of the characters were a result of their life circumstances. I understood much better why Amar was compelled to pursue Meghna; if you've ever been in love with the wrong person, you'll understand too. Meghna is like many other damaged people I've known: capricious, confused, sometimes cruel to others, but in the end her own worst enemy. Both know that their paths are not supposed to join (and pay lip service to that fact), but find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. This is evident by Amar's reaction to seeing Meghna at his engagement, and again in Meghna's attempts to convince herself to feel nothing but fiery patriotism. It is this relentless attraction that forces the shattering scene at the end of the movie--there is no other way for them to be together. This is a very thought-provoking movie, but it does require you to think--not the sort of thing to watch mindlessly while munching on popcorn. It will move you to your core, if you let it.

Mani Ratnam's Dil Se is a classic example of casting gone wrong for a very good storyline. Well, at least, for the male lead. Such was the persona of Shah Rukh Khan as a romantic hero that it was improbable that the burning issue of North-East insurgence would salvage this wonderfully-crafted film from the fate it suffered.

On the whole, the film impresses, with its breath-taking visuals of Ladakh and the North-East, the mesmerizing music, and a fiery performance from Manisha Koirala. Granted that Priety Zinta was more of an ugly duckling than the elegant woman she is now, hers was a delightful debut. But the biggest disappointment is Shah Rukh. Tied to a role light years apart from the moon-gazing, mandolin-strumming Casanova that he was so accustomed to, he fails to bring the required wee-bit restraint to an investigating reporter. Perhaps, movies with hard-hitting realism were not his forte then.

Despite that, there are plenty of sequences worth remembering: the disturbing throwbacks into Meghna's (Manisha) past; the awkward interaction between Amar (Shah Rukh) and Preeti (Zinta) and that song on top of a train. I read somewhere that the songs were brilliant to listen to, but were inserted at the most inappropriate of moments in the film. I don't disagree. However, considering the length and the pace of the storyline, I wouldn't blame the editor and the director either. In any case, the songs are fabulous on their own and take the listener on a rich and vibrant journey of foot-tapping modernity and old world classicism. There is also a mournful melody rendered by the then-rejuvenated Sukhwinder Singh that somehow escaped a listing on the soundtrack. Maybe, you need to watch the movie to savor that.

It is definitely worth watching and more realistic than the fare dished out by Karan Johar and his ilk, but it is more an adventure of human motivations than a treatise on terrorism that the filmmakers would like us to believe. Pity, it suffered badly at the box-office.

The problem with Hindi cinema is its very strong formalistic framework where it has to fit in. It must pass the censors, must be made for a billion of mostly analphabets and must contain a great number of song and dance scenes. Mani Ratnam is one (and only?) director who constantly extents this genre to embrace the producers, the popular audience and the critical and political aware intellectuals with his strong political claims ("Roja", "Bombay"). This one now beats it all and everybody (in India) talked about it. Such an end was not seen before in Hindi cinema, and all fits perfectly well (despite to what some other critics said). And it works even if you know the end before (which most do).

It's my current favorite. Technically superb, very sophisticated content, big fun and emotions. An american version would have been a typical political thriller about an unlucky love to a female terrorist, but Mani Ratnam gives us 300%. Not just the Indian Spielberg or Tsui Hark, this is more. Go for it.