A tale of Two Indians... Review on Dil Se

Mani Rathnam is arguably the finest directors to have graced the Indian film industry. Dil Se is definitely not his best movie. For some odd reasons I place the simple yet lyrical Mouna Ragam and extremely poignant Kannathil Muthamital at a higher plane than Dil Se. But Dil Se to me is probably one of the most complex stories he has ever attempted. There is no need to certify the technical aspects of this movie. Santosh Shivan bagged a National Award for cinematography (deservedly so I must add). It would be blasphemous to even raise a finger against the background score of A R Rahman. Gulzarhas penned some really neat lyrics for the songs, the best in my opinion being Ae Ajnabi (which for some mysterious reasons does not get the required screen time, I am still cross with Mani for that, not that he cares anyway). Suresh Urs is in-charge of Editing and does a reasonable job; Allan Amin’s action sequences have that touch of realism as does Samir Chanda’s art direction.

Another noteworthy contribution comes from Farah Khan in the choreography department. Depending on which side of the SRK divide you are the dance sequences would range from pure magic to sheer madness. Chaiyya Chaiyya is probably the first (and only) Indian song (with that many extras too boot), to be completely choreographed on the roof of a running train. Jiya Jale is poetry in motion (what else do you expect when you bring together Mani Ratnam, Santosh Shivan, AR Rahman and Gods Own Country? And with Lata lending her voice of course!). Though I am tempted to go on about the songs “Dil se re” and “Satrangi Re” I will move ahead to something else (courtesy the 8000k limit).

Shah Rukh Khan does not have too many fans on MS and on an honest note I too would not consider him my favorite by any stretch of imagination. In fact there was a time when I hated him with vengeance as he was the favorite of my favorite cousin sister (it is amazing if you pause to just think a little about this, as to how easy it is cultivate hatred for someone if you have made up your mind to do so). But since then my cousin has moved on to other actors and I have been a little bit fairer to SRK. In Dil se he plays Amar Verma.. There are times when there is more of SRK to the character than Amar, but there are times when he gives the character the depth and shades that it deserves. Manisha goes through the movie with reasonable élan, proving again that she is very much a director’s actress. She looks stunningly innocent and intriguing at the same time. The support is adequate from the rest of the characters, I must mention that the guy who played the CBI investigator with a nasal voice (and whose name I have not been able to catch), was quite cool. The biggest plus in this segment of course undeniably is Priety Zinta. Dil se was her Hindi movie debut, but then she probably out performs her more experienced costars. She sizzles in the scene where she broke the clichéd “Hindi lead woman” image with her question to SRK “….are you a virgin?”

From my heart…

Dil Se to me is not your usual run of the mill love story. It’s a movie that made me think- beyond the obvious. I have lived all my life in what I call a main stream Indian cities; Almost oblivious of the fact that there exists another India - an India which has not been as lucky as the rest of it. To where has not percolated the benefits of freedom, democracy and progress, full of people and their lives that are nothing more than statistics or if you a politician mere vote banks.

Dil se’s plot brings together two people from these two “Indias” – one from Delhi and another from a remote place in North Eastern India (known for its insurgencies). I often wonder about patriotism and love. If I were born into a different family, in a different geographic location and had a different upbringing I probably would have had a huge shift in the list of people I love and a country I care for. I probably would have justified Pakistan’s role in Kashmir or even US’s role in Iraq. We all see the World through our looking glasses – glasses tinted with the social and emotional conditionings linked to our upbringing.

I have been on Mouthshut for almost a year and three quarters. One thing I have learnt is that, though it is possible for different opinions to co-exist (peacefully at times rather explosively at others); it is very rare that opinions can be changed (once it has been formed). And I am talking about opinions (mostly) on relatively smaller concerns like movies, books, colas etc. If the opinion in question is about bigger issues like a country or a culture I am sure you would agree most of us are headstrong about what we believe.

So what happens when two people from two different worlds meet and more interestingly fall in love? What if one of them is preparing to celebrate the 50th year of his country’s Independence and the other is planning to use the ceremony commemorating the same event as a platform to air her utter disdain for the same country (through suicide attack)? The male lead is torn between his love for this girl he met and sense of duty to his country, the lady has to decide if her allegiance to her Commander/Mission is stronger than the love that sprouts in her for the protagonist.

Sitting in the comforts of my home, I often feel violence is not an answer to any thing, I repeat ANY THING. But would I have felt the same if I were born in a remote village, which has been subject to abuse by the very own powers that I believe are protecting me? Would I have felt the same if I grew up watching the men (old and young) around me killed and women (old and young) molested by an Arm of a Government that swore to protect rather than to destruct? Would I have been a different human being – YES. Would have been ready to take lives of innocent human beings and in the process give up my own, just to register a protest, to ask a question – I am not sure but maybe.

Dil se also makes me aware of the power of Love. Can Love overcome political ideologies? Can it help bridge barriers that society has built around us and more importantly can Love help us grow beyond what we are? What is it that prompts the climax of Dil Se? Is it Amar’s love for his country? Is it Amar’s love for Meghna, that wants him to prevent her from doing what he thinks is illogical? Is it Meghna’s love for Amar? Or is it a combination of the above? Many look at Dil se’s climax as tragic and even cite that as a reason for the movie not being a commercial success in India. But I differ on that, Dil se’s climax to me represents the victory of Love – to self destruct rather than to cause mass destruction. The movie gives us hope; it suggests that as long as there is Love there is a chance......

Do chip in with your own observations about the review and the movie in the comments section…