Saturday, April 4, 2009

Dil Chahta Hai

This week I watched Dil Chahta Hai (2001) from director Farhan Akhtar starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, and Dimple Kapadia. DIl Chahta Hai (DCH) proved to be thouroughly enjoyable and thought provoking. DCH tells the raw story of three friends, Akash, Sameer, and Sid. They have been best friends since childhood, but life after college brings a new challenge to their friendship: love. Akash is the immature jokster who doesn't believe in love. Sameer loves too much -- he's a genuine guy who gives his heart to any girl who smiles at him! And Sid is the mysterious artist who is interested in much more than the trivial romances that his friends seek. The first half of the movie is spent introducing the audience to the friendship. Akash makes a fool of himself in front of Shalini, a seemingly random girl at the party; Akash's selfishness messes up Sameer's relationship; Sid begins to fall in love with Tara, a much older woman, and all of this leads up to their vacation to Goa. Intermission happens, and then things get interesting. Sid and Akash have a falling out -- Akash is sent to Australia to run the family business where he runs into Shalini again -- Sameer fights for the "love of his life" -- and Sid continues to fall in love with Tara against everyone else's wishes. Love is what divided the friends, but it also what proves to ultimately strengthen their relationship.


I had a hard time viewing this film with a critical eye because I found myself so invested in the characters. I cheered for Sameer as he fought for Pooja. I felt Akash's loneliness in Australia after Shalini's fiance came. I think I actually hit my futon when Shalini chose her jerk fiance over Akash who she obviously loves. I felt Sid's pain as his "relationship" with Tara began to fall apart because of her age. The film was beautifully shot and well edited, but I think what makes DCH so enjoyable is the characters (the writing and acting). It's not everyday that there is a movie about 3 "cool" guys and their struggle to understand love and friendship. The character's are raw in their emotions. I think that the essence of the characters are universal. Who doesn't sometimes put on a face that everything is one big joke, but is secretly desiring so much more like Akash? Who doesn't want to just be loved for who he is like Sameer? And who doesn't fight for something he loves despite everyone's negative criticism (or at least wish they could) like Sid? The script is fun, but the characters are real.


Another one of my favorite parts of DCH was the high energy dance sequences. Overall, there were only two major ones, which was rather disappointing, but they made the movie even more enjoyable. The clip below is a musical number from the beginning of the movie at their college graduation party -- the same party where Akash first saw Shalini. It's colorful and full of energy, which is typical for bollywood, but the techno feel was definitely not what I was expecting -- but it worked!!

In the end, I highly recommend Dil Chahta Hai!
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1 comment:

  1. kahliaApril 11, 2009 at 9:28 AM

    Bollywood dance sequences are totally the best! I have come to love them!!

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