Dil Hai Tumhara

Dil Hai Tumhara -- My Heart is Yours

MAIN CAST

Preity Zinta -- Shalu

Mahima Chauddhry -- Nimmi

Arjun Rample -- Dev

Jimmy Shergill -- Sameer

Rekha -- Sarita

BRIEF PLOT OVERVIEW

Sarita adores her husband Shekhar and their daughter Nimmi. Sarita's perfectly family is shattered when she takes Nimmi to the fair and catches Shekhar with his mistress and their daughter, Shalu. Shekhar and his mistress die in a car accident soon after, but Shalu survives, and Shekhar's dieing wish is that Sarita treat Shalu like her own daughter. Sarita takes the girl in, but neglects her and greatly favors Nimmi. Still, Nimmi and Shalu grow close throughout the years, until the arrival of a handsome businessman named Dev threatens to pull them apart.

FILM -- 2.5/5
Dil Hai Tumhara isn't poorly made, but a few changes would have made the whole movie much more enjoyable. There are many plots going on at once, which is normal in Bollywood masala, but they don't flow very well, and one plot will go on for an hour and will be sandwiched by another plot cut in to 15-minute segments. A good example of this is the "Sameer's unrequited love plot," because Sameer disappears for over an hour! Actually, the love stories in general are not very well-written. I know that, as a long-time Bollywood fan, I should be able to stomach insta-love, but Dev's sudden "OMFGILOVEYOU!" moment with Shalu wasn't very believable. A number of scenes could have been cut or shortened, like the "obligatory masala action sequence" where Mahima ends up looking like she's got one Hell of a period. The dancing and costuming are "just okay" in some parts, "frippin' awesome" in others--"Dil Laga Liya," anyone?

CHARACTERS -- 3/5

This is a melodrama, and the characters are your typical over-dramatic, 2-dimensional stock. Yet the cast still manages to act as well as a melodrama allows. In my opinion, Rekha gave the best performance; while the other characters were completely stereotypical and over-the-top, she managed to wring emotional responses out of me at every turn. Her Sarita is an interesting character, subtly characterized in a way only Rekha can characterize, and we end up loving Sarita for her strength while simultaneously hating her for holding a grudge against Shalu. Preity Zinta and Arjun Rample have both given much better performances, but they're still relatively charming in DHT. Jimmy Shergill gives off a "real sweetheart" vibe, and I thought he was surprisingly sexy with a mustache! I just wish his characters got a little more looooove...maybe the ladies would like him more if he didn't carry around that damn puppet everywhere he went. Mahima Chaudhry looks gorgeous, but she's unusually stiff and bland pre-intermission. She's incredibly charismatic and fun post-intermission! Both Mahima and Preity have good chemistry with Arjun, and I thought the Preity/Jimmy chemistry was very sweet and innocent. The best chemistry comes from Preity and Mahima, who have a dynamic and intensely loyal relationship throughout the entire film. I have a love/hate relationship with the supporting cast, which includes the adorable Alok Nath and some oh-so-bland villainous characters.

SOUNDTRACK -- 3.5/5

Dil Hai Tumhara has a really catchy soundtrack, and it grows on you when you least expect it, kind of like a skin fungus. "Dil Laga Liya" alone adds 2 stars to the film's soundtrack score, both on-screen and on-iPod. "Dil Laga Liya"'s melodies are used as instrumental refrains throughout the film. I also love "Mohabbat". "Kasam Khake Chalo," another upbeat love song, is really good, and Preity and Mahima are resplendent in-film in their yellow salwaars. "Chayya Hai Jo Dil" didn't do much for me at first, but it's grown on me, and now it's one of my top tracks from the soundtrack. Not gonna lie, though: I skip over the title song every time I watch this movie. (My one friend loves that song, though, so maybe I'm just missing some of the magic.) "Kabhi Hasna Hai Kabhi" plays during the opening and features some great body language from Rekha in-film, but both it and "Chabo Zubaan" are much better in-film than off-screen.

OVERALL -- 3/5

Alright, I admit it: I'm a whore for melodramatic masala. Dil Hai Tumhara is cliche, crazy, and slow, but I really enjoyed it, although I did fast forward through some of the more unneccessary scenes. If you're in to 90s-style masala melodramas with good soundtracks, you'll probably like Dil Hai Tumhara. Otherwise, don't bother.

TOTAL SCORE -- 12/20 (okay)