Dil Se

First of all, I must say that it's about time Indians wake up and open up their hearts and minds to sensible cinema. For years we have had nonsense shoved down our throats ... films that provide only one lasting memory ... MUSIC.

DIL SE is a cleverly written romantic thriller. Probably Manisha's best performance (tied with Khamoshi) to date. Never before have we seen a performance with such restraint followed by a timely outburst of emotions. I am writing this review on March 3, 2002, at a time when most of you would have seen this film. I cannot comment more on Manisha's performance as it may be a biased one since she is, in my opinion, the best actress in Hindi cinema.

Shah Rukh was totaly engrossed in his character and also excelled. The music was excellent but I am not one who watch films for music.

This film did not do well in India but did well here in Toronto and probably in other North American cities. At least three of India's leaders (including The Mahatma) were assassinated, yet Indian moviegoers reacted to this wonderful film about terrorism as being "far-fetched". Could it be that Indians lack the intelligence to appreciate good cinema?

This was my favorite film until Lagaan came along. Other films that I feel strongly about are Khamoshi, Dil Chahta Hai, Bombay, 1942 A Love Story (highly underrated) and Mrityudand to name a few. Certainly, commercial films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Taal were very entertaining. With Lagaan's success, we can only hope for better cinema.

Let's face it, we have the talent but not the audience. Another thing ... we can do less with crap like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.