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*may contain spoilers*

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been redeemed in my eyes. After the monotonous fare that was presented to me in the form of Saawarya, I was delighted to watch a film that not only stirred my senses but my emotions as well with characters I could truly connect with. Star crossed lovers and love triangles have been the meat and bones of Bollywood for a good many years, and we get served both in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. It is a story true to the Bollywood romance formula, but where some may end up being merely carbon copies of each other, this one deviates from the norm.


While the root of this film is simple, the characters are not necessarily so. Aishwarya Rai gives a brilliantly expressive performance in a role I've seen numerous times, most recently done by Kajol in Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya, but where Kajol failed in her sincerity, Aishwarya rules. At first you see her as the insurgent, but dutiful daughter who's resolve slowly melts away as infatuation sets in. Her secret courtship with Sameer is cute and entertaining, and, in an example of art imitating life, we can see these two actually falling in love. All's well until we see the eventual course of Nadini's fate change with the introduction of Vanraj's proposal. Aish does well in switching from enamored girl to apathetic wife, and emotes so effectively that you can see very clearly the moment she falls in love again.


I have said it before and I'll probably continue to say it, but I am not a huge fan of Salman Khan. However, I was pleasantly surprised with him in this film. His role as the Indian/Italian man who talks to his dead father and falls in love with the teacher's daughter was playfully adolescent. Here is a lad that lives for the moment in every respect, and while there's something to be said for being carefree, at some point you need to face responsibility. For this reason, I had a hard time stomaching the thought that this was the man Nandini was choosing. That being said, Salman carries off the humor and light moments of his role quite well - even including a preposterous amount of shirtless scenes. Oh, Sallu, what would we ever do without your infamous torso!


The only other movie I have seen Ajay Devgan in was the low brow Golmaal Returns, in which he failed to leave much of an impression on me. In this film he shines gloriously as Vanraj, a man who loves so selflessly that his only desire is to see the happiness of his intended, even if it means losing her in the end. From their first meeting during Nimbooda to the discovery that Nandini loves another man to the scene on the bridge when she leaves to meet Sameer (where, incidentally, my heart shattered into a million tiny little pieces), Ajay displays a mature sensitivity in this role that is bound to turn anyone into an instant fan. If I had to pick one thing that stood out in this film above anything else, for me it was Ajay. Vanraj has surely stolen a little bit of my heart!


As if the performances weren't already enough reason to watch, Bhansali, true to form, has left absolutely no stones unturned in regards to the movie's production value. Technically, the film is outstanding. Anil Mehta brings out the best of traditional Gujarati/Rajasthani architecture in his cinematography. The sets are extravagant and the whole production looks luscious and expensive with its grandiose sets and costumes.

Introduce Ismail Darbar. In his first attempt at musical direction, Darbar hits it out of the park with an amazing soundtrack and score, and how could it not with the likes of Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy and a plethora of other extremely talented playback singers at his disposal. The brilliance of the music is further exaggerated by wonderful choreography and perhaps one of the best integration of songs into the narrative of a movie that I've seen in a while.

My favorite picturizations:





Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is 100% Bollywood, offering the very best in every possible category of what Hindi film making has to give. Bansali, my faith has been restored!