Dil Chahta Hai - Movie Review

Published: January 11, 2010

By JENNIFER HOPFINGER

Starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Dimple Kapadia

It’s a classic coming-of-age story: three old friends, fresh out of college, are standing on the brink of manhood and struggling to take the leap of faith that love requires.

Akash (Aamir Khan), Sameer (Saif Ali Khan), and Sid (Akshaye Khanna) are upper-middle-class urbanites in Mumbai, with cushy lives and promising futures, but they’re reluctant to trade the fun of youth for the seriousness of adulthood. Their transition into the work world couldn’t be easier—Sameer is going to work for his father’s computer business, Akash is being sent to Australia to run his father’s company office in Sydney, and Sid is a talented painter who has the support of his family. What scares these young men is the emotional risk that comes with that central rite of passage—falling in love and making a commitment to one person—and the three of them grapple with their fears in completely different ways.

Sameer is a serial monogamist who’s too insecure to ever be alone. He gives himself too quickly and too completely without considering whether the women are actually right for him, and when he inevitably discovers they’re not, he’s heartbroken. First, it’s his bossy, humorless college girlfriend, who forces him to choose between her and Akash, whom she thinks is an idiot, and Sameer picks Akash. Next, he takes up with a hippy tourist from the West (their ilk are frequently derided in Indian films), but her interest turns out to be a ruse to rob him. Finally, his parents suggest an arranged marriage and ask him to meet their friend’s daughter. At first, he balks, but he ends up liking her. However, she has a boyfriend and doesn’t believe in arranged marriage. For the first time in his life, Sameer has found a woman worth fighting for. (Saif’s engaging portrayal helped push his career into the big leagues.)

Akash is the polar opposite of Sameer—he casually picks up girls and doesn’t believe in love. If Akash had his way, he and Sameer and Sid would remain best buddies forever, with no interference from women. His stubborn refusal to grow up makes him act like a jerk—until a pretty girl he fancies, Shalini (Preity Zinta), puts him in his place.

Sid is the most mature of the three and his story is the most interesting. He meets a beautiful interior designer named Tara (Dimple Kapadia, who came out of retirement to play the role)—a divorcée who’s 15 years older than him—and they strike up a friendship over their shared love of art. She appreciates and understands him in a way no one else does, and her belief in his work makes a man out of him. Tara is not some hot-to-trot cougar desperately trying to recapture her long-lost youth, and when Sid falls in love with her, she discourages him. She’s an alcoholic, drowning in pain over the loss of custody of her daughter, and she believes Sid deserves better. But he embraces their impractical love nonetheless and gives his heart to her without reservation.

Sid is insulted when Akash insinuates that he’s only involved with Tara for sex with an experienced woman, and the resulting rift threatens the friendships that Akash cherishes so dearly.

It’s a simple, touching story about tender youth, with moving performances from start to finish.

Dil Chahta Hai is rated Must See.

Community - News - Reviews - Commentary - About