Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - Movie Review
Published: May 5, 2010
By EKTA R. GARG
Starring Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s second directorial venture is as full of color and glamour as his first film Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) is devoid of both. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) stars Salman Khan as Sameer and Aishwarya Rai as Nandini, and both did some of their finest work ever—perhaps not surprisingly, since the film was made at the height of their much-publicized love affair. Rounding out the main cast is Ajay Devgan at his introspective, brooding best in the role of Vanraj.
Nandini is a strong woman in the household of a traditional extended family. Her father, Pandit Darbar (played with panache by Vikram Gokhale) is a well-known and respected musician in the Kutch district of the state of Gujarat. Sameer, a half-Indian, half-Italian young man, comes to study music with him, and he moves in with the family. Nandini is forced to give up her room to Sameer, causing her to hate him at first. The two eventually become friends, however, and then fall in love, but they keep their relationship a secret from the rest of the family. Only Nandini’s blind grandmother (Zohra Sehgal in a small but charming role) is privy to the affair.
One of Nandini’s cousins gets married, causing Nandini’s parents to think about their own daughter’s marital status. They arrange her marriage to Vanraj, a lawyer whose father is also a lawyer and a well-established one. Vanraj sees Nandini dancing at the cousin’s wedding (in the song “Nimbooda,” a highlight of the film because of Kavita Krishnamurthy’s vocals and Aishwarya’s amazing dancing) and falls in love with her instantly.
The relationship between Nandini and Sameer is discovered and her father refuses to teach Sameer anymore. He forbids Sameer and Nandini to see each other and forces Nandini to marry Vanraj. At the wedding and immediately after, Vanraj sees an instant change in his wife—gone is the laughing, smiling woman who is so engaged in her music and dancing. In her place is a woman who refuses to dress like a new bride and who speaks only when absolutely necessary. Inevitably, Vanraj finds out that her love for Sameer is the reason for her sadness, and he’s faced with the choice of what to do about it.
Bhansali’s story is a tried-and-true formula, but he delivers it with his own indelible sense of style and gives the love triangle a fresh feel by balancing the glamorous and the realistic with precision. Cinematographer Anil Mehta won a Filmfare award for his breathtaking work. The music is outstanding—Ismail Darbar composed the score, his first for a Bollywood film, and the songs still resonate with audiences today. All three main leads put their hearts into their performances, as does the supporting cast.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam stirred up controversy when Salman reportedly asked for the end of the story to be changed and Bhansali refused. The two have not worked together since.
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