Dil Chata Hai

Just when I thought I couldn't love Bollywood any more than I already do, my friends at Jaman recommend a movie like Dil Chata Hai to remind me that I ain't seen nothing yet.




Dil Chata Hai is a rare story about three male friends and their personal journey into a little thing called love. It's not too sappy or melodramatic,but it has has its touching moments. There's just enough romance for the chick flick lover in you, but the real heart of the movie lies in the changing relationship between the three friends played by Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna, and Saif Ali Khan.

These guys have an onscreen chemistry that I haven't seen between three men in a long time(I'm thinking since Three Men and A Baby. Quite a different film, but...humor me). Their personalities are each so different and balance the story out to perfection.

Aamir Khan as Aakash dazzles me with his talent once again, but I'm sure that's no surprise to those of you who grew up watching his films. Saif Ali Khan as Sameer continues to make me laugh by his voice, facial expressions, and body language alone. But it was Akshaye Khanna(who has the cutest chin ever)as Sid, the artist with a heart of gold who falls for a divorced woman with a drinking problem, who really caught me off guard. I had no idea Bollywood had it in her to come up with a story like this, but give me more! Being a single mother(and half Pakistani herself, a culture where this is seriously frowned upon), it always bothers me that women are labeled so harshly once divorced or widowed, and I loved that Sid was man enough to stand up against the ridicules and jokes from his own best friend because he just didn't care what people would think. How many men would do that?

The feud that situation created between Aakash and Sid is also brought to a moving end when Aakash admits he was wrong and Sid forgives him wholeheartedly. I'm embarrassed to think back to some of the friendships I had, particularly when I was a teenager, that ended on a stupid argument which I had too much pride to repair. I'm glad Aakash grew up and realized that was not going to happen to him, and happy that Sid didn't let things change their friendship after that. Just another beautiful touch to an already perfect film!

I have to mention Dimple Kapadia as Tara(Sid's love interest). She's amazing. Simply amazing. I won't say anymore, but if you see the movie, I won't have to.

Wow. When I come across a movie like this, it reminds me why I write about Bollywood in the first place!

Text (c) Nida Nazir, 2008 Bitten By Bollywood

Salaam-E-Ishq

I'm glad I watched Salaam-E-Ishq.

No, really I am! Yes, it was about two and a half hours longer than it should have been. Yes, it was about six couples whose stories I didn't care about as much as I should have. But I saw it fairly early in my Bollywood watching days, and it gave me a huge bonus incentive-an introduction to 13 Bollywood actors I had previously never seen before.

I guess the movie was so-so. It had some cool moments(the title song) and some real yawners(most of Salman Khan's scenes). I watched it once by myself and then showed it to Ceci(Ok,and once with my mom and bro--so three times). It was way better when you had someone to laugh at the silly parts with you and join you in drooling over John Abraham.

But, sadly, the highlight for me of this film was just getting familiarized with the stars in it... So, here's a few of my first impressions...

John Abraham-Hey, isn't this the guy from "Where's the Party Tonight?" I know I've seen him before, and clearly it wasn't in real life(I wouldn't be that lucky).

Vidya Balan-She acted like her doting husband was an annoyance, even before her accident. The snottier she was to him, the more he chased after her. Hmm. Maybe I could learn a few things from Tehzeeb.

Priyanka Chopra-I don't mean to sound hung up on physical beauty here but how can you not mention beauty in the same sentence describing Priyanka Chopra? Her character was stuck up in the movie, but I hear a lot of positive things about her in real life. If she's as sweet as she seems on the inside, then some women really do have it all!

Salman Khan-I knew he was a big name in Bollywood, but I was unimpressed. He and Priyanka didn't really have a well written story, though. At least Priyanka got me to laugh a few times. Salman just reminded me of an obsessive fan/stalker.

Govinda-While I didn't see any real chemistry between him and his other half Stephanie in the beginning, by the end of the film this pair was hands-down my fave couple! Really funny and really sweet...the whole movie could have been about them(and a lot shorter) and I would have been happy.

Shannon Esrechowitz-I wonder how she got into this movie. I'm not being sarcastic, I really want to know! I mean, does she love Bollywood? Was she approached? Did her agent set it up? I liked her, but I just was curious. Anyways, they made sure to pick a girl that looked good in liquid eyeliner. They made sure.

Akshaye Khanna-He reminds me of a young Robert de Niro...And I thought his commitment phobia story was funny, a nice comic relief from some of the boring scenes. Hooray for happy endings, but he totally deserved that blow from Ayesia Takia! Speaking of...

Ayesia Takia-She seemed sweet here, but didn't have a big enough role to really show what she can do. A movie like Dor shows she is capable of much, much more if given the opportunity.

Anil Kapoor-I can't judge him from this film. He played a man going through a mid-life crisis pretty believably, so I guess that was the point. But given that I now know he's been around for awhile, I'd like to see one of his meatier roles before I judge him.

Juhi Chawla-Same as above. But why would anybody want to cheat on her? And did anybody else think the "other woman" kind of looked like Juhi anyways?

Sohail Khan/Isha Koppikar-I would sacrifice the few laughs this couple gave me to cut them from the film. Nothing personal...but in a movie that stretches almost four hours long, do you really need a "filler"?

Some extra points:

*Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same guy who directed Kal Ho Naa Ho? I just don't see it...But I guess he didn't write the scripts, so whatever...

*Why isn't "Babuji Deere Chalna" on the soundtrack? I know its an older song remixed...Was it a copyright thing?

*When I first saw the scene where Kkamini lists the actresses, I didn't know who any of them were...Now I know almost all! I'm so happy!

Text (c) 2007 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood