Movie Review
Producers: Mukesh Talreja and
Sunil Manchanda
Director: Atull Agnihotri
Cast: Salman Khan, Preity Zinta, Bhoomika Chawla, Rati Agnihotri, Renuka
Shahane, Helen Khan and Riya Sen
RS RATING: 5/10
So here he is, Atul Agnihotri with his first-ever big screen directorial venture, and what a ‘treat’ he has in-store for you guys…
Hold it. First explain who
is Atull Agnihotri?
A failed actor, brother to 80’s heroine Rati Agnihotri, and brother-in-law
to Salman Khan.
Was he not the one trying
to make a film with Aishwarya Rai, Arjun Rampal and Salman Khan?
Yes! But that project never got off the ground.
Who are the main
characters?
Well… we have a high-flying advertising executive Rishabh (Salman Khan), a
glamorous medical doctor Pari (Preity Zinta), and a beautiful girl with a heart
defect Dhaani (Bhoomika Chawla).
Oh! Is it another ‘Chori
Chori Chupke Chupke’?
No, this time Salman and Preity are already hitched. I mean Rishabh and Pari
are happily married.
Are they happy in marriage?
Yes, very much so. When one desires something, the other gifts it. Like when
Pari wants a dream house, and then Rishabh goes out and buys one for her.
What does he get in return?
In return she gets pregnant (by him of-course!) and will soon gift him a
child.
Being to very busy
individuals, do they start to drift apart, and does at that time Bhoomika make
an entrance?
Actually no! Rishabh, and the two-month pregnant Pari, sashay away at
beaches and discotheques – happily in love. And furthermore they find time to
dance to tunes composed by Himesh Reshaamiya and A. R. Rahman.
If only we all could have
the same life as theirs.
If only…
So where does Bhoomika fit
in?
Dhaani has been diagnosed with heart failure, that means without a heart
transplant she will not survive. The poor girl has had a tragic life, with her
mother dying while she was an infant, and her father running away at the first
sign of responsibility. Her grandmother (Helen) has raised her up and attended
to all her needs. The senior doctor at the hospital (Rati Agnihotri), and Pari
both work valiantly to find a heart for this poor girl.
Sniff! Sniff! Does she die?
No Dhaani doesn’t die, Pari does.
How comes…?
Pari is on her way to the hospital when she notices that Rishabh has left a
file behind. She decides to take this file to him, and for some god-forsaken
reason chats with him on the mobile phone at the same time. An accident occurs
and both Pari and the unborn child pass away to the other realm.
Hold it! Hold it! What
happens to the heart?
Oh the heart, well before Pari dies, her last wish is for heart to be
transplanted into Dhaani’s chest.
And how does Rishabh take all this in?
He, with the aid of his sister (Renuka Shahane), does the ‘Imran Khan’
thing.
He takes up Cricket?
No, he finds out that Pari’s dream was to build a hospital where there is no
class barrier. All classes are treated equally. He starts work on this. His life
gets a new impetus...
And what about Dhaani?
She makes a full Dhaani recovery. And one day while out walking, walks past
Rishabh and her heart misses a beat... Even Rishabh feels a little strange...
The rest of the story is not too difficult to guess.
What about the
performances?
Salman Khan is a natural when it comes to comedy with words. He has great
timing as well.
Comedy! I thought this was
an emotional drama?
Watch the film and you will find out. But he is also good in emotional
scenes and is the only person who lifts the film.
And what about Preity and
Bhoomika?
Preity is very good, but she doesn't last long, thanks to the killer script.
Bhoomika Chawla is cute and carries on from her Tere Naam performance. The only
difference being that she is chasing Salman Khan in the film unlike the earlier
one.
Does Atull manage to
deliver a first-class directorial debut?
No, he is definitely no Ashutosh Gowarikar. He makes a decent debut but has
packed the film with family... The film has his brother-in-law Salman Khan,
Salman's step-mom Helen Khan, his own sister Rati Agnihotri among others. The
problem is that some people have been miscast. Never mind if this can still be
called a 'family film' - film starring Atull's family. In fact his wife Alvira's
name has also been mentioned in the credits of the film. One did expect a much
better debut from Atull, considering that he has worked a lot on the subject.
The dialogues sometimes are wonderful, but sometimes they pass off as mere PJs.
The camera, choreography and couture could have been a lot better than what it
has finally turned out to be.
Does Atull manage to
recreate the chemistry between the ‘Tere Naam’ jodi of Salman Khan and Bhoomika
Chawla?
To a certain extent, he does!
Does the inclusion of
‘female star of the moment’ Preity Zinta give this film an extra edge?
Yes it does, but that edge gets smoothed out when she dies.
Any final points?
Yes a few…
1: Never mix business with pleasure through nepotism.
2: Don't speak on the mobile while driving.
3: Think before you give out your heart to someone
4: PJs are cool, but ones like Tumhara dil roaming hai aur tumhare rome rome
mein basa hai are silly. They don't work
5: Give Salman a good role and he delivers. Just let him be himself. Maybe only
he can salvage this film as well.
Reviewed by: Qamar Zaman
By Indu Mirani
Four Producers, four writers, one debutante writer director, two music composers and two lyric writers and they still got it all wrong. Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa is a corny film based on the premise that when a heart is transplanted from one body to another all the emotions the donor had, is felt with equal intensity by the one receiving it. Even with major suspension of disbelief this is a tough one to pull off.
Salman Khan is a partner in an ad agency and his wife Preity Zinta is a doctor. They are madly in love. When Preity is about to die following an accident, her last wish is that her heart should be given to a young girl, Bhumika Chawla, a heart patient. Even though Salman is against this, the doctor who is Preity’s friend, Rati Agnihotri, does so. Now Bhumika, who does not know whose heart she has, is inexorably drawn towards Salman. He is still grieving and rejects her love.
Amazingly, the heart, takes this hard and Bhumika’s body begins to resist it. When she is almost given up for dead, the truth dawns on Salman and he makes an impassioned plea to the heart who gets its act straight thus leading to Salman and Bhumika’s marriage. This skewered logic defies explanation.
Even in the melodramatic 70s when South remakes ruled, it would have stood out for its incredibly silly premise, today’s audience will simply laugh this film out of the theatres. There are as many loopholes in this script as there are in a fisherman’s net.
Atul Agnihotri doesn’t seem to have learnt anything from the flop films he acted in and has gone ahead and directed an equally forgettable film. Likewise with the music composed by A R Rahman and Himesh Reshammiya.
Salman is the only bright spot in the film doing the early chirpy bits and later sombre part with equal intensity. He rises above the mundane script. Preity Zinta is around only briefly and charms her way through a one-dimensional character. After her it is difficult to accept Bhumika Chawla as the woman in Salman’s life. Bhumika’s is a thankless role and she has everything going against her including plain looks and behenji clothes. Helen and Rati Agnihotri overact. Aasif Sheik, back after some time, is all right though he has just about two scenes to show his mettle.
Even the most die hard Salman film will not be able to take this to his heart.
'Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa' - 'HeartBreak!'
This affair of the heart is so
bland that it is not recommended even for heart patients. 'Dil Ne Jise Apna
Kahaa' is about a young madly in love married couple, Salman Khan (Rishabh) and
Preity Zinta (Pari).
Rishabh is a partner in an ad agency while Pari is a doctor. While Rishabh looks
the part with his designer clothes and glares, and of course the tinted hair,
Pari though very pretty, looks too glamorous for a doctor. Having said that we
have to add that she brings sunshine into the film as well as into Rishab's
life.
The madly-in-love couple moves into their dream house, prance around in their
bedroom, and are generally enjoying life. Doesn't it sound too sweet to be true?
Yeah! So tragedy strikes soon.
Pari meets with a road accident and dies. However, she wills her heart to an
ailing heart patient, Dhaani (Bhumika Chawla). Pari's death leaves Rishabh
devastated. The audience too is bound to feel the same. Rishabh is against the
heart donation but has to comply with her last wishes. He hates the receiver and
wants to have nothing to do with her.
One day accidentally he discovers a file in Pari's bag. It has details about her
dream project, of building a hospital for kids. He finds meaning in life again
and is almost back to his normal self. His colleagues are happy at this change.
Talking about his colleagues, one can't help commenting about how each is
abnormally different from the other. Is an ad agency full of weirdos like this?
In the meantime the other girl, Dhaani, has entered the frame. For obvious
reasons, she is attracted to Rishabh at first sight. She does not realize the
hearty connection, the audience do, but are not amused at all! By some strange
twist of fate, she finds herself working in Rishab's ad agency as a Copy writer.
All because Salman sold a couple of her stray scribbling to one of his clients.
Client is impressed and Dhaani is part of the team.
But Rishabh still hasn't forgotten Pari and cannot even dream of getting
attracted to Dhaani. We don't blame him. Dhaani although charming and pretty in
her own way cannot match up to Pari's vivacious and effervescent charm. Of
course, the climax has Rishabh succumbing to Dhaani's love but it looks very
unconvincing. It leaves us unmoved. There are no tender moments between them for
this turnaround. It's almost like he takes pity on her for being madly in love
with him.
The first half hour has plenty of cute moments between Rishabh and Pari. The two
share a wonderful screen chemistry. Preity Zinta has never looked so pretty
before. She has tackled her character in her usual natural breezy manner. Salman
looks fresh and cute in a romantic role but we would still love him indulging in
a bit of fist fight at least for kicks. He seems unnatural otherwise.
Bhumika is pretty and looks the simple, untouched girl who falls in love for the
first time in her life. But needs to do something about her bad makeup and
costumes. She pales in comparison with Preity's superb screen presence.
Helen as Dhaani's grandmother is screechy. Wish the director had told her to
underplay.
Bobby Darling does provide a few genuine laughs but on the whole humour in this
film seems forced.
Riya Sen looks pretty but is unbearable when she delivers her dialogues. Thank
God she is restricted to just a couple of scenes.
Preity-Salman songs are cute. The rest are okay. The film does not seem to have
any prospects at the box office. Don't be surprised if the audience walks out
midway through the film! It moves at a very sluggish pace.
First day
First show reactions to Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa
By IndiaFM News Bureau, Sep 10th, 2004 - 2000 hrs IST
Current tickets being available on the release
day itself is no good sign for a big release. A Salman Khan starrer guarantees a
strong start, but the response at Liberty cinema is lukewarm.
The thin crowd coming from the theatre does not seem too excited having watched
the Preity-Salman-Bhumika love triangle. We asked whether they liked the film
and whether it was a good entertainer? “It’s strictly okay” came the
reply. “Ridiculous!” was the response from a lady who looked quite miffed
with the film.
The Rahman-Reshammiya music has come in for several brickbats. “Gane bahut
slow hain” replies a guy. “Title track is good, nothing else is worth a
listen” was the response of a collegian. Director Atull Agnihotri will be
host to some rude reactions too. People don’t seem to appreciate his efforts at
direction.
One person who can breathe easy is
Salman Khan. People have unanimously agreed to Khan’s acting prowess. “Salman
has given a fantastic performance and is superb”, a girl chips in. While an
elderly gentleman adds, “Salman has given an emotionally rich performance”.
The Salman-Preity pair has been voted better than Salman-Bhumika. Surprising,
since Khan and Chawla had a good run with Tere Naam. But besides Salman Khan,
the movie doesn’t seem to offer much to the audience looking for wholesome
entertainment.
A low profile release, mediocre music and a stale story. Looks like it’s a
thumbs-down for Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa!
Check out the video: 45 kbps - 80 kbps
By Taran Adarsh, September 10th, 2004 - 1500 hrs IST
When an actor turns director,
the expectations from his film escalate to an all-time high [Atul Agnihotri].
And if the actor turned director has also been an apprentice to someone who
understands the craft so thoroughly [in this case, Pankuj Parashar], you
obviously view the film with a magnifying glass.
Actor Atul Agnihotri makes his directorial debut with DIL NE JISE APNA KAHAA and
the thoughts at the conclusion of the film are mixed.
Laced with romance and emotions, DIL NE JISE APNA KAHAA satisfies [partly] those
who crave for emotional films and tear-jerkers. But there're shortcomings - the
scripting and slow narrative figure prominently on the list!
In a nutshell, DIL NE JISE APNA KAHAA doesn't break any new ground. The
ingredients are blended in such a way that the final concoction, although
familiar, has its moments. But, yes, the outcome could've been superior!
Rishabh [Salman Khan] runs an advertising agency, while Pari [Preity Zinta], his
wife, is a doctor. They seem destined to live happily ever after, but fate
intervenes. Pari meets with a fatal accident and passes away.
Suddenly, Rishabh is all alone. He is devastated. He cannot handle the void in
his life. The four walls that once symbolized their love now become a fortress
of trapped memories for him.
What stops him from being sucked into a whirlpool of depression is but one
slender thread - he has still to fulfill Pari's wish to build a charitable
hospital.
Life takes an unexpected turn when
Rishabh meets Dhani [Bhumika Chawla]. Rishabh and Dhani are drawn to each other.
It is at a later stage that Rishabh learns the truth about Dhani…
Inspired from actress-turned-filmmaker Bonnie Hunt's RETURN TO ME [2000;
starring David Duchovny, Minnie Driver], DIL NE JISE APNA KAHAA could've been an
ideal date movie coupled with an emotional saga.
The starting point of the film is interesting. The sequences between Salman and
Preity are appealing and the terrific chemistry between the two actors makes the
viewer thirst for more. Frankly, the first 30 minutes appeal the most and are
the mainstay of the enterprise.
But with Preity's departure, the narrative starts going downhill. The grip is
surely missing!
The post-interval portions appeal in parts, unlike the first half when the
plusses overpower the minuses. The second half picks up, drops, picks up again
and drops with amazing regularity.
The narrative has one major flaw and the writers [Purnendu Shekhar, Aloke
Upadhyaya] cannot be pardoned for it. The premise of the film stands on the fact
that Salman won't forgive the person who has had the heart transplant. What's
more, Salman voices the fact on several occasions, adding that he'd want to
spend his life with memories of Preity. Even the doctors avoid revealing the
identity of the patient till everything unfolds in the climax.
But when Salman gets to know the truth [in the end], he does a complete
somersault and accepts Bhumika instantaneously. This aspect comes as a complete
jolt and raises one pertinent question. Does Salman accept Bhumika because he
really loves her or because he sympathizes with her, since she's on the
deathbed? This aspect should've been better explained.
The post-interval portions also suffer because of the erratic pace and some
unwanted scenes. The track involving Aasif Sheikh's romance stands out like a
sore thumb. It serves no purpose in moving the story ahead.
Even otherwise, from the writing point of view, the film lacks the meat in the
latter reels. There should've been several impactful sequences between Salman
and Bhumika that the viewer would carry home. The screenplay is clearly
undernourished!
Director Atul Agnihotri's choice of the subject is right and to be fair to him,
he has extracted wonderful performances from at least two actors [Salman, Preity],
but he should've ensured that the writing is of superior quality. The emotional
moments - especially those involving Salman - are the best part of the
enterprise.
The music is again mediocre. Despite topnotch names at the helm of affairs [A.R.
Rahman, Himesh Reshammiya], the tunes are ordinary. 'Mere Sone Sone Yaar - Balle
Balle' and 'Bindiya Chamakne Lagi' are tuneful, but the absence of a
chartbusting score is sorely felt. The background music [Vikey Goswami] is
lackluster. Cinematography [Stephen Fernandes, Kishore Kapadia] is of standard.
DIL NE JISE APNA KAHAA will be most remembered for Salman Khan's genuinely
captivating performance. The actor proves to be an expert tour guide through
this familiar terrain and carries the film on his broad shoulders. His emotional
breakdown sequences are fantastic; it's reassuring the viewer that the actor is
taking a step forward with every film.
Yes, some old-fashioned, archaic-thinkers may argue that heroes don't cry and
seeing the actor break down would disappoint his fans. But that's all crap. It's
time to accept that our heroes are also human!
Preity Zinta is full of life and so endearing. Her scenes with Salman are a
highpoint. Bhumika Chawla is strictly okay. She needs to concentrate on her
outfits and make-up. The film has a number of character actors, but only Rati
Agnihotri and Delnaaz Paul stand out. Riya Sen needs to work hard on her
dialogue delivery and accent.
On the whole, DIL NE JISE APNA KAHAA has its moments, but not enough to have a
lingering effect. At the box-office, there are several factors that go against
it -
* Its slow start at the ticket window would give heartache to its investors.
* There has been an overdose of Salman Khan starrers in the recent past [this
is his fourth release in last two-and-a-half months, after GARV, MUJHSE SHAADI
KAROGI and PHIR MILENGE]. This over-exposure will only prove harmful.
* And most important, the hype associated with a biggie is clearly missing.
Ideally, the film should've been released after a couple of weeks, with added
hype and fanfare.
As things stand today, the film will have to rely solely on word of mouth [from
ladies] to salvage its position on the box-office charts.
Rating:- * *.