DIL CHAHTA HAI

An ode to a 19 year old movie that started the legacy of Goan tourism, an honest portrayal of male friendships and much much more.

---

Dil Chahta Hai lives up to to its hype despite being a whopping 19 years old. To put it simply, its a tale about the friendship of three men, Akash, Sameer and Siddharth and how their paths seemingly split after a brief fight and the circumstances under which all of them unite again. Released in 2001, it was a blockbuster hit ranging from its fresh music, comedy, realism and its celebration of romance, friendship and life. Through the years, it has earned a cult classic in its own right and is touted as the "Coming of the age" movie for the youth, abundantly and richly showcased in its screenplay.

Just a gentle reminder for those who have not watched the movie, please do. It will give you an understanding of this post plus major spoilers ahead. You have been notified.

---

Lets start with how well the movie captures the essence of the millennium. Dil Chahta Hai has established several times how its characters are normal youth or young people of this country, filled with hopes, dreams, aspirations and goals. Be it Siddharth getting admitted to an art camp or Sameer's tryst at Goa or Akash's initial approach to love, the development arcs of each of these characters are wonderful because they are realistic in terms of attainment.

By the end of the movie, we see Akash finding and fighting for his love Shalini, Sameer learning to not shy away for his feelings for Pooja and even Siddharth coming to terms with the myriad nature of relationship with Tara Jaiswal. It is refreshing to see characters building up from their flaws and especially Akash apologizing to Siddharth after the fight they had previously. Often we see male conflicts rising up from various circumstances but very few show how friendship affects the individual. Dil Chahta Hai purposefully conveys the lonely lives these men seem to have lacking each other's company and realizing their mistakes and forgiving each other for it.

(A still from the movie)

The still of this movie are stunning, especially during the trip to Goa, Siddharth painting in his studio, Akash and Shalini's courting and the beautiful portrayal of the troubled architect, Tara Jaiswal. The sheer chemistry simply works well together be it romantically or platonically.

Delving into the seemingly forbidden romance with Siddharth and Tara, the director takes a very sensitive approach to broaching the attraction between both characters. Siddharth's initial fascination with Tara becomes more and more intense over the course of time where he comes to care for her and recognizes his feeling for her. The portrayal of a silent, intense, troubled young man by Akshaye Khanna was simply a big win for Bollywood which conventionally recognizes a variety of male characters typically but not restricted to the stereotyped, "Angry young man", "Hyper overachiever who gets the girl" and even the "Hyper extroverted man with boyish charm". It adds a beautiful contrast to both Akash and Sameer's personality.

(A still from the movie)

Sameer's personality develops from being immature to understanding especially during the times when Akash and Siddharth did not seem to be on talking terms. His arc ranging from a break up in the beginning to the mishap in Goa to finally realizing his feelings for Pooja, Sameer essentially develops notions of what is companionship and a relationship gradually. He adds a quirk element and his prominent leading lady, Pooja is a woman who has her own approach to marriage despite both of them not being forced into marriage but asked to meet and converse as a manner of families getting to know each other. The hilarious inclusion of Pooja's brief courting with Subodh is rib tickling to say the least.

(A still from the movie)

Akash. His development arc is nothing short of a 180 degree shift. From the playful, young man who joyfully traversed through his life to understanding life's realities, Akash got a rather harsh wake up call. His playful nature was what precisely got him in a fix with Siddharth with temporarily disbanded their relationship.

“Mujhe yakeen hai ki main sirf isliye janma hun ki tumse pyaar kar sakun, tum sirf isliye ki ek din meri ban jao.”

This line profoundly impacts the mood of film and shows the contrast of Akash who playfully proposes to his dream girl vs actually meaningfully saying it, while deeply being in love with Shalini. The romance between Akash and Shalini is not necessarily sudden as much as its purely coincidental in their meeting on the flight to Sydney. the courtship is artistically shown through splendid shots of Australia, the opera performance and the metro train scene that establishes the change in their dynamics from friends to perhaps something more. The chemistry is more nuanced and showed more rustically rather than love sick or cringe worthy displays of affection. Akash realizing his feelings for Shalini is a very terrifying realization for a guy who believed in its triviality until the point of awareness.

(A still from the movie)

Last but not the least you absolutely cannot talk about Dil Chahta Hai without raving about its music album produced by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. although "koi kahe kehta rahe", "jaane kyun", "ladki hai kahaan" were pretty fresh music for its times, the song that stood out for me was "Tanhayee", in its gutsy attempt at exhibiting loneliness not just the loss of one's love but also their support system. the lyrics rendered by Sonu Nigam is soulfully sung and instantly conveys the undertones on the movie.

With that, we can safely conclude that Dil Chahta Hai is a vision ahead of its time, a masterpiece in its genre and the attempt to reinvent the portrayal of young India.

To end this on a fun note, the most relatable line would be,

“Hum cake ke liye kahin bhi ja sakte hai.”