Movie Review: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Thanks to YouTube, I've fallen in love with Indian cinema.

Before user-shared media, my exposure to Indian film was limited to campus film festivals, the occasional PBS documentary, and world music compilations. The history and complexity of the music and customs of India always interested me. Then one day I entered "Asha Bhosle" (a name I gleaned from one of my CDs and one of Bollywood's most famous playback singers) into the YouTube search engine and wow--clip after fantastic clip appeared. I watched--and watched--and couldn't get enough.

What makes Indian film in all its varieties so engaging, whether Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood, or arthouse lies in the way these films blend classical poetry, references from the great epics, folk customs, dance, costume design based on traditional clothing, and eye-popping color. And on top of that mix, Indian films have heart.

Bollywood, the movies made in Mumbai, has been moving slowly into the Western mainstream, in part due to joint ventures like Bride and Predjudice and the international stardom of actress Aishwarya Rai, the female lead in today's review of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (translated for Englishs-speaking audiences as Straight From the Heart). Although Bride and Predjudice is often recommended as an intro to the Bollywood sensiblity, I feel Straight from the Heart is a better choice.

The basics: Nandini (Rai) is the daughter of a well-known classical music scholar. Sameer(Salman Khan) arrives from Italy to study with the professor and flirts with Nandini who, reserved at first, then responds. However, her parents prefer another suitor: the level-headed, quiet lawyer Vanraj (Ajay Devgan) and her father puts the kibosh on her budding romance with Sameer. What follows is a classic love triangle story in which Nandini must choose between the high-spirited and passionate Sameer and the sober and responsible Vanraj. Her quest leads to a journey to Italy to reuinite with Sameer and determine which love is best for her.

At three hours, Straight from the Heart is a glossy trip into the beautiful scenery and architecture of Rajathsan and through Nandini's emotional journey. It has that "rainy Saturday afternoon" kind of feeling which makes you want to curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and let the story take you on a cathartic journey. Rai does excellent work illustrating Nandini's maturation, Khan is exuberant and boyish as Sameer, and Devgan shines as the generous, patient Vanraj.

Also of interest is the appearance of Helen, the actress who plays 's mother. Helen was a Bollywood dancer star in the 1960s and the subject of an interesting Merchant-Ivory documentary, Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls. Good to see the filmmakers honoring her and Bollywood history with this cameo role. And in her mid-60s, she's still graceful, which makes me want to get back to yoga class.

There are parts of the movie that are uneven, including some abrupt switches from comedy to drama and the use of Budapest for the scenes set in Rome (I guess it was more affordable to film there). Still, no big matter in light of an otherwise magical mix. Straight From the Heart is a great introduction to Bollywood: colorful, fun, and sweet with a Broadway meets Bollywood exuberance.

The movie also generated the hit song, "Nimbooda," during Nandini performs a dance to the song at a wedding and captures the attention of Vanraj (w/English subtitles).