Producer: A.M. Rathnam
Director: Kathir
*ing: Sonali Bendre, Kunal
Music: A.R. Rahman

Released on : April 21, 2000

Reviewed by: Anjali Abrol
dilwaliji@indolink.com

out of 
The only movie releasing this week, one would hope that it would be a good one, since there isn't much choice otherwise, but Dil Hi Dil Mein makes you want to stay home and watch old Amitabh movies in reassurance that Bollywood does indeed make good, quality movies. A hit in the South, the remake is a guaranteed flop elsewhere. What is it with South and Bollywood movies? Whenever we try to remake Southern hits, they become flops (e.g. Sooryavansham, though it was an excellent, quality film). Either Bollywood ruins it, the Bollywood audience is just pathetic and can't appreciate quality, or the Southerns are crazy to like their films. Whatever the case, we just can't seem to get it right, and this is no exception.

A remake of 'You've Got Mail', we wish that the original movie was left as is. Sonali and Kunal play the Internet lovebirds who meet in a cybercafe under fake information and even exchange pictures. Fearing rejection, they are afraid to meet, but their love 'blossoms'. Kind of hard to sing and dance via email, but cyberdancing and cyber trees and rain could be the next big thing!

Raja (Kunal) is a sappy pretty (oh wait, and the rich poor thing, so he's the poor one, though he gives Sonali a run for her money with his expensive designer wardrobe and rich style...he has to impress her, you know, in case she can see him through the computer screen..?) boy who snags admission into Ramchandra Institute Management School in Mumbai (financial aid is just so easy to obtain over there). Of course, he snags it with connections (can't get in fair and square, now can we?), a professor/founder of the university there by the name of Professor Ramchandra (Nazeer).

Raja promises to work hard and such, and work hard he does! As talented and intelligent as he is (hence, his need to use his connections), he manages to work hard...chatting. Remember, social skills are important in life. Hence, he exercises his majnu skills and snags a conversation with Roja (Sonali), who is also in the same netcafe. Roja is the daughter of wealthy Ramchandra uncleji himself (hence, she is the rich one of the two halves). She is also the humble one of the two, frequenting trains to travel to school rather than her Mercedes and such. Ramchandra unknowingly helps Raja trap Roja, who is still, again, too shy to approach her. Some love letters also get lost (they are always the very one that provide for the most important info in the movie!). Well, at least when Ramchandra finds out about their love affair, he won't ask when, how, or who it happened with, nor will he ask how the courtship went! And when he does find out....he doesn't take long to ask much of anything...and decide to marry Roja off to someone else (rich guy, of course)...and the computer blows up in their face, as does their cyber-love....and rich and poor take precedence...and we cry for them, we feel pain for them...we wish for them to be together forever...and we fall asleep on them...and wish them the best on their quest to get together so the movie can be over and we can wake up to go home.

Sonali seems to be picking up roles that depict her as semi-stupid (surprise, surprise) and just ditzy...take Dahek, for example, and those conveniently silly mistakes. She does not have much of a challenging role, so she acts her role with ease (dance, cry, sing, dance, cry, sing). Kunal is funny. He is such a pretty boy, those ones who give women a run for their tears...and he looks ages younger than Sonali (but hey, that's the beauty of cyberspace...be who you've always wanted to be, and stay behind that screen!) and reminded me of Inder Kumar (the pretty boy in Baaghi)...young, cutesy, awkward, and little potential to go forward. Johnny Lever provided little real humor and more annoying humor.

I could comment more but I don't want to waste my time or yours. The movie was horribly made and sketchy. Direction was poor and the story and its depiction was ridiculous. Songs were good but cinematography was nothing special. Acting was lame and the movie droned on and on. Dubbing was horrible. Result? Definitely not worth a watch...save yourself the pain. No, not even for Sonali (for those who would actually watch a movie solely for her). As I said...just turn on those old Amitabh movies...may I recommend Do Aur Do Panch? Or how about Namak Halal? Sholay? Or....