Producer :Xavier Marquis
Director : Priyadarshan
*ing: Akshaye Khanna, Introducing Jyotika, Anupam Kher, Moushami
Chatterjee, Aruna Irani, Paresh Rawal
Music: A.R. Rahman
Released on : November 27, 1998
Reviewed by: Anish Khanna
anish@indolink.com
 out of 
 Priyadarshan..... If there's anybody in Bollywood who
has a foothold and needs to secure his very own spot, it's this director. Sure, he has
given us incredible films such as "Virasat"
and "Gardish", but how can one forget "Saat Rang
Ke Sapne" and "Kabhi Na Kabhi".
How can one forget? Well, they can watch his latest - "Doli
Saja Ke Rakhna". The director has used his
trademark treatment and cinematography to bring forth a love story that is simple, sweet,
and yet very thought-provoking. If you liked "Kareeb",
here is a film in the same genre that might just go one step beyond.
The film starts as a simple love story. Boy meets girl and it is love at
first site. The kabab mein haddi comes in the form of the girl's three brothers
and strict mother as well as the boy's parents. So what rebellious anti-parental move can
they take? Of course - elopement! The two hide in a fisherman's village and decide to get
married, when the plot takes a drastic turn. The two finally decide that they love their
respective families a bit too much, elopement isn't such a good idea after all, and
breaking up is the only answer. They decide to forget each other and go on with their
respective lives. Are the families happy with this decision? The intelligent finale of the
film reveals all!
 Akshaye
Khanna and Jyotika
Sadanah make a very good pair. Akshaye might just
have his first solo hit on his hand, and child-woman-like Jyotika makes as impressive a
debut as Neha and Mahima have in the past. The roles seem to fit the actors like a glove!
Supporting performances by Moushami Chattarjee, Anupam Kher (as Akshaye's parents), Aruna Irani (playing Jyotika's mother), and Paresh
Rawal (as the eldest of Jyotika's brothers) are
excellent. The three young actors who play Akshaye's friends also make their presence
known. However, it is Amrish Puri as the fisherman father of Akshaye's friends who steals a generous
portion of the show. The man knows how to command the screen, and it is again great to see
him in a positive role.
The direction and cinematography of the film are great and typical of
Priyadarshan. The picturization of the songs (Saroj Khan, Farha Khan et al...) is also
brilliant - especially "Tara Rum Pum" and the "Kissa
Hum Likhenge" number! A.R. Rehman's music, though ear-catching on its
own, comes to life on screen in a way atypical of most Bollywood composers.
A bit too much time is devoted to the actual love story, with a bit less
time than I would prefer left for the "twist" and the actual meat of the film.
The few dramatic scenes between Jyotika and Akshaye, however, are endowed with a realism
lacking to a large degree in most of our films. The script is still novel and makes one
realize that love is about more than just blindness. There is room for reason and thought.
Even for the families of the lovers involved, rational judgement can sometimes lead the
way to an answer.
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