Akash, Sid, Sameer..who would you... Review on Dil Chahta Hai

Akash, Sid, or Sameer….who would you…. …..

PICK? Every urban Indian girl/woman between the ages of 13 and 50 was asking herself and her friends that question after having watched “Dil Chahta Hai”, the hip, coming of age movie about three friends. Just watched Dil Chahta Hai for the umpteenth time this weekend, and still had difficulty answering that question…….they are ALL so identifiable, cool, and attractive…Here’s why I think so….

AKASH (Aamir Khan) “Uncle Sam, yeh Akash ka jadoo hai, kabhi fail nahin hota!”

Blessed with a privileged background and a king size ego, Akash comes across as brash and arrogant……yet, he is loyal and protective of his friends, and has that elusive confidence that translates into “completely irresistible” to a woman…be it proposing to a girl he has met for the first time (in front of a large audience), or asking a much older woman to dance in a restaurant to the tunes if “Eena, meena, deeka”. Yes, he is cynical, has difficulty committing to a woman, not always sensitive to his friends, but when he finally falls in love with Shalini (Preity Zinta), he is passionate and single minded. Oh, and that cheeky sense of humour…what more could a woman ask for!

Most memorable Akash moment: Akash glaring at the Aussie hobo who is lurching threateningly towards his girl, and hugging him affectionately the next moment!

SID (Akshaye Khanna) “Pyaar soch samajh ke nahin hota”

Siddhartha (Sid), a sensitive, introverted artist who lives with, and is greatly influenced by, his successful mother (Suhasini Mullay). He is wonderfully considerate of all the people in his life, be it his friends, his mother, or Tara (Dimple Kapadia), the troubled, alcoholic, older woman he is in love with. Unlike most young men his age, he believes in unconditional love, love without any expectations.

Most memorable Sid moment: Sid strolling along a Goa beach, coming across Deepa (a girl who is rather one-sidedly in love with Akash) crying, helping her through a tough situation.

SAMEER (Saif Ali Khan) “In baton mein meri samajh kuch kam hi hai”

The most “light weight” of the three friends, somewhat superficial and “dumb”, but blessed with an easy going and easy to get along with temperament. Sameer has that elusive quality of being able to laugh at himself, and not mind being laughed at. He is perhaps the glue that holds the three friends together. Sam falls in love easily and seems to fall out of love just as easily…ultimately managing to fall in love with Puja (Sonali Kulkarni) and “settling down”.

Most memorable Sameer moment: Sameer sitting sulkily in his room, on his cushion, telling his laughing, unsympathetic friends about how he was robbed by his not so Swiss girlfriend!

Dil Chahta Hai is one of the most addictive movies I’ve ever watched….not just because of the three cool guys, and the very funny and real male-bonding thing they had going, but also because it is a very honest depiction of a certain segment of the urban Indian youth. Contemporary India has so many different facets. While a lot of movies attempt to depict the hip, urban India, very few movies succeed. Dil Chahta Hai comes up trumps in this aspect. Faran Akhtar (the director), creates very strong, identifiable characters in Akash, Sid, and Sameer, as well in the supporting cast. The characters are not larger than life and don’t perform a single “heroic” feat in the movie…they are ordinary yet privileged young men and women who don’t face challenges greater than heartache and loneliness. Having said that, THAT is why I could identify with them so much!

The casting is superb and inspired. The only person who I thought was somewhat miscast is Sonali Kulkarni…somehow did not fit the character she was playing and did not seem to have a lot of chemistry with Saif. A lot has been said about the great music,”and the chic, stylish “look” of all the characters, so I wont add to that. I’m still struggling with the question… in a hypothetical, ideal Dil Chahta Hai world, which guy would I pick…girls reading this review, who’ve watched this movie…who would you pick??? Comments, as always, are GREATLY appreciated, and always responded to!