Best hindi love story ever...

Hum dil de chuke sanam (1999)

I've been dying to write a review for this film, for this is one of the most magical yet ironical love stories that I've seen. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a man of art, a master at peaking your emotions and then crash / burn. (Bollywood's Baz Luhrman!) I love every movie that he's made (Khamoshi, Black, Devdas) except probably, Saawariya. I don't care what people would say about him and his films, I would never stop watching them. Its the sort of unconditional love, like that for Shah Rukh Khan.

The person who loves you and the one you love are probably not the same person. Nandini who falls in love with Sameer in small town Gujrat and Vanraj, who falls in love with Nandini - his wife. The film potrays the dual nature of true love. The initial exciting, obsessive, all-over-each-other phase which is so beautiful and poetic, but never lasts. And the later part, the true, non-glamorous, all accepting, all forgiving, almost unrealistic kinds. This is a story of a woman who is fortunate enough to find both these forms of true love, only from two different men. What does she accept is what the ending of this epic romance is all about.

My favourite character in the movie is Nandini's grandmother who has the wisest cracks. That scene where she is telling the two lovers about her story, under the starlit sky, is almost poetry in motion. Also, Vanraj is one of the best written characters in recent times. His conviction, honesty and bravery is commendable, and Ajay Devgan fits the bill perfectly. The scene of Vanraj and his father is one of the cornerstones of the film.

The shooting of the movie also saw its lead pair Salman and Aishwarya hooking up. But life isn't a movie (Why do people say that?) They broke up, with a lot of anger, might I add. Aishwarya is now happily married to Abhishek while Salman is still looking for look alikes.

Everything about the movie has already been raved about. The brilliant characterization, the stunning art direction, the immaculate beauty of Aishwarya, the honest performance of Ajay and lastly, the music which forms the soul of the film.

One of the best romantic films of all times.

Rate - 4.5/5

How many times does Sameer throw the honey off Nandini's hand? Five.