Dil Toh Pagal Hai
DIL TOH PAGAL HAI [1997]
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor
Direction by Yash Chopra & Screenplay by Aditya Chopra
Language: Hindi
I often hear my parents talk of the ‘good old days of Bollywood’, also known as the Bollywood of the 1980s and 90s. I found myself wondering what that old Bollywood looked like, before Shah Rukh Khan sold out for the cash (you can tell how I feel about his recent projects), and when Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor were the two ladies ruling Indian cinema. I will tell you this much: I was not disappointed.
What made this movie so different to other Bollywood films at the time was the subject matter: although the movie was an almost typical love story, the fact that it was set with the backdrop of dance and music made it more interesting to watch. For once, it wasn’t only family drama that dictated the story, but it was dancing that did.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. In most cases, Shah Rukh Khan is not written well. This movie was no exception. Why does he play the same character in 95% of the movies that he’s in? It’s exhausting to watch. As is the case in most of his movies, he starts off as somebody who you would never think could fall in love. Predictably, the movie ends in a huge, dramatic climax where he finally understands his capacity for love. Seriously, Aditya Chopra, expand your horizons a little bit. At first, I really enjoyed the storyline. Thinking about it critically, however, I like it less and less. It was only recently that I realised how one dimensional Shah Rukh Khan is. If actors like him are the future of Bollywood cinema, the industry is in serious trouble.
Dixit and Kapoor, however, performed pretty well. It was unfortunate, however, that their characters were written to conform to traditional stereotypes of women in Bollywood. Both of their characters were written to be reliant on both love and a man’s approval, which, to a more modern audience, is nothing short of concerning. Although the writing of the characters was awful, they were able to live up to the expectations of their roles.
There’s one thing that basically saved the film, though. That was the music. At least I can always count on Bollywood music to compensate for underwhelming performances and predictable storylines.
I have to admit that I am pretty biassed. Having watched movies with storylines similar to this for my whole life, storylines which are completely lacking objectively are familiar and fun. If you have not been exposed to Bollywood for a lengthy period of time, I would not recommend this film. If you have, it is pretty much gold standard compared to the other films popular at the time.
Overall, whilst the writing of the characters was pretty bad, the main storyline surrounding dance and music was pretty fun to watch for me, and therefore I would give this film a 7/10.
