The movie... ... revolves around Saahil(Emraan) who runs a travel agency in London with his friend(Paresh Ganatara). The two con their clients to make extra cash as Saahil needs money desprately for her mothers treatment who is sick in hospital.
Neha(Geeta Basra) comes on vacation with her family and books Saahils travel agency to be guide them around London. When Neha misses the train to Scotland with her family, Saahil reluctantly takes her by car to Scotland. During their journey Neha falls in love with Saahil, and Saahil too has fallen in love with Neha though he’s in denial. After dropping Neha off in Scotland he receives a phonecall that his mothers condition has worsened and that she needs her operation urgently.A desperate Saahil tries to gamble for the money but loses there as well. Now comes a twist-a local pimp had once made Saahil an offer to kidnap girls and sell them to him for which he will be paid a handsome figure, but Saahil at that time got angered by the idea. Completely trapped by circumstances and in a moment of madness and desperation he strikes a deal to sell Neha off to the man in exchange for the cash. The pimp works for Kunaal(Ashmit Patel).
Kunaal is the owner of one of the biggest red light districts and sex clubs in London. A psychotic gangster who is also involved with drugs and contract killing, a ruthless man with no redeeming qualities. However one look at Neha and he melts….instead of selling her off he falls for her and wants to marry her.
Saahil in the meantime realises that he is completely in love with Neha and also what a huge sin he has committed and decides to bring Neha back….what happens next? Watch DIL DIYA HAI to find out.
The story of the movie is unique to an extent. The movie starts off as a routine love story yet just as the viewer starts to get comfortable the story takes a turn for the better and from there on the movie picks up pace right to the very end. The movie touches upon ideas seen before in films like SADAK and KALYUG however this isn’t the core of the movie unlike those films. The screenplay in the movie on the other hand is filled with loopholes-some which glaringly stand out and others which are downright laughable. The biggest I had with the movie was Ashmits change in heart. WHY does Ashmit all of a sudden fall in love with Neha? Also what prompts him to marry her? The character is so poorly developed that one doesn’t quiet understand where he is coming from when he has a change of heart and that definetly is a minus point in the movie.
As a director Aditya Datt matures from his first film as a director. No doubt the director is technically very capable and has made one very slick movie. The film starts out as a Yash Chopra-esque love story with the couple getting to know each other and love story blossoming however the second half takes a rapid turn as the movie turns into Sanjay Gupta meets Mohit Suris KALYUG in a fast paced action thriller with Londons underground sex clubs as its backdrop. Datt handles the romantic portions in the first half really well allowing the characters to grow on the audience and for the love story to develop story, there is a definite “nice” feeling about the love story. The “twist” in the movie comes rather sudden and doesn’t really give the viewer time to digest it. From here on in the movie moves at a breakneck pace. Its evident that Datt isn’t really making anything more than a masala film in Hollywood style ala Sanjay Gupta. The character of Ashmit Patel, his entire hangout etc all seem saturated in style. The use of words like “fuck” and “bitch” occur frequently to my surprise, and these seem like mere gimmicks rather than adding any value to the character who is as hollow as bamboo. In saying that there Datt has his fingers on the audiences pulse in a number of sequences which in turns makes the movie WORK for the most. Given the unique story idea, its interesting to watch the sequence of events unfold. Despite the fact you know the ending there are a number of scenes which keep the movie alive right upto the end without running out of steam. However the songs in the movie act like a speedbreaker and few of the songs could definetly have been chopped. The title track comes right after another song and is placed at the most inappropriate time. Mr.Datt….good try given that its your second film but please concentrate more on your screenplay and ALL your characterisations next time round.
The performances in the movie are a winner for the most!
Emraan Hashmi delivers his most confident performance to date. He was really good in GANGSTER, and he is simply great here. This is no doubt his most restrained, mature and sober performance to date and Emraan delivers a nuances performance exuding confidence. From the romantic scenes, through to the dramatic scenes an action scenes he is on a roll and he gives a performance which relies him to speak with his eyes which he succeeds in. There is also a marked improvement in his delivery. I found him particularly inconsistent in other films like AKSAR and THE KILLER,which isn’t the case with DIL DIYA HAI. It seems like the boy is finally taking himself seriously which is great to see…and to top it off…there isn’t single kissing scene here by Emraan-WHOA!
On a sidenote, I’ve been a fan of Emraan from the first time I’ve seen him in FOOTPATH. He possesses a rare “tapori” esque magnetic charm and a unusual amount of confidence which works really well in his favour. No doubt he was typecast for a while in the “serial” kisser roles but its been heartening to see him make a conscious effort in GANGSTER and now in DIL DIYA HAI to break away from that mould. No doubt Emraan is never going to be as big as the biggies, however I think the boy has a rare amount of MASS APPEAL which isn’t seen by many actors today and can play to the gallery perfectly at times in the right role which is why his films are rarely outright flops(though of late he hasn’t had a good streak with THE KILLER and DIL DIYA HAI) His characters are always troubled and never clean cut which make them all the more appealing. Right from his turn as a gangster in FOOTPATH, to a psychotic in MURDER to a mean cop in GANGSTER to now DIL DIYA HAI as a man who sells the girl he loves for money. I certainly hope Emraan continues down this path with future films as I see him sticking around if his choices are right..
If there is another performance that simply rocks in DIL DIYA HAI it’s Mithun Chakraborthy. An 80’s action hero icon…a tremendous actor…and again an actor who can play perfectly to the gallery in masala mould as well as delivering some brilliant performances on the acting front. The man is a genius in my books and he’s another one I’ve had a soft spot for. Since Mithun announced his “comeback” of sorts and stopped working in the B-Grade T.L.V Prasad directed films I’ve been waiting for a movie that taps into Mithuns iconic legacy perfectly…someone who can still bring out his larger than life persona in a action packed role and ultimately does justice to his talent and starpower. When Vikram Bhatts announced his SHOLAY inspired ELAAN with Mithun as the main villan I was amped-however the movie turned out to be a huge disappointment. Mithuns acting was good, however the climax was a huge letdown from a Mithun fans point of view. Films like CLASSIC-DANCE OF LOVE, CHINGAARI and SUNZARRA all released which again were films that didn’t do Mithun any good. I liked his performance in LUCKY, however it was an performance which had potential for SO MUCH MORE to be a completely massy authorbacked character however the directors didn’t pitch this well at all in my view. In DIL DIYA HAI, Mithun gets a character that does the mans iconic stature some justice. His character isn’t necessarily that great, but it pretty much summarises all the reason why Mithun is so loved. A performance with a heart and also one that packs a punch. Heck, the scene where Kitu tells Mithun he is allowed to fight again I wanted to see some KICK ASS, KUNG FU STYLE ACTION as well as some hardcore machine gun style dhamaka like the old Mithun…he does some action, but I still felt there was room for more(I’m just a nut). Don’t get me wrong folks, this isn’t exactly an award winning performance however seeing Mithun punch, kick as well as sing and dance was a real pleasure. He plays the character of Ronnie really well and makes up for some of the best scenes in the movie. His delivery and screen presence are powerful and he’s looking really good too. FINGERS CROSSED that Mithun follows this up with another knockout performance in Mani Rathnams GURU.
Geeta Basra makes a pretty good debut. This girl is simply STUNNING. I mean it folks, she is drop dead GORGEOUS with a beautiful face, killer smile and a delicious body(YUM YUM YUM). From some angles she did remind me of Bipasha Basu. I found her pretty good in the romantic sequence and dramatic sequence and didn’t go overboard. Her delivery was decent, as was her voice modulation and facial expressions. With the right roles she can definetly come up. Furthermore her chemistry with Emraan is good too and she has a good screen aura.
This brings us to Ashmit Patel. If there is one dork I cannot stand after Uday Chopra its Ashmit Patel. The boy is simply talentless and absolutely horrific as far as acting goes. Granted that he has a pathetically etched character here and given that he is playing a villan he does evoke hatred-however its not due to his performance but more the fact the guy is so downright annoying. Monotone delivery and deadpan facial expressions he simply SUCKS. He’s a cross between Nirmal Panday and Arbaaz Khan and I just can’t see how this guy is getting more movies? He has only been a part of one HIT so far with MURDER and countless flops yet he is still starring in more than 5 upcoming films? UGH!
The supporting cast are good in their parts. Kitu Gidwani as Mithuns love interest plays her part well. Paresh Ganatara tries to hard and needs to go easy. Udita Goswami sizzles in her song at the start of the movie though the strippers in the background are hotter.
Technically the movie is a SLICK product. Flashy visuals, slick camera movements and vibrant colours which are all remeniscient of Sanjay Guptas techno wizadry in parts. The locales of London have been expertly captured.
Himesh Reshammiyas mu sic good-however as I mentioned before the songs need to be placed better. The AFSANA BANAKE BHOOL NA JAANA is well picturised and catchy on the ears. MILE HO TUM and JABSE AANKH LADI are also nice. The title track is good-however I felt conned that it was picturised in Ashmit, and was placed at the worst possible place! The remix in the end credits is much better.
All up DIL DIYA HAI isn’t a great movie at all, it’s laden with loops in the screenplay however the movie does succeed in being timepass entertainment mainly due to Mithun, Emraan and Geeta Basras OH SO SEXY curves..paisa vasool..just!
Final Rating: * * * ¼
