Haal-e-dil

I like to start my review with good points about a film but it is a little difficult for me to find out anything good about this film except for beautiful shots of Laddak.

Now why the film didn’t work for me.

*     In the second song “Raani mere khwaboin ki…” Shekhar sees Sanjana, he has never met her and she is not even his type of girl, why will he see her? This is the moment when as an audience I start to loose confidence in the film. Because the film is not about deja-vu and still there is this person who is seeing someone as his ideal mate whom he has not even met. From this point I know that the film is trying to sell me something which I don’t want to buy and as an audience I become defensive.

*     The love story between Shekhar and Sanjana doesn’t work for me at all. This boy claims that he has fallen in love with her for the first time, but why? There is nothing so great about her, she is not outstandingly beautiful or caring or loving. In short I have not seen any aspect of her that makes her lovable for me so far and I am forced to believe that a guy is falling heads over heel in love with her, why?

*     The scene where Rohit dies doesn’t work at all. It’s an important moment in the film. The audience was not expecting Rohit to be dead, especially when she talks with Rohit all the time on phone (by the way hardly anyone got it that her brother’s name is also Rohit and she talks to him). People think that she is in love with Rohit and they come to know that he is already dead, moreover Rohit didn’t want to die, he just wants to threaten his father with this suicide attempt and he dies accidentally. This is very painful. But it came in very flat, matter of fact way.

*     The last seven days when Shekhar stands in front of Sanjana’s house without eating or drinking anything came and went without leaving any emotional response because even when he has not eaten anything for days the character is very healthy and happy. Only in last day he shows some sign of decline but that too is very normal, it’s more because of cold and not because of hunger and thirst. A person will not be able to get up if he actually will not eat for so long, but he is quite healthy. So I know as an audience that it is fake.

*     All the three main characters are rather weak and unbelievable. Sanjana is either angry or irritable all the time. I don’t know anything about her as a person outside these false and superficial relationships that she has with Rohit and Shekhar. Rohit sees Sanjana and falls in love with her, I don’t know anything about him also except he loves her. Shekhar is the weakest character. Nothing that he does in the film seems to have any genuine motivation, and thought the film tries to prove me how he helps beggars and a Benagali Aunty, I don’t see how this person who is not even capable of taking care of his own life and finance will be able to support another person. Why he loves Sanjana, if you ask me, I don’t think I will have a reason.

Overall the film doesn’t work for me.