Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

The trio of films in which Aishwarya matured under Sanjay Leela Bhansali's guidance is unique in her professional journey to the limelight. While Straight from the Heart is a riveting audiovisual spectacle, and the individual music videos and interludes are fairytale-like, almost magical even, and they very naturally overwhelm your senses, I can't shake the impression that underneath all the splendor it's just another representative film promoting the status of arranged marriages. I find this ending a bit more disappointing than the pervasive absurdity of filming the Italian chapter in Hungary with Hungarian realities and extras. On the other hand, there are many partial positives in the film that are so strong that it’s impossible to ignore them. Nandini is Aishwarya’s first outstanding role, in which she experiences the entire crucial turning point from a feisty teenage girl to a mature young woman. Salman's performance is often a comic performance set outside of time and space, but something authentic can also be found in it. However, Ajay is so bland that anyone else could play his role. Fortunately, he encountered Aishwarya once more, and in Raincoat, he made up for his performance in this film. (30.04.2010)