Dil Wil Pyar Vyar (2002)
Cast: Madhvan, Namrata Shirodkar, Jimmy Shergill, Sanjay Suri, Sonali Kulkarni
Director: Anand Mahadevan
Music Director: songs of R.D Burman
Synopsis: film strung around the songs of R. D Burman is a novel idea if nothing else
Reviewed by: Faiz Khan

 

 

The film stems from a tribute to R.D. Burman, taking some of his greatest songs and weaving a story around them. R.D. Burman was a musical genius, decades ahead of his time, and Mahadevan has wisely selected a number of his finest compositions—Naam Gum Jayega, Tere Bina Zindagi Se, Kya Jaanoo Sajan, O Haseena Zulfonwali, Kehna Hai and Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai, to name but a few.

Sadly, all of them have been remixed and re-recorded.

As enjoyable as they are, these new versions inevitably fall short of the originals immortalised by Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Even so, the concept itself is an appealing one.

Mahadevan constructs his story around four interconnected couples.

There are Krish and Raksha (R. Madhavan and Namrata Shirodkar), aspiring singers whose marriage begins to unravel when Raksha's career takes off while Krish is left languishing in her shadow—a situation strongly reminiscent of Abhimaan.

Then there are Hrithik and Jojo (Jimmy Shergill and Hrishitaa Bhatt). Hrithik is the lazy, good-for-nothing son of a wealthy businessman who falls in love with a Christian girl from a modest background, only to discover that she expects him to stand on his own two feet before committing herself to him.

The third story concerns Dev and Gauri (Sanjay Suri and Sonali Kulkarni). Dev is a widower caring for his younger sister, while Gauri lives with her catatonic brother, who has never recovered from the tragic accident that claimed the life of his girlfriend.

All of the characters are connected in one way or another, and their individual stories gradually converge in the closing stages. Krish struggles to prove both to himself and to his wife that he is capable of succeeding on his own merits. Hrithik must convince Jojo that he can become responsible and independent, while Dev desperately searches for the money needed to take Gauri's brother to America for treatment.

The plot itself is fairly lightweight, but the film is put together with considerable charm. Although the songs appear frequently, it is a genuine pleasure to revisit these timeless melodies, even in their updated form. There is an undeniable freshness about the film, and one can't help wishing Mahadevan had explored his characters in greater depth rather than settling for such a breezy treatment.

The influence of Dil Chahta Hai is unmistakable, although this film lacks the confidence, energy and emotional depth of Farhan Akhtar's landmark debut. Nevertheless, it possesses a warmth and sincerity that are becoming increasingly rare in contemporary Hindi cinema.

Mahadevan has succeeded in making an engaging, likeable little film.

R. Madhavan, having shed a considerable amount of weight, gives a thoroughly believable performance as Krish. Namrata Shirodkar is excellent, underplaying the role beautifully while conveying both strength and vulnerability. It is probably her finest performance to date.

Sanjay Suri is equally impressive in a smaller role, delivering the sort of understated performance that allows the actor to disappear completely into the character. Jimmy Shergill is suitably boisterous, perfectly matching the demands of his role, while Sonali Kulkarni and Hrishitaa Bhatt both make strong impressions despite comparatively limited screen time.

The music, naturally, remains the film's greatest asset.

Some of the selections are perhaps curious. Wonderful though O Hansini and Kya Jaanoo Sajan undoubtedly are, neither would rank amongst R.D. Burman's very greatest compositions. Then again, no single film could possibly accommodate all of his classics.

One final observation.

Given that this is intended as a tribute to R.D. Burman, it seems rather odd that the title of the film was borrowed from the Laxmikant-Pyarelal score for Shagird. Surely an R.D. Burman title would have been a more fitting tribute.

Still, a commendable effort.