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Dil Diya Hai
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'Dil Diya Hai' Could’ve been better

By Nikhil Kumar
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

In his second movie ‘Dil Diya Hai’, director Aditya Datt shows notable improvement from his lackluster debut ‘Aashiq Banaya Apne’. But he still leaves a lot to be desired.

What works in the movie’s favour is its plot, which, though not without holes, is still different and refreshing enough to make you sit through the entire length of the movie. What doesn’t work is some out-of-place songs and the obvious stereotypes that give the movie a rather tepid flavour.

One

more thing! Emraan Hashmi is becoming too predictable in his roles. Kiss or no kiss, Emraan acts and emotes no differently from his past movies. Even his styling (the stubble, the outfits) is the same in ‘Dil Diya Hai’.

The film stars Emraan, newcomer Geeta Basra, Ashmit Patel and Mithun Chakraborty in main roles.

Emraan plays Saahil, a tour guide working in the UK. Apart from taking the tourists on a sightseeing tour of London, he sometimes dupes them of their money. He does this because he needs money for the treatment of his ailing mother.

Enters Neha (Geeta Basra), a simple, Punjabi girl who comes to UK along with her family. Saahil tries to con Neha too, but she forgives him. The two spend some special moments together. Then, Neha is left stranded in London after she misses a train to Scotland taken by her parents.

She urges Saahil to drive her to Scotland. Reluctantly, he agrees. As the two set forth on their journey, Neha is drawn towards Saahil but he maintains his distance because his mother’s illness is foremost on his mind.

And then, Saahil comes to know that his mother’s condition has deteriorated and he needs big money urgently. He tries to gamble but luck fails him. Then he takes a desperate step. He sells Neha to a pimp.

Kunaal (Ashmit Patel) is the brothel owner who buys Neha. Surprisingly, although Kunaal has dealt enough in flesh trade to become insensitive, Neha manages to stir emotions inside him. Kunaal finds himself falling in love with her.

On the other hand, Saahil regrets his action and returns to take Neha back. That is when the two men clash. In this fight, Kunaal has all his army of goons while Saahil has the support of Ronnie (Mithun Chakraborty).

‘Dil Diya Hai’ begins like any other love story, with the hero and heroine painting the foreign town red. There are shades of one-sided romance where the hero is bound by some obligation not to let his heart take over his mind. There are moments of intimacy left unconsummated. As the movie draws close to intermission, there comes a twist. The hero betrays the woman who loves him. In a way, it is here the story actually takes off.

The second half steers the movie to a different level (not necessarily a higher one). There are tense, dramatic moments as the two men clash over the woman they both love. Who triumphs in the end is predictable.

Geeta Basra makes a noticeable debut. Apart from her good looks, the girl also handles her first acting assignment with confidence. Her acting potential comes through in her sequences after she realizes that she has been betrayed.

Emraan Hashmi, as mentioned before, offers nothing new. Ashmit Patel does show some flashes of good acting. It is Mithun Da who stands out with his restrained, polished performance. However, the song picturized on Mithun is completely unwarranted and stands out like a sore thumb.

The music by Himesh Reshammiya is not at par with his usual standard. The cinematography by Attar Singh Saini is plain average.

On the whole, ‘Dil Diya Hai’ is watchable solely because of its plot. Had the director etched a different character for Emraan (or had Emraan played his character differently) and had the script been more taught, the movie would have turned out to be something to reckon with.

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