Dil se

 Dil Se (1998)

A Film by Mani Ratnam

The third installment of Mani Ratnam's thematic trilogy, which explores love in the time of political turmoil, is an example of parallel cinema. It was the year when Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was released and became a commercial success. Though Shah Rukh Khan's character in Dil Se is similar to many of his roles, the film itself was different from what he was signing during those days.

Amarkant Verma, a program executive at All India Radio, visits Assam to gather people's opinions on development in the state, fifty years after independence. The very first scene begins with a heavy storm, where we see Amar in a red jacket and Moina at a distance, covered in a black shawl. Amar is transparent—what we see is what he is—but Moina hides her childhood trauma within her. When she leaves the station, Amar remarks that it is "the shortest love story in the world." But we know there is more to come.

Dil Se captures the seven shades of love as defined in ancient Arabic literature: attraction, infatuation, love, reverence, worship, obsession, and death. In the first song, we see Amar dancing to Chaiyya Chaiyya. *"Jinke sar ho ishq ki chaaon, paaon ke neeche jannat hogi"—*those under the shade of love must have paradise under their feet. He is euphoric, dancing recklessly atop a moving train. "Voh yaar hai jo khushboo ki tarah, voh jiski zubaan Urdu ki tarah, meri shaam raat, meri kaayanat, voh yaar mera sainya sainya." Amar is drawn to the mysterious woman, much like how most of us don't understand Urdu but are captivated by its beauty.

His boss warns him, “We are radio journalists, not the press. There’s no need to be sensational. Amar, they are dangerous,” to which Amar insists that it's his duty. He says they belong to the same country, but they are angry, and everyone should know why. He ventures deep into the jungle to meet an insurgent leader.

When Amar asks the leader to speak in Hindi, he replies, "You refuse to speak my language, and you expect me to speak yours?" This exchange highlights the Hindi-versus-regional-language divide, the us-versus-them mentality, and the State-versus-Centre conflict. The leader further states, "You think Delhi is India."

Moina refuses to acknowledge Amar and insists, "I am not the girl you think I am." Yet, he clings to his fantasy of rescuing her like a hero.

The beautifully shot title track begins, with Amar fantasizing about saving Moina and running with her. The lyrics start: "Bandhan hai rishton mein, kaanton ki taarein hain." We see Moina behind a blurred glass while Amar wipes away the water droplets to get a clearer view of her. He is curious. We see Amar playing with children, followed by the same children running away with their school bags. In one shot, Amar sings, oblivious to the fire at the end of the bridge. Amar is India.

When their bus breaks down in Leh and they find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere, Moina allows herself to forget—for the first and perhaps the only time. She forgets her oppressed people, her childhood, her cause, and her scarred soul. At this moment, all she sees is this obsessed man who treats her not as a rebel, a soldier, or a victim, but simply as a woman. She imagines a life married to Amar, eight children who resemble her. She envisions the life she could have had.

"Chalo yahaan se, toofaan tez hone wala hai."

The film drops hints from the very beginning. The first image is of a barbed wire. When Amar asks Moina why she won’t marry him, she says she doesn’t have time. She isn’t busy—she simply doesn’t have much time left. Or in the very first scene, when Amar jokingly tells Moina that there is a bomb in his suitcase and that it will explode if she moves, she gives a sly smile. We know it’s never the same movie upon rewatching—we see what’s coming.

Satrangi Re, the song of seven colors, visually represents the seven stages of love. Gulzar weaves these stages into his lyrics:

Hub (attraction), Uns (infatuation), Ishq (love), Akidat (reverence), Ibadat (worship), Junoon (madness/obsession), and finally, Maut (death).

This sequence, with its use of colors, lyrics, and cinematography, feels like a complete film in itself. It ends with:

"Mujhe maut ki god mein sone de,

Teri rooh mein jism dubone de."

Let me sleep in the lap of death, let me immerse my body into your soul. We see Amar lying on Moina's lap, as if he is dying. Both are dressed in white—the color of peace.

Back in Delhi, Amar is at his radio station, playing "Aye ajnabi tu bhi kabhi, awaaz de kahin se," still hoping for Moina to return. "Main yahan tukdon mein jee raha hoon, tu kahin tukdon mein jee rahi hai." They are both living in fragments rather than as a whole. Once again, this foreshadows the ending, where they are literally blown into pieces—perhaps also symbolizing a fragmented nation.

Amar is now set to marry Preeti. She is even more naïve than he is. She refers to sex as “honk-a-bonk-a-bonks,” makes homophobic jokes, and worries about her marriage. She is simple and unaffected. "Jiya jale, jaan jale, naino tale dhuan chale, dhuan chale." This is the only song portraying Preeti’s fantasy. We see her dancing with several men in a beautiful setting, but the scene repeatedly cuts back to reality, where she dances with other women in a white lehenga. Moina watches from afar, just as the lyrics go, "Dekhte hain tann mera, mann mein chubhti hai nazar."

Amar’s grandmother compliments Moina’s smile and asks why she doesn’t smile more often. She asks, “What is inside you?” Moina replies, “Sadness.” The same question is later asked by her superior, to which she responds that it is her anger, her ideals, her goals, and her courage. While mentioning courage, she touches the cyanide-filled locket around her neck. Had she been honest, she would have also mentioned love.

She asks Preeti to address her as "tum" instead of "aap" and sheds tears when her comrade commits suicide. In one scene, they try Preeti’s wedding jewelry on Moina. She looks in the mirror and notices Amar watching her. Back in Leh, when she tells Amar that she despises his naivety and friendliness, he tells her she is simply jealous of it. She sees the happy people around Amar and Preeti and wonders why she was never surrounded by such smiles. She longs for the life she could have had. She hesitates—unsure whether to bring her darkness into this bright, innocent world.

"Delhi mein baith ke All India Radio mein gaane bajate ho, tumhe kya pata?"

This reminds me of a popular YouTube channel that dismissed Article 15 as an unnecessary film. "If it weren’t for the army, this country would be in a thousand pieces." Amar represents India—the whole. He is a Delhi boy, a government employee, the son of an army officer, and the grandson of an INA freedom fighter.

"Darr kya hai, tumhe kya maloom?"

We see Moina’s childhood—her trauma, her loss, and the oppression that shaped her. We see so many girls like her, who once loved their mother’s hands, the pigeons of the village temple, and poetry.

"Agar tumhe mere saath nahi aana, toh mujhe tumhare saath le chalo."

And in the end, they are shattered into those very pieces.