Movie Review of Dil Hai Tumhara (2002)

This is a movie that I remember having seen when it was first released but do not remember it making any kind of impression on me. Recently when I came across this movie again I decided to give it another try. This movie stars Rekha (Sarita), Arjun Rampal (Dev), Preity Zinta (Shalu) and Mahima Chaudhary (Nimmi). The movie is about Shalu who from childhood feels slighted by her mother Sarita and continuously craves her approval. Nimmi and Shalu are ideal sisters and love each other immensely. Sarita is the mayor of a small town where they reside and there are some corrupt people who try to oust her from her mayoral seat.

What Shalu and Nimmi do not know is that Shalu is not really Sarita's daughter but she is the daughter of Sarita's husband and another lady whom her husband loved. They both meet with an accident and on his deathbed, Sarita's husband asks her to accept Shalu and raise her as her own. Sarita accepts to do it and raises Shalu as her own but is unable to show her the same love she shows her own daughter Nimmi.

Shalu meets Dev, believes him to be a driver and tries to pass him off as Dev Khanna, son of industrialist Mr Khanna who can benefit their small town in an attempt to help her mother. Initially Shalu and Dev do not get along but soon they both fall in love and Shaalu also realizes that Dev is really the son of Mr Khanna the industrialist. Around this time Nimmi also meets Dev and she starts liking him and believes he loves her too. Sarita grows aware of Nimmi's feelings for Dev and decides to approach Dev's father (Alok Nath) with a marriage proposal for Nimmi and Dev.

In addition there is Samir (Jimmy Shergill) a ventroloquist who is in love with Shalu and is unable to express his feelings for her.The rest of the movie is about whether Sarita is able to overcome her antagonism towards Shalu and accept her, whether Dev marries Nimmi or Shalu and whether Shalu realizes the truth about her parentage.

The movie is slow in the first half and does not engage the viewer attention entirely. The sequences between Shalu and Dev were mediocre and could have been far more interesting. Sequences that are supposed to be hilarious do not evoke even mild smiles like the two side kicks to Arjun Rampal that are both friends/comic relief and end up being neither.Arjun Rampal as Dev in the first half seemed so stiff and uncomfortable in his role you actually feel sorry for him and wonder why anyone would offer him a role he is so obviously uncomfortable doing. The second half of the movie is a decided improvement over the first. The story moves along faster, both Preity Zinta and Rekha gave really good performances in the second half and had a lot of meaty scenes where they could show their histrionics. Arjun Rampal in the second half too looked more comfortable and does not look as stiff as he did in the first half. Even though the story is predictable,but good performances by Rekha and Preity Zinta and a couple of hummable tunes make this a passable fare.

Rating
2.25/5

Here is the title song of the movie that is nice.....Enjoy !