It has always been difficult for Ms Rai to rise above the mundane. Her main claim to everlasting fame still remains Bhansali’s twin towers Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. And so it shall remain until the next Bhansali-induced miracle happens in her career.
Dil Ka Rishta doesn’t add to the Rai’s lustre in any significant way. While the first-half has some interestingly formulated interaction between Tiya and her boyfriend Raj(the sequence where he counts his pennies while celebrating her birthday is consciously though effectively cute) the second-half meanders into mawkish melodrama with all the characters frozen in postures of role-‘maudlin’ in Cape Town.
It isn’t just the town that gets caped in the second-half. The film’s landscape is enveloped in unbelievable melodrama punctuated by bouts of domesticated humour most of it centred on Paresh Rawail. In one sequence, when she talks to ‘God’ in the sky Ms Rai pays a light-hearted homage to Sanjay Bhansali and his Rai-centric showcase Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. But the rich references are drowned in a tide of tired melodrama
Fortunately for Aishwarya Rai the film doesn’t erode her charms either. In a partly poignant, partly sluggish narration she often manages to hold her own against all odds.
Adversity is the university in which Ms Rai’s character Tiya graduates with distinction. Having lost her husband Raj (Priyanshu Chatterjee, surprisingly de-thawed since his wooden sab-teak-hai performance in last week’s Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai, now darting melted honeyed glances at his wife) in an accident Tiya spends her time blinking with lovelorn expressions at Jai (Arjun Rampal) the strong silent suffering wrongdoer who must redeem his tortured soul by making amends in the amnesiac Tiya’s life.
Oh, I forgot! In true 1960s’ fashion Tiya loses her memory and fails to recognize everything including the writing on the wall: films on memory-loss went out of style with the bell-bottom. Fortunately Aishwarya has the conventionally “classic” appearance and performing abilities of the best screen queens. This role could’ve been played by Madhubala, Hema Malini or Sridevi—audiences would’ve wept in their hankies anyways.
There’s an oldworld charm to this hoary-in-no-hurry tale. Gracefully paced, director Naresh Malhotra demonstrates his schooling in the Yash Chopra camp in the calendar-correct composition of his romantic shots and the glances that the leading lady pelts into the melting sun as Nadeem-Shravan’s familiar romantic ditties fill the empty spaces in the stylish soundtrack.
All of Ms Rai’s charm and allure crumble when she takes to the dance floor. Even though Devdas’ choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant is around to guide her, Rai’s overdone facial expressions in Daiya daiya re and Ishq mein make us cringe in embarrassment. Paro, Devdas bula raha hai!!!!!
For a heroine-oriented film Arjun Rampal has a surprisingly lengthy and complicated role. His performance, though not award-worthy is honorable. Playing the man in search of salvation is not a new experience for Arjun. He did it in Pyar Ishq Mohabbat and Moksha. He does it better here. Like his ramp colleague John Abraham in this week’s Jism, Arjun goes from crime to guilt to atonement. Raakhee in a well-defined part as usual creates her own emotional spaces in a porous stereotypical role.
The real highlight of this conventionally pretty film are the scenes between Aishwarya Rai and her screen mother Raakhee. The comfort level between the two creates a compelling contrast with the aura of uncertainty and discomfort that eventuates when ever Rai is around the guilt-stricken Rampal.
With excellent production values and Ashok Mehta’s camera creating a magical romance around the characters, Dil Ka Rishta certainly scores over its “different” rival Jism. But Dil Ka Rishta lacks heart. The tears are manoeuvred in flowing in camera-friendly trickles. The only genuinely heartwarming moment ensues when Priyanshu Chatterjee turns to his mother-in-law-to-be Raakhee and says, “I want you for my mother as my dowry for my marriage.”
We long for more such moments of sincere emotion .
