Search - Straight From the Heart on DVD

Great!

Lilac Frost | The world | 07/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm new to Indian movies - rather than repeat the previous review, or recap the storyline, which is already listed here - I'll just say I really loved this movie. There was a lot of emotion in it - and something I'm really enjoying about the Indian movies is that they don't seem to feel the need to sell sex to sell a good story. Not so much as an on screen kiss, but you feel more emotion and heartbreak from these characters than you do from most any Hollywood movie. Definitely a great movie!! (And the musical numbers were really spiffy!)"

Fun musical numbers/a lovely Aish/A great, sobby ending!

Mir | North Miami Beach, FL USA | 07/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off, don't expect a whole lot of logic in parts of this film. There is a phrase an "anglo" pal of mine and I--I'm Latina--have for this: Bollyworld. When you watch a Bollywood musical, you often have to suspend disbelief and accept that it might have much whimsy and disjointed editing and a certain odd logic. Just accept it and enjoy. It's something like suspending disbelief for a fantasy flick.



Anyway, this is a schizophrenic movie. It starts off and you think it's gonna be quite comedic and light. But then it moves into heavy drama. It's a romantic triangle (as you'll know from the other reviews). Girl loves young, cute, hip, energetic fella who shares her gift for music. Boy loves beautiful, graceful, talented girl who sings like an angel. Ah, but this is not America. This is India, and the girl must marry the man her family chooses. And the guy her family chooses--who is captivated by the lovely, lively, singing, dancing vision he first views--is an honorable but staid guy who couldn't sing to save his life.



So, now we're done with the light bits (and the sprightlier musical numbers), and we move into the quest. Here, you have the heroine's journey from girl to woman. And when she makes the decision at the end, it's a woman's decison--thought out, sober, deep, strong. It's not the fancy of a light heart, but the choice of a heart that's grown. It's a beautiful finale, really, trust me. Beautiful.



I live in a neighborhood with several Indian "bazaars" and folks from that country. This was my second Bollywood flick. I discussed it with the proprietress of a local Indian goods shop, and told her how delighted I was that I could expect certain things in a Bollywood movie: respect for parents, sacrifice for family, the value of marital fidelity and that I didn't have to worry about a bunch of sweaty nekkid folks "hooking up". Here, a kiss MEANS a lot because that may be all you get (if that much). It's refreshing, that kind of modesty these days. Then I mentioned how I loved the ending. She said, "This is an Indian film. It HAD to end that way."



I had to smile at that certainty.



I recommend this movie if you're patient and enjoy 1. Beautiful clothes (does anyone make outfits as gorgeous as the people of India?) 2. Gorgeous Aishwarya Rai, probably the loveliest woman in current global cinema 3. Some really fun and "up" musical numbers 4. the depiction of true self-sacrificial love and 5. a romantically satisfying ending.



Just be aware that Bollywood flicks do tend to suffer from lack of judicious editing. It's LONG. Hungary is a strange, strange place to pass off as Italy.



Still, I recommend this. Lovely film. Enjoy!

Mir"

...THE FAITHFUL HEART ABIDES...

H. Bala | Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA | 03/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (Straight From the Heart) is a beautiful movie, which draws you into a world of lush romance and bittersweet endings. I guess I'm a sucker for romance after all. There are several scenes in this film that will flat out make women cry and the menfolk tear up and surreptitiously reach for a hanky or a dirty sleeve. Well, maybe not the menfolk, as much. But I'm a guy and I'll tell the world there were instances where my heart either ached or/and soared and my vision became blurry. Now that could just be my eye prescription running out but, be that as it may, watching this film was truly a heady, eye-opening experience.



Skip this paragraph if you know the plot. It revolves around Nandini (the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai), daughter of a classical singer. She falls in love with her father's carefree half-Italian student, Sameer (Salman Khan). Vanraj (Ajay Devgan), son of a famous lawyer and a lawyer himself, sees and falls in love with Nandini and sends his proposal to Nandini's father, which is accepted. Nandini's father learns of her and Sameer's romance and demands Sameer forget Nandini. Vanraj marries Nandini and it's not until later in the marriage that he finds out that she still loves Sameer. Vanraj, out of love for his wife, takes Nandini to Italy to reunite her with her Sameer.



Just now, having read back what I've written in the previous paragraph, I must tell you that my words cannot do justice to the actual movie. The plot description above is flat and cold and abrupt compared to the rich tapestry woven in this film. It has so much heart and genuine emotions that, watching it, you feel you're breathing/soaking in every moment directly into your soul. Very dramatic, I know, but sue me, that's how I feel.



That the movie is 3 hours long shouldn't detract anyone from watching it. Trust me, it won't seem that long. The song numbers are across-the-board great. My two personal favorites are "Nimbooda" (the sour lime), wherein Vanraj falls in love with Nandini and the title song, "Hum Dil De Chuke", a lovely forlorn love ballad. By the way, yes, the scenes in Italy were actually shot in Hungary and no one's really fooling anyone here but I beg you, don't let that fact be a distraction.



The acting performances are superb, as they would have to be to elicit this kind of response from the viewers. The three leads are very very good. This is where Aishwarya Rai first flexed her acting muscles, as she goes thru the whole gamut of emotions, from the innocence and carefree happiness of a child to the mature, more subtle nuances that come with her acceptance of adulthood. She is, as ever, beautiful as the stars in the sky. This is my first sighting of Ajay Devgan and I'm sold on him as an actor. I guarantee that he will make you cry. Salman Khan is convincing as the free-spirited Sameer and you could see how a young girl could easily fall for this charming fella. He does a good job at the end of the movie when...well, I won't say.



Here in the states, where the emphasis is on the box office instead of art, 90% of the films are shallow, crass and formulaic. So I'm rarely exposed to movies such as this, which resonates, transports you to a different, seemingly more meaningful place and draws out deeper, richer feelings than those you would have when watching a buddy cop movie. This movie achingly throbs with images and ideas of duty, self-sacrifice, quiet faithfulness, and the meaning of true love. Dear viewer, watch this movie, you'll be swept away. You can thank me later. Now I'm back to watching Sportscenter because, while I'm a sensitive guy, I do have an image to uphold."