Dil Se..

Overview

Dil Se.. is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller film written and directed by Mani Ratnam. It was produced by Ram Gopal Varma, Mani Ratnam, Shekhar Kapur and Bharat Shah under the banners of Madras Talkies and India Talkies. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles, with Preity Zinta in her feature film debut. It is the third and final instalment of Mani Ratnam's informal trilogy on terrorism and political conflict in India, preceded by Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995).

Key facts

Plot

The film follows Amarkant Varma, a programme executive with All India Radio, who is sent to the North-East to record interviews on the fiftieth anniversary of Indian independence. On a rainy railway platform he encounters Meghna, a mysterious woman with whom he becomes obsessed. As Amar pursues her across regions of insurgency, it gradually emerges that Meghna belongs to a separatist militant group planning a suicide attack at a national parade in Delhi. The narrative is structured loosely around the seven shades of love drawn from Arabic and Persian literary tradition — attraction, infatuation, love, reverence, worship, obsession, and death.

Production

Principal photography was carried out across several locations, including Ladakh, Kerala, Delhi, Assam, and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Bhutan. Cinematographer Santosh Sivan's work on the film, particularly its use of natural landscapes, was widely praised. The song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" was famously picturised on the roof of a moving train shot in the Nilgiri hills, and became one of the most recognised song sequences in Indian cinema. Tigmanshu Dhulia, who later became a director, wrote the Hindi dialogues; he had earlier worked as a casting director on Bandit Queen.

Music

The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Gulzar, and is regarded as one of the most acclaimed Hindi film albums of the 1990s. The album was released by Venus Music. Notable tracks include:

• "Chaiyya Chaiyya" – sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi
• "Dil Se Re" – sung by A. R. Rahman, Anuradha Sriram and others
• "Satrangi Re" – sung by Sonu Nigam and Kavita Krishnamurthy
• "Jiya Jale" – sung by Lata Mangeshkar and M. G. Sreekumar
• "Ae Ajnabi" – sung by Udit Narayan and Mahalakshmi Iyer

"Chaiyya Chaiyya" drew on Sufi poetry by Bulleh Shah. The song was later used in the opening credits of Spike Lee's American film Inside Man (2006), bringing the track wider international recognition.

Release and reception

Released on 21 August 1998, Dil Se.. received a mixed commercial response in India but performed strongly in overseas markets, becoming one of the first Hindi films to enter the United Kingdom box office top ten in its opening week. Over the years it has been re-evaluated as a critical and cult classic for its political themes, music, visual style and unconventional ending.

Awards and recognition

• National Film Award for Best Cinematography – Santosh Sivan
• National Film Award for Best Audiography
• Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer – Lata Mangeshkar ("Jiya Jale")
• Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Gulzar ("Chaiyya Chaiyya")
• Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – Preity Zinta
• Screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Netpac Award for Best Film (1999)

Significance

The film is considered a significant work in Indian cinema for several reasons. It engaged directly with the politics of insurgency in India's North-East at a time when mainstream Hindi cinema rarely treated such subjects. It marked a high point in the collaboration between Mani Ratnam, A. R. Rahman, Gulzar and Santosh Sivan. It introduced Preity Zinta to Hindi cinema, and the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" remains a touchstone in popular memory, frequently cited in discussions of music videos, choreography and the Bollywood song picturisation tradition.

Related topics

• Mani Ratnam
• A. R. Rahman
• Shah Rukh Khan
• Manisha Koirala
• Preity Zinta
• Gulzar
• Santosh Sivan
• Roja
• Bombay
• Chaiyya Chaiyya
• Madras Talkies