Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai

In the old social, the resurrection of the fallen woman followed her severe trials and intense oppression. She survived it thanks to her innate faith in love and goodness, through a struggle with well-defined circumstances and anti-heroes.

Here too, a woman is raped and vilified. But we dont see the suffering emerging from the plot. Situations seem manufactured and imposed on the story. The father who condemns his daughter to a life of anonymity has no character sketch. The villain who performs the climactic act is reduced to a couple of scene confusion. The hero who saves her raves, rants and sacrifices without much motive - his love life is summed up incredibly in three or four, mostly B-grade, dream songs. But the worst script treatment is reserved for the victim. She is neither made to cry nor allowed to get angry in the traditional mould. Her whole effort hinges on appearing placid and retaining an expression of being lost. She is a mannequin, not a character.

This then sums up the whole exercise. It is not an emotional melodrama. The makers are not interested in exploring the manifold dimensions of the relevant theme. They are only presenting a vehicle for Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai. The climax has the hero rebutting the theory that a rape victim should not marry her rapist. But the treatment is so devoid of charge and pulse that the message falls flat. Anil Kapoor looks dull and inhibited. And Aishwarya almost gets thrown back to the pre-Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam days. The parallel comedy track, so essential to the 50s social, is hammed and trashed beyond recognition. Anupam Kher, Jaspal Bhatti, Johnny Lever, Satish Kaushik himself, are all unbelievably loud and crude. These other wise accomplished comedians pull stupid gags and crack outworn jokes - enough to insult even a front-benchers intelligence. Designed to give comic relief to a serious theme, they end up exhibiting a distorted spoof of their earlier acts.