Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002)

Dil Hai Tumhaara  (2002)                            

Starring:

Preity Zinta, Jimmy Shergill, Rekha, Arjun Rampal, Mahima Chaudhry

 

Two words:  LIVE PUPPET.  Run!  Run, Jimmy Shergill!  That scary assed puppet you take with you everywhere you freaking go is moving on its own!  Ruuuuun!  Indians must not have have the same general fears that Americans do.  Scary clown dolls walking around singing on their own (Biwi No. 1), puppets coming to life.  It’s a frightening place.  Just like Rekha’s eyebrows, which make her look chronically bitchy, aloof and angry.  And I’m not just saying that because I love Jaya Bachchan so much. 

So the story is that Rekha catches her husband in an affair and then he and his mistress are killed in a kind of funny car accident, and before dying the second most dramatic death ever, the husband asks Rekha to take care of his illegitimate daughter.  She takes the child Shalu (Preity) into her home to live with her and her daughter Nimmi, but beyond basic care, she gives her nothing.  No love, no encouragement and she never tells her of her true past.  Shalu and Nimmi grow up to be very close and Rekhu becomes mayor of the town. 

In an attempt to show her mother she isn’t worthless, Shalu gets a job at Khanna Industries by lying, then meets the boss’ son who is posing as a driver and errand boy while trying to expose the weakness of the plant so he can shut it down.  Arjun Rampal as Dev is extremely hot and extremely not a good actor.  But who cares?  The only thing that really bothers me about him is the fact that he isn’t waiting with dinner for me when I get home every night. 

So Dev and Shalu, after fighting and hating each other, predictably fall in love.  Dev reveals his real identity just in time to save the town and the bad guy from forcing her mother to resign as mayor.  Standing in the middle of the road one day, Dev is saved at the last minute from a charging bus by Nimmi, who has fallen in love with him.  Through a series of miscommunications and frustrating stupid crap that can only happen in Bollywood, Nimmi thinks Dev loves her too and her mother arranges for Dev to marry her.  Dev’s father knows he loves Shalu but can’t bring himself to refuse Rekha.  So at the engagement, the bad guy threatens to reveal Shalu’s illegitimacy if the wedding (which would ally the mayor and the factory owner)  isn’t called off.   So Shalu runs to Dev’s house where there’s a big party going on, spills everything to Mr. Khanna, her mother listens in and realizes what a first class bitch she’s been, and the two reconcile.  At the engagement ceremony, Nimmi finally realizes Dev and Shalu are in love and she gives him up, as we knew she would. 

Jimmy Shergill (the man with the least indian name in India) could have been really endearing in this if he had ever left that stupid fucking puppet at home.  Funniest moment:  Dev announcing that the company will start making apple juice, “and it’s going to be called, REFRESH!” Had to rewind that one a few times.  Still laughing about it the next day.  Also, the dance numbers are all about 45 minutes long.  Not a bad movie overall, but took forever getting around to the resolution.  Had to do a little fastforwarding toward the end.