DCH
Had to include a word on this. Finally saw Dil Chahta Hai. I know that isn't a great testimonial on my film viewing abilities, but for some reason, I usually end up not watching very popular films: KKKG, Devdas, Aankhen, HAHK are convincing examples (but yes, I have watched Lagaan, thank you). In some cases, I avoid the movie, knowing fully well that the people unfortunate enough to accompany me would have to sit through 3 hours of extreme cribbing. In case of DCH, though, it just passed me by for a medley of reasons, thus causing me to miss out on some very intense discussions in some circles. Now I'm ready to rekindle old threads and reignite some smouldering remnants.
I liked the movie. Certain elements were very promising, such as the consistent styling, diction and performances. The "sync sound" is a good approach, but couldn't help wondering if it wouldn't attract attention to itself. (Being a non-audio-technicalspeak guy, I can't explain it any better, but I felt the sync-sound didn't come out as well as say in "Hey Ram!" or "Lagaan" for example.) Not since Sati Leelavati have I seen a movie that has no pretences to profundity or aims to be a "great". It just tells a story and is backed up with good characterizations. All in all, a good advertisement for the art of cinema.