Dil To Pagal Hai

An Indian film built around the rehearsal of a musical. Rahul directs for the stage. He is preparing a new musical and does not believe in love; to him there is no such thing, people simply get along. Nisha is his dancer and his closest friend. She has loved him for years and has not said so. She is injured during rehearsal. Her ankle breaks and a replacement has to be found. Pooja was trained in classical dance. She is engaged, has no thought of going on stage, and Rahul sees her by chance. She is persuaded and joins the company. From there the film takes place in the rehearsal room. Working through steps, quarrels, a costume, a night and an opening. Rahul begins to change his mind. The man who said love does not exist notices that the piece he has written is about exactly that. What the narrative is interested in is not the triangle but the unsaid: both Nisha and Pooja stay silent and the film takes its tension from what is not spoken. Nisha's line is its strongest part. The narrative knows it is treating her unfairly and does not hide it. The dance sections are at the centre. Two separate styles, modern and classical, are deliberately set against each other. The film won in the most popular film category at India's national cinema awards, and Karisma Kapoor won for supporting actress. Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar are in the cast. Yash Chopra directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes 1990s Indian musicals and dance numbers. Who it is not for: anyone without patience for length and melodrama; the film runs close to three hours and the emotional register is high.