Review of Dillagi

Introduction

Action artiste, Sunny Deol, directs the film and in his first attempt of film making and it`s quite impressive. The film constantly remains on the same theme, and never deviates from the main plot and subject. Here the characters are portrayed as normal humans beings that cannot control their destiny, which is in contrast to their feelings. This is where Sunny Deol as a director scores, as he`s able to tackle that issue without any problems.

There are elements of escapism in this film, but they remain constantly within the films theme and context. Only the motorbike race at the start of the film seems too over the top. Cast performances are very good and the musical and background score are superb, being one of the best I`ve heard in ages. It`s a shame that the film was a flop at the box office as people could have seen an old love story under a new style of presentation. This makes the film different to other love triangles movies, and watchable too!

Usually one main character has to die in order to satisfy his friend or brother in having the girl (or visa versa gender wise). However in this movie the way the characters handle the situation is different and perhaps most humanistic. Usually when a girl rejects her first love she might end up committing suicide or having to marry someone she doesn`t love, this is a typical `Bollywood` ploy. This typical plot point isn`t present here.

The art direction and cinematography is of a high standard, while the sound department have mixed the soundtrack of the film in the new Dolby EX format. This gives a sense of `being` in the film as it consists of speakers being placed all around you.

The film was originally to be directed by Gurinder Chadha, who directed the British Asian comedy film, Bhaji On The Beach (1990). The original title of the film was called London and had actress Karishma Kapoor, but production of the film was in dispute between the production company Vijayta and the director, and she left to pursue another film. Left with an over spent budget Sunny Deol stepped in to complete the rest of the film with a new script, and does so in good fashion. With impressive production values, a well thought out screenplay and an impressive directorial debut, the film is one worth watching.

Video

The film is presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1. This means that you get to see the full vision of the film that the director intended the audience to see and it`s far better then the previous full screen release that Eros had brought out. It would have been better if the picture received an anamorphic transfer though.

The picture shows small signs of grain and compression artefacts during a couple of scenes. During the rest of the film though, the picture remains intact with some moments of fine picture quality with sharpness adding plenty of detail. Although some shimmering and moiré effects are seen on this DVD, it`s very limited and won`t interrupt your viewing. The amount of wear and tear is also visible but again is limited and doesn`t interrupt your watching. There is however some edge enhancement on this disc which was a small problem.

I found the colour fidelity at times too bold and vibrant which allowed for some colour to bleed, but the colour is near enough displayed with saturation precision. Also the level placement of contrast and dark details are fairly average and helps enhance your viewing during many dark and bright scenes this film has.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 Hindi soundtrack is on excellent form as it establishes a fine mix in its fullest form. The sound contains an active mix with an elaborated soundfield. This helped to create an impressive surround sound mix which helps with the your overall viewing experience.

Vocal performances retain clarity and warmth, while the ambient effects constantly impress. The sound mix is very active and also behaves well when the film turns to a more subtle mood with no signs of distortion. During the songs the sound has yet to be bettered, as every moment in the mix is masterful.

The sound is certainly an improvement on previous full screen mono version, which EROS had release. It would have been nice if Eros placed the original Dolby 6.1 soundtrack on this DVD, which has an additional rear-centre speaker to help with a full 360-degree sound placement.

Features

The menus are okay in design and are very easy to navigate and are the same as the previous DVD release. Both DVDs also have a `Making Of` feature, which gives some insight into the thinking behind the film, as well as advertise the movie. It`s still informative to watch but the stories behind the problems would have added more interest for those into the movie business.

Conclusion

Dillagi has okay detail to offer and contains an impressive 5.1 audio. A good film, and an average DVD. Buy if you see the disc selling way below the RRP £10.99.