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By Taran Adarsh, January 17, 2002 - 16:16 IST
Aroona Irani's YEH DIL AASHIQANAA, directed by Kuku Kohli, is set against the backdrop of terrorism.
It's the story of Karan (Karan Nath) and Pooja (Jeevidha), who are studying in the same college in Pune. They fall in love and everything seems to be going fine till one day Pooja's flight is hijacked by a group of terrorists, following the arrest of their leader Ashraf-ul-Haq Mallik.
Ironically, this hijack has been engineered by Pooja's brother Vijay Varma (Rajat Bedi), who is in league with the terrorist head Akhmash Jalal (Aditya Panscholi). Vijay is unaware of the fact that his beloved sister is on board the same flight. When he realises this, he is unable to do anything as Akhmash forbids him from doing anything that would jeopardise their mission.
Karan daringly risks his life and rescues Pooja and the other passengers, thus inviting the wrath of Akhmash and Vijay. Akhmash is now out to kill Karan. On the other hand, Vijay puts his foot down when Pooja reveals her intentions of marrying Karan.
Pooja and Karan decide to escape, but they are chased and nabbed by Akhmash and his men and held captive in his den. Akhmash then tries to blackmail the Indian government by demanding the release of his leader Ashraf-ul-Haq Mallik as ransom for the lives of Karan and Pooja.
Does the Indian government bow down to the terrorist's demands? Does Karan succeed in getting Pooja out of the clutches of the terrorists? Are the lovers united?
Flashback December 24, 1999. An Indian aircraft is hijacked and the armed hijackers demand the release of a terrorist as ransom. This real-life incident is the inspiration for the story of YEH DIL AASHIQANAA.
What could've been an edge-of-the-seat thriller (on the lines of the Harrison Ford starrer AIR FORCE ONE, which tackled a similar theme) with a romantic plot interwoven, gets diluted thanks to a screenplay that relies too heavily on clich? predictable moments and the tried and tested stuff.
There are two tracks running parallel in the first half – the romance between Karan and Jeevidha forms the main track, while the terrorists' hatching a plot to hijack an Indian aircraft, forms the other. The drama gets interesting at the interval point, when Rajat Bedi gets to know that his sister is amongst those hijacked.
But the way the hijack drama unfolds in the second half, surprises you. For, the ease with which Karan, single-handedly and unarmed, rescues the hundred odd passengers from the clutches of five/six armed terrorists, is very difficult to absorb.
Thereafter, the screenplay follows the wrong path completely. For, the terrorists set their sights on Karan, forgetting all about their mission and the imprisoned leader in the process.
However, it must be noted that the second half moves at a vigorous pace, giving no scope for the viewer to blink an eyelid. Besides the pace, the sequences are stylishly shot by director Kuku Kohli and cinematographer Baba Azmi. The helicopter chase in the pre-climax, for instance, is brilliantly executed and one of the high points of the flick.
As a director, Kuku Kohli impresses more in the post-interval portions. His handling of the dramatic sequences is creditworthy. However, he should've concentrated on making the screenplay more innovative, instead of relying on the age-old predictable formula.
Baba Azmi's cinematography is first-rate. The cinematographer's contribution is evident in the pre-climax and climax of the film. Action sequences are fabulously executed. Dialogues are noteworthy. Production values are adequate.
Nadeem-Shravan's music is melodious to the core. The pick of the lot are the title track, 'Ae Meri Natkathi' and 'Utha Le Jaoonga'. The qawwali, in the pre-climax, is very well picturised. The background score (Naresh Sharma) heightens the overall impact and is a major asset.
Karan Nath shows promise in a role that showcases his talent. The youngster has been cast in a role that is supposed to be larger than life and, fortunately, the viewer doesn't feel dejected by his interpretation of the character he portrays. As an actor, he shows immense growth when compared to his performance in his debut vehicle.
Jeevidha has the girl-next-door looks, but is a decent performer. Her expressions in the climax mainly are striking. Aditya Panscholi uplifts the film to a great extent. He is excellent. Rajat Bedi does his part well. Aroona Irani doesn't get much scope, but leaves a mark in the scene when she goes to Rajat Bedi's house to ask for Jeevidha's hand for her son, Karan.
On the whole, YEH DIL AASHIQANAA has an engaging second half and a well executed climax to appeal to the masses, but that's not adequate enough for an extensive run at the box-office. However, the business at small centres should be better.
  
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