July 19, 1999
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CINEMA: MANN Original Copy Though it is adulterated with the mandatory masala an its script meanders, the Bollywood version of a Hollywood classic manages to impress. By Anupama Chopra Movie: Mann
Kumar takes the 1957 Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr classic An Affair to Remember, steals the best lines -- including Grant's memorable "This ship is going much too fast" -- dumbs it down, adds some crass comedy and lively song 'n' dance numbers but still makes it work. So Dev (Aamir Khan) is a high-flying playboy who meets Priya, (Manisha Koirala), a simple music teacher, on a cruise from Singapore to India. Both are betrothed to other people. Despite Priya's best intentions, she finds herself falling in love with the loutish Dev and Dev finds himself becoming a better man. When the cruise ends, the two resolve to meet at the Gateway of India (a perfect substitute for the Empire State Building of the original) on Valentine's Day. In the following six months, the two untangle themselves from their past -- he dumps the rich brat he was marrying, while her boyfriend (Anil Kapoor) gallantly steps aside. But on the way to the rendezvous, she meets with a tragic accident. Not wanting to burden him with her disability, Priya goes back to her life, never contacting the despondent Dev. More tears are shed before the lovers are finally united.
Kumar doesn't have the control of craft or the finesse of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who served up a far more textured triangle in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam a few weeks ago. Despite the blueprint of the original, Mann meanders. The second half overdoses on sentiments, sad songs and weak suspense as Priya almost marries her fianc . And in places, the logic begins to falter -- Dev goes overnight from being penniless to a hoarding painter to a famous artist. But Kumar's emotions are in the right place. And the performances hold up even in the trite scenes. Khan and Koirala, two of Bollywood's best performers, match tear for tear. Khan, who probably hasn't cried this much since his abandoned husband act in Akele Hum Akele Tum, loves and loses with grace. Koirala, back in form after duds like Maharaja and Achanak, grimaces inexplicably through the first hour but more than makes up later, especially in the scene where she discovers her disability. Dressed down and unpainted, she looks almost ethereal. And Sharmila Tagore, despite a bad wig, is still just as lovely. Mann, unlike Kumar's earlier works, is easy on the eye. Thanks to art director Sharmishta Roy and cameraman Basha Lal, even a hospital room is colour co-ordinated. The film has been crafted with care. Kumar throws in the mandatory masala -- low brow comedy and a bit of song. But this time, he's aiming higher. Mann is a big leap forward.
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Follow your heart, the
Mann promo says. Indra Kumar obviously did. The director, known for making cacophonous
comedies -- rumour is that actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar shouted so loud while performing a
scene in Ishq that he passed out -- reveals his sentimental side. Mann is a two-hankie
weepie. 
His debut venture Dil was a hit. Beta
consolidated his position and Raja established him as a director to reckon with
in Bollywood. Indra Kumar spoke to Principal Correspondent Anupama Chopra about his latest
offering, Mann. 
