SRK's Dil Se turns 27: A Mani Ratnam film that redefined romance onscreen and became a cult

By the early 90s, Shah Rukh Khan had already established himself as Bollywood's King of Romance with films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and more. But Mani Ratnam's Dil Se was different.

Shah Rukh played Amar, a radio journalist who falls for a woman with a mysterious past. SRK delivered one of his most subtle performances in Dil Se, and this part showed the other side of the actor, who was only seen as the charming lover-boy on screen.

Manisha Koirala as Meghna

If Shah Rukh Khan was the heart of Dil Se, Manisha Koirala was its soul. Meghna, a militant marred by tragedy and secrecy, demonstrated both vulnerability and strength in equal measure. Her controlled performance made the viewer sense her tension. But her raw and compelling chemistry with SRK was much loved onscreen.

The devastating climax, where love and destruction were seen in the same frame, is still one of the most daring endings in Hindi cinema.

Mani Ratnam's Poetry In Motion

Making his first Hindi film, ace director Mani Ratnam introduced a new cinematic language to Bollywood. He set a love story in the midst of a political uprising in the Northeast, a topic that was rarely tackled on the big screen during that time.

The story blended beautiful visuals with emotional intimacy. Dil Se's lasting power stems from its sweep of landscapes, close-up intensity, and merging of intimate love with political discontent.

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In fact, during the promotions of Ponniyin Selvan I in 2022, Rahman told India Today back then that Ratnam never told him the story of Dil Se at the time of doing music for that movie.

“The memory is he never told me the story. He said I won’t tell you the story. Just give me seven stages of love. That’s it. I said ok. That was the whole brief of the project,” Rahman said back then.

A.R. Rahman and Mani Ratnam's deadly combo

No movie from the 1990s has a soundtrack as iconic as Dil Se. AR Rahman released an album that defined an age.

The famous Chaiyya Chaiyya song, featuring Malaika Arora and SRK, filmed on a moving train became a worldwide phenomenon.

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Other songs like Jiya Jale, Ae Ajnabi, and Dil Se Re presented the full spectrum of love: playful, passionate, melancholy, and tragic.

Even after nearly three decades, Dil Se's music is as relevant and memorable as ever.

Preity Zinta's impressive debut

Dil Se also gave Bollywood the very pretty and dimpled beauty - Preity Zinta who was seen as Amar’s fiancée. Preity brought freshness, innocence, and warmth to the otherwise heavy movie.

Preity’s charm and natural performance lit up the screen and even in a very limited screen time, she made her mark felt.

From box-office struggle to cult status

Dil Se opened to a lukewarm response at the box office in theatres across India. But later, it made history as the first Indian film to reach the UK Top 10 lists. Over time, critics and movie lovers reassessed the movie and praised the handling of the love story, outstanding performances by the lead actors and evocative soundtrack.

Today, Dil Se is seen as a masterpiece, a film that was much ahead of its time.

The Legacy of Dil Se

Twenty-seven years later, Dil Se is more than a film; it is a cultural monument.

It dared to depict love as both sensitive and devastating, all against the backdrop of political turmoil.

Dil Se is considered one of Hindi cinema's most memorable and tragic love stories. All thanks to the superb and nuanced performances of lead actors Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala, inventive direction by Mani Ratnam, and immortal music by AR Rahman.