Tusshar, Esha dare to be different Yet Kya Dil Ne Kahaa fails to hold ground.

Priyanka Bhattacharya

A pretty young thing from India arrives in New Zealand for higher education. Meet Esha, hailing from a huge joint family in India, which in her own words is a cross between Hum Aapke Hai Kaun and Hum Saath Saath Hai.

In New Zealand it takes her all of five minutes to fall head over heels in love with Rahul [Tusshar Kapoor], a rich, handsome NRI. For a year they cavort together until it is time for Esha to go back home. Promises are made and our protagonists go their separate ways.

Next we know Rahul is in India with his parents [Rajesh Khanna and Smita Jayakar]. With stars in her eyes and marriage on her mind, Esha and her parents [Raj Babbar and Neena Kulkarni] go to Rahul's house with a marriage proposal. Here comes the twist in the tale: Rahul, though madly in love with Esha, is dead against marriage. His problem stems from the abysmal failure of his parents' marriage: the two of them are constantly at odds.

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Unfortunately for Rahul, the idea of a live-in relationship is taboo for Esha, who is an Indian complete with notions of sanskar and sanskruti. From here the story takes many twists and turns and laboriously reaches a predictable climax.

To his credit, director Sanjay Chhel has dared to be different by introducing the concept of a live-in relationship, a revolutionary idea in India. He makes the point but cannot defend his position or add anything to it. The final product lacks substance and seems ridiculous at times. The lack of any subplots is a plus point as there is focused attention on the actual story itself.

Kya Dil Ne Kahaa is a good effort but fails miserably in many departments. The dialogues are patchy and full of sexual innuendo. The songs are hummable but hamper the narrative. In fact the hit song Nikammafeatures at the most inopportune of moments. The comedy is lewd and an action scene has been forced in just to prove that Tusshar can fight. After a while you get the feeling that Chhel has forgotten what exactly he was trying to make.

The actors are the biggest letdown. The only people worth a mention are Ashok Saraf and Tusshar Kapoor. Yes, Tusshar can act, but his biggest problem is his total lack of screen presence.

Esha certainly looks much better than her previous movies but has miles to go in the acting department. The rest of the cast has been relegated to bit character roles leaving them with no scope to perform.

This flick will pull in the crowds initially thanks to its music but does not have anything to sustain itself. It can easily be given a miss.