Revisiting Dil Se: Shah Rukh Khan & Manisha Koirala's Epic Romance Directed By Maniratnam

Amarkant Varma is one of Shah Rukh's most memorable characters of all time. Hair that falls on his forehead, a red sweatshirt, a flirty smile that never leaves his face, and an infectious amount of enthusiasm, all come to one's mind when we think of Dil Se.

Amar is a fun, energetic, and adventurous radio jockey, who is a natural storyteller. He arrives at Assam as part of his job, and on his way, he meets the most beautiful woman he has ever met in his life, Meghna.

It's highly unlikely that one doesn't know of the iconic scene where Amar meets Meghna, but then it's such a pleasure to even think of that scene, and I want to describe it.

Amar is at the railway station, waiting for his train to Assam. It's a cold night, and the station is dark and windy. Amar hugs himself, shivering from the weather, and he spots someone covered in a black blanket, at a little distance from him. He walks up to the person, and asks for matches, to light up his cigarette.

He doesn't get a response, and the blanket tries to escape the person's hold. Meghna catches it back looking at Amar, who is extremely smitten by her looks. He tries to start a conversation with her and asks if he can get her something. She asks for a glass of tea. She looks bewildered and nervous, and Amar's heart melts away. He runs eagerly to find a tea shop nearby. The shopkeeper is sleeping, and Amar wakes him up and orders two glasses of tea.

He hears the whistling of a train and rushes back with the glasses in his hand, and it starts raining. He reaches the platform and sees that she had boarded the train, with a few others. Disappointed, thrilled, excited, and amused, Amar watches her pass by. He yells "Oye, Matches" and she turns her head to see him. A smile spreads on his face and water drops fall into the tea. And the scene slowly fades into the pre-lude of the Chayya Chayya song.

The dreamy nature of the scene carries throughout the film. Amar somehow finds her again and initially stalks her assuming that she likes him and she is just not comfortable with him yet. They go back and forth with lies and conflicts until they drift apart eventually.

He then meets another girl, Preeti, who loves him and gets along with him well. As Amar slowly starts preparing himself to accept Preeti in his life and agrees to marry her, Meghna comes back. She comes back with secrets and plans and Amar finds out her intentions. They also realize how much they love each other.

And the film ends with whom he ends up with, and what happens to Meghna's plans.

The film worked primarily because of how attractive and charming the leads were, especially Shah Rukh. His laugh and his pleasant energy could lift you up from the worst mood swings, and the film remains a classic romance from Indian Cinema.

If you haven't watched it, go watch the film. It's available on Netflix.