April 24th, 2010

Darr (1993)

Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in Darr (1993)

Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in Darr (1993)

Cast: Sunny Deol, Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh Khan

Director: Yash Chopra

Music: Shiv, Hari

Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Capsule Review: Making a departure from the ultra-romanticism of Daag, Kabhi Kabhie and Chandni, Yash Chopra swerved fluently into the sinister with this film. As the psychologically disturbed lover-boy who can’t take no for an answer from Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh Khan made a fashion statement out of stammering manic love-confessions. Though the film was packaged as a typical Yash Chopra romance (with dulcet melodies composed by the classical musicians Shiv Kumar Sharma and Hari Prasad Chaurasia and sung by Lata Mangeshkar projected into an alfresco Alpine environment) Darr was also a scare-fest, with Shah Rukh jumping at Juhi from the most unlikely places. While the hero, Deol was impressive enough in his macho manoeuvres, his adversary who would be traditionally termed the villain, was turned into an attractive figure. Evil became attractive and danger was fun. Especially remarkable are the film’s editing patterns, which create suspense in unexpected sequences. The long Holi sequence where Shah Rukh infiltrates the festivities at Deol-Chawla’s home and the chase on the crowded roads thereafter, are deviously executed.

Mystery . Thriller