Did you like the ending of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam? - Page 3

The problem doesn't lie in who she ended up with. It's the execution of the story that causes my issues with the film. Nandini pursued Sameer through the whole film with possibly no introspection but then in the end stayed put with her husband.

I didn’t buy Vanraj’s sacrificial-soul-bullshit either. The scene where he’s drunk and emotionally manipulating Nandini to feel sorry for his ass left a sour taste in my mouth. Any normal person would start feeling guilty if he’s always acting like a kicked puppy 24/7. He took on the job to reunite two lovers, so shut the fek up and do it without guilt-tripping the person. Jesus. I hate this movie so much.

No No NOOOO!!!!!

I watched this movie only once and HATED the dad for forcing his daughter into that God awful marriage with some weirdo guy. People then told me once when I grow up I will come to understand the ending and will love it. Eh lo ji, I am a grown up now but still despise the movie and the dad just the same. I never can watch this movie ever again just because of that khusat baap of Nandini. The way she was brainwashed by the sorry ass of Vanraj and made to ditch poor Sameer, everything just left a bad taste in the end. :(

HDDCS is inspired from Woh 7 Din which is an even more regressive film in which hero also refuses to reunite with heroine saying Indian woman never even looks at any other man once she is married and heroine also feels a sense of duty towards mother and daughter of man she was married to and refuses to take off her mangalsutra when she is finally led to her lover by her husband.

Bhansali toned down the original a lot and made it suitable for contemporary audience by showing Vanraj self sacrificing, taking care of Nandini, ready to stake his reputation and family prestige for happiness of wife and trying to suppress his own feelings.

Considering the original film it was inspired from, the ending had to have heroine with husband and not lover.

HDDCS is still less regressive than Woh 7 Din in which husband does nothing for heroine nor takes care of her, rather gets her to take care of his aged mother and daughter and tells her he will reunite her with her lover only once her ailing mother is no more. Unlike HDDCS in which husband does not make heroine bond with his family nor has any kid from previous marriage himself and is not much older than the heroine.

Considering the template Bhansali was working from, HDDCS is still better. Bhansali did justify why Nandini chose Vanraj and created enough sympathy for Vanraj to make audience sympathise with him as well.

Vanraj's own sacrifices neutralise toxic behaviours of Nandini's insufferable and regressive, controlling dad.

BTW this discussion on parents makes me feel Bhansali usually shows controlling, abusive parents who do not hesitate to inflict violence on own daughters. Dhankor cuts Leela's finger in Ram Leela and Leela also ultimately warms up to her or takes over her position as matriarch and tells her 'ab dard ni hota', feels no bitterness towards her toxic mom.

Bhansali rarely defies traditional family set up no matter what love triangles he shows.

Originally posted by: Anjalika01

I didn't like that ending either.

Vanraj proved himself to be a good and selfless person as the story progressed, sacrificing a lot for Nandini's sake, but I also don't agree with the idea that duty and gratitude is enough to make a good/happy relationship (which was never explicitly stated in the film, I know)- but that is the message that ended up being conveyed.

But I guess if you look at it one way, Nandini did the smartest thing in that situation... she chose the guy she knew put her above everything else over the guy she couldn't have been sure at that point would have done the same...

But whatever it is, that ending still leaves a bad taste, especially considering the father's actions earlier in the film, and it's implicit justification of the same...

Looking back the film does look like it was cleverly and sensitively written but by someone with fairly regressive views, that they managed to package in a way that it all makes sense as per the story.

Anjalika, such a balanced, well thought out post. Kudos to you!

Nope, didn't like the ending at all. They didn't show Nandini falling for Vanraj. Sure the guy was great, sacrificing, mature etc but she wasn't 'in love' with him (or maybe they forgot to show it). There's a difference between gratitude and love. And in the movie it felt like she chose him coz of the gratitude she felt towards him and of course out of duty.

Even if she wasn't in love with Samir anymore, they could have just shown her as a free bird, breaking the marriage that was forced upon (but how can a bharatiya naari not choose her Pati)

Marriage-of-convenience, love after arranged-marriage are tropes I like in my fiction books but only when you actually show the couple falling in love. Aise farzi nahi.

Originally posted by: mintyblue

Anjalika, such a balanced, well thought out post. Kudos to you!

Thank you Minty!🤗I literally just typed as I thought!

I didn't even like the movie much let alone its pathetic ending 😆 I mean yeah I get that Vanraj was a nice selfless guy etc etc but gosh I felt so bad for Sameer. Like come on, Nandini loved Sameer and vice versa, they were literally forced to break up and she was married off to a stranger she wasn't least bit interested in She might have had a change of heart towards the end but it's typical SLB movie trying to justify forced marriages and all that choosing husband no matter what BS. Realistically it does happen though that people fall in and out of love all the time but what are movies for then, I wanna see rosy things and happily ever afters 😭And it didn't help at all that Ajay's chemistry with Aish sucked, atleast to me

Copy pasting my post from this thread where I wrote essays after essays on this topic. 😵 I still stand by them.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bollywood/5238372/what-if-you-were-in-place-of-nandini?pn=2

I'm in two minds about Vanraj's love at first sight and how he turns himself into the sacrificial lamb till she eventually runs back to him.

Sameer would have pissed me off enough by prioritizing that Guru Dakshina over me and taking off to Italy without a fight. He was happily... I repeat HAPPILY licking his wounds in Italy with his mother while Nandini attempted suicide and turned into a zombie after that forced marriage. NOPE, screw that.

Since Nandini falls in love with Vanraj by the end of it, I would make a deal with Vanraj. His love is unconditional, so I'm sure he'd be only happy to oblige. Basically, we would divorce just to send shockwaves across the mansion and spite my father who's a megalomanic, cold, and callous old man. He deserves to hang his head in shame and worse for picking his ego over my well-being.

After the divorce, I'd come back home for a bit to amuse myself with all the reactions and troll that evil plotting aunt for as long as I'm there. Someday's gotta give it back to her too.

After a couple of months of chilling in the mansion, I'd run off with Vanraj. And to add an extra cherry on top, I'd have another "respectable" groom of my stupid father's choice waiting at the wedding altar while I run off with Vanraj cuz they deserve that public humiliation and worse. Sorry not sorry about the collateral damage, I'm sure he'd find another girl. Leave it up to the fam to clean up that mess. Who cares! and NEVER look back!

In any case, I would make damn well sure that the old man's conscience gnaws at him every minute of the day.

Originally posted by: SmittenKitten

Copy pasting my post from this thread where I wrote essays after essays on this topic. 😵 I still stand by them.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bollywood/5238372/what-if-you-were-in-place-of-nandini?pn=2

I'm in two minds about Vanraj's love at first sight and how he turns himself into the sacrificial lamb till she eventually runs back to him.

Sameer would have pissed me off enough by prioritizing that Guru Dakshina over me and taking off to Italy without a fight. He was happily... I repeat HAPPILY licking his wounds in Italy with his mother while Nandini attempted suicide and turned into a zombie after that forced marriage. NOPE, screw that.

Since Nandini falls in love with Vanraj by the end of it, I would make a deal with Vanraj. His love is unconditional, so I'm sure he'd be only happy to oblige. Basically, we would divorce just to send shockwaves across the mansion and spite my father who's a megalomanic, cold, and callous old man. He deserves to hang his head in shame and worse for picking his ego over my well-being.

After the divorce, I'd come back home for a bit to amuse myself with all the reactions and troll that evil plotting aunt for as long as I'm there. Someday's gotta give it back to her too.

After a couple of months of chilling in the mansion, I'd run off with Vanraj. And to add an extra cherry on top, I'd have another "respectable" groom of my stupid father's choice waiting at the wedding altar while I run off with Vanraj cuz they deserve that public humiliation and worse. Sorry not sorry about the collateral damage, I'm sure he'd find another girl. Leave it up to the fam to clean up that mess. Who cares! and NEVER look back!

In any case, I would make damn well sure that the old man's conscience gnaws at him every minute of the day.

My comment on that thread ❤️

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