And then we also have some genuinely real yet exceptional dialogues, which bring forth a poetic quality that eases the serious proceedings. The script is grounded in tension and mystery, and it thankfully avoids sentimentality. He directs this feature with heart and soul and intensifies it with complete mastery, so much that you cannot leave the screen even for one moment (even if you are one of those who prefer skipping the songs). The film's concept: a young, hard-working radio broadcaster falls in love with a mysterious, strangely apathetic woman who is actually a terrorist may have been tackled before by filmmakers around the world, but none has done it the way Mr Ratnam did.
Some people have deemed it a bit slow and tedious, but according to me the film moves at a steady pace and is totally focused, engaging and captivating. Dil Se is a rare gem of its times - authentic, hard-hitting, gripping, and deeply involving. It makes the viewer believe that true, intense love does not exist only in fairy tales, but in real-life too, with simple and ordinary people. Mr Ratnam's ability to make a grandiose love story and yet keep it starkly realistic is just unbelievable. I was stunned by every moment of it and the very first scene was enough for me to get completely hooked. This is one of the greatest and most crafted works of the incredible Mani Ratnam.