That this 1993 Hindi drama thinks a lot of itself is indicated by an opening text promising a film with “the intensity that was present in the hearts of Romeo and Juliet,” combined with “something which has not featured in any love story so far: Fear” (or Darr). In truth fearful love stories weren’t unheard-of in ‘93, as evidenced by the two movies this one imitates—DEAD CALM and CAPE FEAR—but DARR: A VIOLENT LOVE STORY is distinct enough to qualify as a one-off.
The film was a massive financial success, and marked a major turning point in the careers of the Hindi cinema legends Juhi Chawla (it being one of four 1993 films in which she appeared) and Shah Rukh Khan (a.k.a. the “King of Bollywood”), who played the villain yet reportedly had audiences rooting for rather than against his character. DARR also inspired a Sandalwood (or Kannada language) remake, PREETHSE (2000), which is best left unmentioned.
The sexy Kiran (Juhi Chawla) is engaged to the dashing naval officer Sunil (Sunny Deol), whose mettle is proven when in the opening scenes he single-handedly takes down a contingent of sea pirates. There’s also Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan), a baby faced introvert who happens to be the son of Sunil’s captain, and who’s been romantically obsessed with Kiran since the two were college students. Among other odd behavior, Rahul speaks regularly with his mother who died 18 years earlier and projects images of Kiran’s face on his bedroom walls.
Rahul’s inappropriate overtures to Kiran take the form of creepy phone calls and sappy love songs blasted from inside her house (Rahul’s naval connections allowing him access). Eventually Rahul snaps entirely and, after attempting to off Sunil by cutting the breaks of his car, tries to shoot his rival. This leads to a marathon foot chase that spans crowded streets, an equally crowded beach boardwalk and several interconnected alleyways, and concludes with Sunil hit by a car and Rahul getting away. Sunil survives the accident and marries Kiran, who has a nervous breakdown due to Rahul’s harassment.
Kiran and Sunil head off to Switzerland (a favorite filming location, FYI, of this film’s director Yash Chopra) for their honeymoon. Quickly learning of their whereabouts, Rahul jets off to Switzerland, with the stage set for an ultra-intense boat-set climax in which the influence of CAPE FEAR becomes especially evident.
Further movie connections are found on DARR’s soundtrack, containing (as is often the case with third world cinema) music cues filched directly from TOP GUN and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (listen also for portions of Joe Cocker’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting”). Yet DARR is distinct due to its many Indian-centric touches: periodic music numbers, an ever-present mood of mounting hysteria (which explodes in the final scenes) and a three hour runtime that doesn’t feel as punishing or protracted as you might expect due to Yash Chopra’s adroit juggling of action, music and severely overheated melodrama. Overshadowing all that are the performances of Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh Khan.
Deol was a major star when this film was made, and is strong in the supposed “hero” role (he was apparently unhappy with the way the shoot was progressing, and projects an air of simmering upset throughout), but it’s Shah Rukh Khan’s turn as Rahul that makes DARR the subversive treat it is. He is, in fact, the true hero, a tortured and maladjusted yet extremely charismatic fellow who, as with Billy Zane in DEAD CALM, Robert De Niro in CAPE FEAR and Jennifer Jason Leigh in SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, handily walks away with the film.
Vital Statistics
DARR: A VIOLENT LOVE STORY
Yash Raj Films
Director/Producer: Yash Chopra
Screenplay: Honey Irani, Javed Siddiqui
Cinematography: Manmohan Singh
Editing: Keshav Naidu
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Sunny Deol, Juhi Chawla, Annu Kapoor, Tanvi Azmi, Dalip Tahil, Anupam Kher, Piloo J. Wadia, Vikas Anand