GUWAHATI, SEPT 17: Mani Ratnam's much-hyped film Dil Se may have touched the hearts of millions of cine-goers all over the country. But in Assam, on the situation of which the film is based, Dil Se has failed to hit where it matter.``Dil Se has depicted the Assam situation, and particularly the discontentment here in a grossly wrong way,'' said Sadin, the leading Assamese weekly newspaper in its issue dated September 18, which hit the stands today.So is also the criticism put up by Dainik Assam, the oldest vernacular daily published from the Assam Tribune group here. ``The Assam situation has been exploited by Mani Ratnam for commercial interests,'' said the newspaper's film critic Bitopan Barbora in a front-page anchor story a few days ago.Dil Se has been released in five theatres of Guwahati last week, and though the film is drawing crowds, the cine-goers are coming out disappointed.``Dil Se cannot be compared with Roja andBombay. The other two were much better films as far as the backdrop of Kashmir and Mumbai were concerned. I am terribly disappointed. Assam's basic problem has been focussed in a wrong manner,'' said Dilip Sarma, a college teacher who is also an avid cinegoer.Mani Ratnam has no doubt used the ULFA as its backdrop for the film, with the hero (Shahrukh Khan), playing the role of a journalist, falling in love with a woman cadre (Manisha Koirala) of the militant group. ``But the activities and style of operation of the militant group shown to be one belonging to Assam does not reflect Assam at all,'' said Barbora of Dainik Assam.``A responsible film-maker like Mani was expected to throw light on the issues behind the rise of militancy in Assam, as also to focus on a possible solution. But he simply chose to use the Assam situation as a commercial ingredient for his film,'' Barbara complained.Sadin, the weekly, on the other hand is one step ahead of Dainik Assam in criticisingMani Ratnam and his film. The film-maker has ridiculed the rebels of Assam, in the process hurting the Assamese sentiments, the newspaper said.``Mani Ratnam has not only let his fans down by highlighting more on the love story than the basic social issue, but has also failed to put up any analytical view point or economic question in the film,'' writes the weekly newspaper in its front-page story.The weekly, which often sides with the rebel group on the issue of economic exploitation and deprivation of Assam, has even called Mani Ratnam an agent of the exploiter-class. ``Mani Ratnam is an agent of the colonial exploiter whom we know as the central government, he has no solution, and is only adding to the chaos,'' Sadin wrote.Dil Se incidentally has renowned Assamese film-maker Gautam Bora as the chief of the armed rebel group, while a host of other Assamese artists have also play roles in the film. But that does not seem to satisfy anybody. ``He is using these persons to attract the Assameseaudience, what else?'' the weekly says.Dainik Assam on the other hand has pointed out that the ``human bomb'' which Manisha Koirala turns into in Dil Se is typical only of the LTTE and not of any rebel group of the north-east.``Mani Ratnam has unnecessarily grafted an LTTE characteristic on to the Assam rebels. This makes him a laughing stock. He does not have any conception of this part of the country,'' Barbora, the Dainik Assam critic, said.
