Director: Satish Kaushik
Starring: Salman Khan, Bhumika Chawla and Ravi Kishan
‘A Captivating Classic’
Few actors in India have created comedies as beloved as Salman Khan. Ever since his stardom in the 1990’s, Khan has proven to be one of the greatest actors in Bollywood. Whether it’s star-crossed lovers, terrorists in danger or professional wrestlers, Khan has suggested he can portray many characters. Arguably, Khan’s strength as an actor is his comic timing. Khan has always excelled at making comedies with a sense of humour. Through his abilities to portray characters which are compelling, Khan has established a legacy which has proven to be compelling. Despite having reached age of retirement, Khan has never lost his strong passion for producing iconic entertainment. An iconic legend in India, Khan has become a strong legend in Bollywood Cinema. Throughout a groundbreaking career, Khan has created several strong movies that are absolutely worth watching.
I’m a huge fan of Khan and adore all movies he has created in his career. However, “Tere Naam” stands out as his most iconic movie. Released in 2003, Satish Kaushik’s beloved Bollywood movie offered a powerful portrait of mental illness. Packed with breathtaking musical sequences, engrossing storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s a spellbinding Bollywood drama. At the centre of it all is a terrific performance by Salman Khan, who embodies a mentally ill college student in a dilemma. Although “Tere Naam” is a riveting Bollywood drama, it isn’t a flawless film. It builds to a melodramatic conclusion without a resolution. That being said, it offers bold entertainment that would absolutely satisfy fans of Salman Khan.
“Tere Naam” tells the story of a mentally ill college student that falls in love in doomed romantic relationships. Salman Khan plays Radhe Mohan, a rowdy college student with a tendency to get into trouble in his school. Radhe has always longed to find love in a school where he is regarded as an outcast. When he falls in love with Nirjara (Bhumikq Chawla), Radhe’s dreams turn into reality. However, a tragic accident soon threatens to destroy their relationship forever. After he is beaten up by a rival gang, Radhe loses his sanity becoming a victim of tragedy. Put in a mental asylum, Radhe questions whether it is possible for him to cope with a troubling problem.
Satish Kaushik is a newcomer towards the theme of mental illness. Before he directed “Tere Naam”, Kaushik had never created a Bollywood movie about illness. It marked the director’s first attempt to capture the lives of mentally ill lovers facing adversity but he succeeded. Evoking Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, Kaushik uses montages to capture a mentally ill lover on a journey to not be depressed. For instance, montages elevate the romantic bond scene. During this unforgettable scene, Mohan and Nirjara spend time together building a bond that’s unbreakable. Using strong montages, Kaushik creates a portrait of mental illness that’s engaging. Montages are complicated techniques to use in Bollywood movies. As Karan Johar’s “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” proved clearly, montages elevate Bollywood movies about college love. Nevertheless, it works in this movie. Using stunning visuals, Kaushik captures the tensions that mentally ill men are facing.
Another admirable aspect of “Tere Naam” that merits appreciation is the production. From a technical perspective, it’s one of the best Bollywood movies you will ever watch. Kaushik effectively uses cross-cutting to create musical sequences about mental illness that are engaging. For instance, the cross-cutting elevates the Tere Naam song. During this heartfelt song, Mohan expresses his love for Nirjara through delivering a bold melody. Using cross-cutting, Kaushik crafts music sequences that prove to be engaging. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. It gives the movie an engaging atmosphere capturing the heavy burden that mentally ill lovers bear. Using phenomenal production, Kaushik captures mentally ill lovers facing tension.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “Tere Naam” is a Bollywood romantic film that’s engaging. The film is extremely well-written, and expertly uses silence to convey hardships that mentally ill lovers experience. Throughout the movie, Kaushik uses scenes of silence to capture hardships which lovers experience. For instance, silence enhances the farewell scene. During this devastating scene, Radhe faces grief when he is forced to part ways with Nirjara causing his mental conditions to worsen. Through sequences of silence, Kaushik creates a portrait of mental illness audiences can relate to. Silence is a tricky technique to use in Bollywood movies. As Kabir Khan’s “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” proved, silence enhances Bollywood movies about mute women. Nevertheless, it works well in this movie. Through a fantastic screenplay, Kaushik captures mentally ill lovers facing a price to pay.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Salman Khan delivers one of his best career performances as Radhe. Khan first attained appreciation for portraying action heroes in beloved Bollywood films. With “Tere Naam”, however, he took on his most profound role. It isn’t easy to play a mentally ill man facing adversity but he succeeds immensely. This is the actor unlike you have ever seen him in the past before: intense, charming and bold in his most meaningful role. With engaging expressions, he captures the angst, bravery and grief faced by a mentally ill man stuck in mental institutions. It’s an extraordinary performance from one of the finest actors in Bollywood today.
While the movie is mainly a bold showcase for Salman Khan, the supporting cast is also great and worthy of appreciation. Bhumika Chawla is brilliant, bringing charisma to a woman that falls in love with a mentally ill man that causes a dilemma. Ravi Kishan is remarkable, capturing the tension faced by a college advisor struggling to care for his students in ab institution. Last but not least, Sachin Khedekar merits appreciation. As a concerned father, he brings hilarious comic relief to the movie.
Despite its strong performances, however, “Tere Naam” can’t quite capture hardships that mentally ill men in India experience. If there’s a shortcoming to the movie, it lacks an engaging ending. It’s an over the top end that fails to bring the film towards a strong resolution. At worst, the ending perpetuates false stereotypes about mental institutions in India that aren’t true to reality. Whereas this ending worked for movies in the 1990’s, it clashes with the reality of the world today. Therefore, “Tere Naam” is a Bollywood film that not everyone is going to be guaranteed to adore.
Nevertheless, fans of Salman Khan will truly enjoy “Tere Naam” and so would audiences seeking exhilarating entertainment. A bold Bollywood romantic drama, it celebrates an actor that’s beloved in India.
Nearly 23 years following the release of an iconic Bollywood movie about a psychotic college student that becomes the victim of a mental asylum, it’s a riveting reminder of an Indian actor that has achieved stardom by his abilities to portray strong characters with wisdom in memorable movies that are worthy of an emblem.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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