While it breaks Bollywood conventions with its modern story and naturalistic performances, Dil Chahta Hai is still a surprisingly unadventurous film. The cast is talented and attractive, and the musical numbers, while comparatively subdued, are energetically staged. The music is catchy, and some of the numbers--notably one that takes place in a crowded movie theater with Sameer (Saif Ali Khan) and Pooji (Sonali Kulkarni) joining in the action onscreen--are entertainingly inventive. But in breaking with Bollywood tradition, writer-director Farhan Akhtar too often seems to be imitating a more mundane style of American pop music video choreography. There are plenty of light comedic moments, in the style of a Hollywood romantic comedy, but done with a cultural specificity that makes it all seem fresher. The drama is, typically, a bit pricklier. While Akhtar's exploration of Sid's (Akshaye Khanna) involvement with Tara (Dimple Kapadia), an older, divorced woman, is relatively bold by Bollywood standards, in the end, the film's treatment of this character leaves a sour taste in one's mouth. Dil Chahta Hai is a funny and compelling film with many virtues, but it's hardly the masterpiece its champions make it out to be.