Dil Se.. (1998) (Hindi)

1998, 155 minutes, Hindi.
Produced and directed by Mani Ratnam
Music: A. R. Rahman; Lyrics: Gulzar
If the state of the world has you on edge, why not escape with one of those famously-fantastic "Bollywood" extravaganzas, such as this one (complete with eminently-hummable score and some great dancing) about...a terrorist suicide bomber...?
Since becoming a crossover success in Hindi with NAYAKAN ("Boss," 1987, a dubbed version of his award-winning Tamil film starring Kamal Haasan) South Indian director Mani Ratnam has made a series of controversial mainstream films that touch on potent contemporary issues: the bloody Kashmir secession conflict (ROJA, 1992) and the Bombay Hindu-Muslim riots of 1993 (BOMBAY, 1994). His fourth Hindi film, DIL SE, is a spectacular and disturbing romance set against a background of insurgent and counter-insurgent violence in the eastern Himalayan region, and the threat of national disintegration, especially following the 1991 assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a female suicide-bomber. Criticized by audiences for its highly-unorthodox denouement, it has also won staunch fans for this and other nonstandard features.