Watched Taal (1999) and have some thoughts/a review. What do you think of the film?

Idk if I have a really bad memory, but as a kid, I always thought films like these were from the 80s. I would be less shocked it if it was released in the early 90's, but 1999? Spoliers ahead It was my first time watching it, and since it's so hyped, I had high expectations. The first act is a bit awkward and cliché and maybe even cringe. It also doesn't explain the relationship between the main characters. It just sorta happens like it is a continuation of something else that we were supposed to watch prior to watching the film. It's about 40 minutes, and it was so boring I was about to give up on the film. It felt like they really wanted us to see Aishwarya Rai and Ashkay Khanna as an aesthetic but barely believable couple in a rural setting. I just didn't buy it during this part of the film. Later on, it starts to make more sense, and they start to settle into/fit their roles better. It actually becomes enjoyable until a seemingly unnecessary plot twist where someone Mansi (Rai) meets falls in love with her unnecessarily complicating a simple story. Of course, she says yes and then returns to the person (Manav/Khanna) she flipped off for so long for NO REASON. There was never enough development of their love for anyone to strongly support this. It feels like Mansi should have stuck by her choice and shouldn't have agreed to marry someone she didn't love either. On the other hand, the film has an amazing soundtrack. I really love it as well as the sets and representation. I also like some characters like Vikrant(Anil Kapoor) who were very considerate of Mansi despite seeming abusive at the start. He really wasn't a villain. Imo the film tries to villianise both of her love interests for no reason. Manav was rightfully mad at her father since he didn't realise he was set up, and Vikrant was generally okay until he got obsessed with marrying Mansi. I do like the sets as well. The Taal se Taal mila song set was so perfect. I wonder if that was a real pond in the middle of nowhere, though. 🤔 Overall, the film could have been better developed. It feels a bit cliché (maybe because of age) and very surface level to me. It could have gone so much deeper and felt like a film of its time (it didn't age so well). While I found it generally enjoyable, I do think it doesn't live up to the hype. The film is also nearly 3 hours long. Too long. TLDR; The film is nice but doesn't live up to the hype. The general plot line is very boring, cliché and could have gone deeper. The film is generally enjoyable but does not live up to the hype imo.