Kambakkht Ishq

I honestly truly believe that this movie is the worst movie I have seen in years. I hold a great respect for Indian cinema and I have been in love with Bollywood since before I could even walk my first step.

The thing about this movie is that it is ridiculously illogical in every single aspect, not to mention the lead actors serious problem of over-acting. I loved Kareena in 'Jab we met' and I thought "well this girl finally proved that she can indeed act normally", but this movie changed my mind.

To be fair though, I did laugh at times. Not because the scenes were funny, but because they were sooooo stupid that I just couldn't help myself.

While this is no masterpiece of any kind it does do what it is set out to do. And that is entertain. The problem however is that it entertaining for a certain kind of audience. In it's heart this is a romantic comedy that distances itself from the traditional Bollywood love story. Although it does contain elements from that genre. Basically the love story is more westernized and that apparently is too much for your typical Bollywood fan too handle.Bollywood fans want to see the same thing over and over again. Any change or modernization is felt as a slap in their face. And this is something I just don't understand. Since most of what is happening in this movie is pretty universal especially the conflict between the main characters. I have to admit that some scenes are far too silly and drag the movie a bit. But for the most of it is all good fun. Ignore the critics and you might be surprised how entertaining this movie actually is.

Well, with the media taking its toll on Kambakkht Ishq & Akshay Kumar - the expectations runs low and the movie turns out better than expected. Akshay Kumar must be kicking himself not having exercised caution (read that "choose wisely") when he was just between the cup-and-the-lip. Lightning doesn't strike twice my dear friend.

Anyways, the love-you & loathe you sequences start from the word go and until it reaches finale there is a fair share of story interlaced with emotion, drama, comedy, tragedy etc. Having said that, there was immense potential to improvise - but hey, who am I to say!

¤ Akshay Kumar:: Much before he struck gold I always carried an opinion that give him a nickel and Akshay delivers in dimes. Post success streak that became his style. And now - I am back to my original opinion.

¤ Kareena:: The "Poo" character return (albeit in size zero!).

¤ Javed Jaffery:: Seriously, what was he doing there?

¤ Aftab & Amrita:: Glorified junior-artistes. Reminds me of Rajendranath/ Shobha Khote of 60's.

¤ Vindu:: Good to see after a long hiatus. And trying a hand at comedy, eh?

¤ Boman Irani & Kiron Kher:: Under-utilisation at its best. Seriously - is money everything?

¤ Hollywood star-cast:: Beyond my comprehension as to why they were there in the first place. Too much of money to flaunt around I guess. The plot could have easily been based in India.

¤ Sabir Khan:: Obviously, the master doesn't teach everything to the disciple (ref. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi!)

¤ Nadiadwala:: Time to pull up your socks and ensure quality goods are delivered under your baton.

Finally, the movie is completely inspired (should I abstain from the word plagiarised?) by Pammal K. Sambandam. Had the project been executed legally involving the great thespian to overlook the proceedings - the results would have been far more superior. On that same note, yesterday I read the producers of Namaste London suing the Bengali filmmaker for copyright infringement. Hello Mr. Akshay Kumar... pot calling the kettle black eh?

Don't go expecting a great movie, it's not.

But it is also not "the worst of the worst" etc. It is uneven. There are jokes that might appeal to a 13 year old that are dreadfully stale and in poor taste for adults. The scriptwriter's sense of how a person becomes a doctor in the US is bizarre. I don't know if this matches Indian practice in some way but it certainly doesn't represent even a nodding acquaintance with the American hospital scene.

The situations and language will not shock anyone used to US films, though they are probably fairly shocking for Bollywood, and I do not know to what extent the subtitles represented a taming of the language in Hindi. Someone complained about nudity--I don't count presumed nudity under sheets as nudity.

That said, there are some nice moments, and a great sense of energy throughout. If you have high tolerance for silliness, this is fun. My husband who is not a Bollywood fan, enjoyed it.

The review I had read before the release gave it a 3.5 stars stating that it was a solid entertainer, brilliant, hilarious comedy, and if not always laughing, but it'll always have you smiling, at all times. I've been through worse, so I sat through it. And, for once, HYPE didn't kill this movie. This movie was dead before it hit the screens.

Akshay Kumar with his stupid stunts, worse-than-ever performance at some points, irritating cliché expressions is the most destructive factor of the movie. He did it in Chandni Chowk, then in Tasveer, and now Kambakkht Ishq. The direction is so stupid and abrupt, you just wonder why did they show this scene? What was the point of that line he said? The cinematography and editing was good, and so were three of the songs. The script was bad, and seriously, it was bad. And the only thing about the movie which I liked was, well, Bebo.

How the hell did a superstar like Sylvester Stallone wind up in the middle of a gang-way alley to save Bebo from gangsters? Yes, Sylvester Stallone is himself in the movie. How can a superstar of his fame arrive there, JUST at the time required?? Age-old-traditional bollywood rigidity, one that shall never change, I guess.

Time's up Akki. Time up. 4/10, ONLY for Bebo and the songs.