Love Games

Very intresting and the second half of the film is truely terrific

When you have only compulsion and opportunity to make a film rather than a script at least. Result has to be like this. Director Mr. Vikram Bhatt is writer of this irritating game so he has to be fully blamed of this waste of time of audience. Only starting few minutes of many films give you idea that how it is going to be. Film opens with a body crashing on a car. His younger and good looking wife is mourning in front of Police then locks herself in bedroom and her cry converts into laughter. This opening scene is so stale. This first bite gives you the bitter taste about the rest meal. Film is full of irritating melo drama with topping of bad performances. Screenplay has everything except mind. Dialogues are good at places. One can sneak into bedroom of a high profile person house and even with opening door with keys!? A girl is sleeping so soundly even after being brutally beaten, as screenplay says but doesn't look like, that sneaking person make love on carpet while she is sleeping!? Police comes in starting to investigate for the first death but then vanishes in nowhere or writer had just forget or didn't think it worth to take ahead!? A person takes another person body so easily from a high profile Hospital like cake walk!? Buried in graveyard and after something comes in front of you in climax, which is just ridiculously kiddies. Just tossing a medical drug is enough to justify all this as makers think. Climax and pre climax is so haphazard. Performance wise Patralekha as Ramona is good at places. Main lead Gaurav Arora as Sam has some unusual looks but he is almost blank and unbearable in emotional scenes. He has weird walks. Tara Alisha Berry is dumb doll.

Having seen this film, I was left with mixed feelings. On the plus side, the film does manage to capture some intriguing visuals. The cinematography is sleek and stylish, which adds a certain flair to the otherwise standard narrative. The performances are competent, and there's a noticeable effort from the cast to bring their characters to life.

However, the film struggles with several issues. The plot is rather derivative, feeling like a rehash of familiar themes and tropes without adding much originality. It's predictable, with twists that can be spotted from a mile away, which makes the story less engaging.

Additionally, the film's attempt to delve into its themes often feels superficial and unconvincing. The character motivations and relationships lack depth, leading to an overall sense of emotional detachment. The storytelling is somewhat disjointed, making it hard to stay fully invested in the characters or their arcs.

In summary, while the film has some visual appeal and solid performances, it falters in terms of originality and depth. It's an okay watch if you're looking for something visually appealing, but don't expect a compelling or memorable narrative.

Love Games review :

The film starts and ends with the following couplet :

Roses are red, violets are blue Sex can be messy, love can be too.

After watching it right till the end, this is my own twisted take on that couplet :

Roses are red, violets are blue.

Love Games is trashy, It wont work for you.

Writer- director Vikram Bhatt takes you down the road of Page 3 socialites - high on drugs and low on morals. One such lady is Ramona Raichand (Patralekhaa Paul) who is having an extra marital with her coke snorting toy boy Sameer Saxena (newcomer Gaurav Arora). Sammy boy (as she calls him) has a penchant for slitting his wrists and visiting a psychiatrist (a pensive Rukhsar) for treatment. He also reluctantly agrees to awkward threesomes with random girls set up by Ramona.

Next, Ramona baby suggests "love games" to Sammy boy. "What's that?" he inquires. "Well, it ain't that complicated" she assures. It's basically the two of them hitting (separately) on fellow page 3 married couples as strangers; whoever gets to bed the opposite partner first is the winner and gets a weekly supply of coke (the drug, not the drink!!!) as a reward. The game begins and Sam wins round one.

Next, the two love gamers eye on the Asthana's. Alisha (Tara Alisha Berry) is a surgeon who operates her emergency patients wearing an apron over her micro minis. She's in to a physically abusive relationship with her lawyer hubby (some goddamn shrieking TV actor) and falls for Sammy boy who proclaims his undying love for her through a rather unmelodious song, applies some green lotion on her bruised bare back and finally beds her.

Expectedly, love strikes them both. Ramona laughs it off and suggests best of both worlds to Sammy dear. "Wahan classical piano, Yahan hard rock". Sam says no thank you. Ramona ain't happy. You arent with the film so far, either. Thank heavens, its interval time.

The second hour is all about more sex, deceit, blackmail, confession, counter blackmail and finally a murder. Yea, a kinky kinda murder where the killer plays candy crush on mobile after finishing off the victim.

On paper, the concept of swingers with a murder element thrown in, had potential to be a desi 'Basic Instinct' (1992). But Vikram Bhatt is no Paul Verhoeven nor does Patralekhaa possess the physical attributes of Sharon Stone to pull of the role of a psychotic swinger convincingly.

Tara Alisha Berry looks awkward in the kissing scenes though overall, she emotes better. Gaurav Arora needed a better launch. And we, as an audience, deserved a better erotic thriller...

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Or found for that matter. Actually I would be surprised if you should even call this a love (or dare I say erotic?) thriller anyway. There is not much of that to be found here anyway. And the one scene where you see someone in their underwear - it is to show off a wound. So not really something that is meant to excited .... well not normally ... anyway, moving on.

Something you should do - like without stopping to watch this. Yes there are a few twists and turns - some aren't even half bad. But the cliches thrown at you - leading to those twists? Well they will make you cringe big time! There are some moments where the movie understands what it is and almost makes fun of itself ... I cherish those moments - rare as they may have been.

Overall this is a waste of time though ... yes drugs are bad, I don't think we needed a disclaimer at the front of the movie to remind us. Then again what do I know, right? I'd say I know ... what's love got to do with it: nothing!