Kambakkht Ishq
Producer: Sajid Nadiadwala
Director: Sabir Khan
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Aftab Shivsadani, Amrita Arora, Sylvestor Stallone, Denise Richards, Brandon Routh
Music Dir: Anu Malik
This Friday (July 3) has completely belied the hopes of the Bollywood audience that eagerly waited for the much-hyped mega movie 'Kambakht Ishq'. Hindi movie watchers, who initially regretted the strike, later heaved a sigh of relief in the hope that the producers would make good their loss suffered by them during the standoff period when they were starved of new releases.
However, it appears that the producers in the meanwhile opted to cheat their audience by giving new releases but without proper content or direction in new movies. How else a movie like 'Kambakht Ishq' that was highly publicized has failed to entertain any section of society?
Is the producer Sajid Nadiadwala or the director Sabir Khan happy with what their new release has presented to their audience after a year of hard work and spending a huge sum of Rs 800 million? The film can indeed boast of shooting in Hollywood studios and also inclusion of foreign artists of repute.
This is apparent from a scene in Kodak Theater and from the appearances of Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh. Maybe Akshay needed it badly after a few of debacles in his career!
The much-talked about star cast of Bollywood's two biggies likes of Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor has completely failed to entertain the audience. Well, stunts, beauty, shooting at foreign locales are all right but it doesn't suffice in a movie.
On the other hand, famous director as well as producer has stooped too low in presenting the content. Less said is better in this regard. Neither dialogues nor the scenes enacted nor the way the hero and the heroine are presented in the movie are worth watching.
Though the Censor Board is stated to have deleted some scenes and double meaning dialogues from the film certified for exhibition yet we wonder how the rest has escaped its notice. Could a family watch the movie together? Certainly not!
Is it the way of improving standard of film making in Bollywood? One may shoot a film in Hollwood studio and sign on a couple of Hollywood actors but that alone doesn't make a movie. How the Hollywood actors agree to act is another matter to be raised with Hollywood fraternity? Let's substantiate our criticism.
The heroine refers to hero as 'dog' and the hero calls the heroine a 'bitch' all through the movie. Is it the characterization of a hero or a heroine? Why not call them villains? Haven't Akshay and Kareena not referred like this to each other? Mr Sabir Khan, do you allow your movie's heroine to say that men have no IQ.
Has Kareena not said it? Sorry, this is no entertainment. Could we dare present a womanizer as hero? Again, it's not done. Viraj played by Akshay Kumar is an Indian stuntman working in Hollywood. But, this is nothing new for Akki.
However, the presentation that he is a compulsive womanizer who goes flirting around with every other woman in the town, including super model Simrita played by Kareena Kapoor is. Once, he tells her that since she's not falling for him, she must be a lesbian! Still her family doesn't mind hoping that she might one day get wedded to this eerie womanizer. Alas, this is no humor!
There are other instances too. A surgeon leaves a timepiece inside stuntman's stomach. Is it a joke? Two, under the influence of a drink, she sheds her clothes to seduce Akki and sings a song "Bebo main bebo, dil mera le lo'. Later, she wakes up next day with only a bed-sheet around her, and feels proud that Akki hadn't raped her? Once during an argument, Viraj threatens to shut her up and kisses her forcibly. Enough is enough.
The four writers comprising Kiran Kotrial, Anvita Dutt Gupta, Ishita Mohitra and Sabbir Khan are responsible for such dialogues. They have failed in their respective jobs of writing the screenplay and connecting it with the story and also composing dialogues and penning lyrics for songs. There is a spree of eve teasing. Akki even threatens Kareena if she would like to know how low a stuntman can get?
Acting-wise, Akshay Kumar does stunts himself. This is good. However, he is unable to do anything with the otherwise meaningless script. Kareena Kapoor does her best but she acts what she is asked to. That's why her dialogues and songs are not up to the standard.
Among others, several actors have nothing much to do, so they are just wasted. They include Kirron Kher, Javed Jaffrey, Boman Irani and Vindu Dara Singh, besides Hollywood icons Stallone and Denise Richards. Has Sajid hired Amrita Arora to please heroine Kareena Kapoor? Aftab Shivdasani is just okay.
As a whole, the movie suffers from the lack of a worthwhile screenplay and an apt direction. A great betrayal for the audience!