Movie Review – Kambakkht Ishq: a time pass fare!

July 2, 2009 by sumreet
Filed under Bollywood, Movies

Kamakkht Ishq Wallpaper

Kambakkht Ishq is touted as one of the most awaited films of this year. It boasts of an ensemble star cast with a combination of both Hindi Cinema and Hollywood actors. The movie promises to be a complete entertainer as evident from the promos of the movie. The movie is quite crucial for Akshay Kumar who has recently delivered two duds (Chandni Chowk To China and 8X10 Tasveer) and Kareena Kapoor whose last movie Tashan failed miserably at the box office. Also, the presence of Hollywood biggies such as Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards has raised the expectation bar of the film.

KAMBAKKHT ISHQ focuses on the relationship between two individuals who are poles apart from each other. Viraj [Akshay Kumar] is a Hollywood stuntman, who believes that women are only good for two things. Simrita [Kareena Kapoor] is a surgeon and supermodel, who does not believe in the institution of marriage as she hates men and thinks that men are desperate for only one thing from a woman. She is an instigator who is more than able to stare down the most arrogant male with her acerbic wit and sarcastic tongue.

So what happens when the two people who hate each other the most meet at Simrita’s best friend Kamini’s [Amrita Arora] and Viraj’s brother Lucky’s [Aftab Shivdasani] wedding? A wedding that both Viraj and Simrita are violently opposed to and desperate to stop. Sparks fly… the battle of the sexes in on. After this, they keep on banging into each other and complete with each other to put each other down and eventually fall in love.

As in earlier movies starring Akshay Kumar such as Welcome and Singh is Kinng, the main focus of Kambakkht Ishq is to entertain without any logic. So, when you come to watch the movie just do not try to use your brain or you will find lots of loopholes in the screenplay. Kambakkht Ishq starts on a good note and continues to generate laughter till the first half of the movie. In fact, there are several scenes that are quite hilarious such as Amrita-Aftab’s wedding reception, Kareena trying to create fight between Amrita-Aftab and Akshay attempting to create patch up among them, Kareena operating Akshay, etc.

But post-interval after a few funny sequences, the movie changes track to emotional sequences that lead to love among the lead pair. The emotional quotient of the film may not go down well with the viewer as it does not register much impact. Kareena justifying her hatred for men to Akshay seems too senseless to believe. One sequence that appears unique is Akshay Kumar’s proposal to Kareena in the underwater. The climax, though, attempts to save the movie from this cliche melodrama in the second half. To sum up, Kambakkht Ishq is full of glamour, glitz, gloss but low on content as there is not much story to convey.

Now coming to the performances. The movie wholly belongs to Akshay Kumar whose comic timing is perfect. Without his presence, the movie would have fallen apart. He is quite good in emotional sequences too. If you are an Akshay Kumar fan, go to see the movie at least for him and you would not be disappointed as such. Kareena Kapoor looks glamorous and beautiful throughout the movie except in the bikini sequence. Her act is just like in her earlier commercial movies and is nothing much to boast of. But yes, she adds spark when she appears on the screen. Kirron Kher is repetitive and wasted. Aftab delivers a satisfactory performance. Amrita Arora acts like dumb as in her earlier ventures. Jaaved Jaffery is entirely wasted. His track fails to evoke any laugh and appears forced in the narrative. Vindu Dara Singh (Akhsay’s secretary) supports his part well. Boman Irani is quite funny in a single scene. Hollywood Actors are well integrated into the plot. Sylvester Stallone appearing at the end and saving Kareena Kapoor reminds you of apna Sunny Deol!

Director Sabeer Khan presents the movie in a very stylish and grand manner. The entire first half is light and funny and makes you enjoy the tussle among the lead pair. Cinematography is rich and magnificent. Anu Malik’s Music is strictly ordinary. Barring the title track (that too composed by RDB), there is not a single track you remember after the movie.

In all, Kambakkht Ishq lives up to be a strictly one time decent fare that has zany and madcap first half. Though its second half is not too entertaining and impressive, still Akshay Kumar’s performance saves it from falling flat. Given the tremendous hype surrounding the movie, it has already taken an earth-shattering start at the ticket window. Whether it will be able to sustain itself or not will depend on the audience’s reaction to the film in the coming days. Still, I would recommend it for Akshay Kumar’s fans and the people who like watching the senseless entertainers.

Rating: 3/5

Tags: akshay kumar, kareena kapoor