Director: Sabbir Khan
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Aftab Shivdasani
Information: Contains moderate language, sex references, violence and surgical detail
Running time:
BBFC cert: 12A
Release date: 3 July 2009 by EROS International
Rating: 3/5
Swashbuckling Hollywood stuntman, Viraj Shergill (Akshay Kumar) lives by the principle that women are only good for manly pleasures. Meanwhile, hot headed super-model and aspiring surgeon, Simitra, does not feel the need to have any relationship with a man.
Soon, brawn and brain clash when Viraj’s brother, Lucky (Aftab Shivdasani) and Simitra’s sister Kamini (Amrita Arora) elope to get married.
From then on the stuntman and super-model are thrown together in the most absurd situations as they try all the tricks they can think of to split-up the married couple.
Director Sabbir Khan lucratively portrays the lead stars’ romance amidst the glamour, glitz and the sexiness of Los Angeles. This is topped-up with Hollywood style action sequences and sing-a-long foot tapping musical numbers.
The other high points of Kambakkht Ishq are its exotic colourful dance sequences, the film’s musical score and the appearance of Hollywood cameos.
Khan effectively integrates Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards with the on-screen narration involving the lead stars.
But Kambakkht Ishq falls short of engrossing the viewer. This is due to a flawed script with sleazy dialogues that are embarrassing for the older generation of movie goers.
Some gags try to make you laugh aloud but only succeed in evoking a smile. Few melodramatic scenes between lead couple are innovative and riveting but these are witness only in the final reels.
Akshay Kumar is at his exhilarating best reminding us yet again of his brilliant comic timing last seen in Singh is Kinng.
Kareena Kapoor looks scrumptious in all her western style outfits looking like a true Hollywood star in the making and dared to reveal more than her usual self according to Bollywood standards!
Amrita Arora and Aftab Shivdasani provide able support to the two lead characters who are loggerheads with each other.
Kambakkth Ishq is the first big budget ‘masala’ movie to release this year after a long drawn Bollywood strike making it an entertaining watching despite the minor flaws.
Reviewed by Manish Gajjar
BBC Bollywood Correspondent
