Vikram Bhatt's Dangerous Ishhq has an attention-grabbing plot, but the screenplay gets taxing and boring after a point. You could watch the film for one or the other reason. Karisma makes a fair fist of it. Read on.
"At the concept level, Dangerous Ishhq does have something going for it beyond the stereoscopic 3D that it has been filmed in. Hindi movie fans are accustomed to high-pitched reincarnation dramas in which characters are reborn in order to complete unfinished business a la Karan Arjun. But this one isn’t only about rebirth," writes Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV.
But does the treatment of the film does justice to the screeplay? "Bollywood has tackled this past life business in the past, very many times. And some films like Karz, manage to weave past life in to make a super entertaining plot even. What new thing was Bhatt going to do? More importantly, madame Kapoor chose this film as a comeback vehicle and claimed it was the most challenging role of her life. There had to be something in the film. How wrong I was!" writes Shakti Salgaokar, DNA
Subhashj K Jha, IANS, however, is all praises for Karisma: "Karisma Kapoor's grand-slam of a return to form (and shape) in Vikram Bhatt's startling mix of myth and mystery in Dangerous Ishq proves that there is life after 30 for Bollywood divas. You just need to get a life."
Not all critics feel the same way though. Puja Banta, Rediff says: "Despite her claims of having worked very hard for the film, none of Karisma's four characters leave any impact on the audience. A ridiculous and faulty plot, superficial dialogue delivery and weak direction leaves the audience completely untouched and mighty annoyed at being taken for such a dumb ride.
Story
"Supermodel Sanjana and Rohan, son of a business tycoon, are one of the most popular couples on the social circuit. When Sanjana decides against flying to Paris at the last minute for a lucrative modeling assignment, she does so not just because she cannot bear to stay away from her boyfriend Rohan, but because her instincts push her against going. But what her instincts cannot do is stop Rohan from getting kidnapped," writes Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama.
Strong plot, loose screenplay
"The strength of Dangerous Ishhq lies is its attention-grabbing plot, which the Indian masses can relate to instantaneously. With Vikram Bhatt at the helm of affairs, who specializes in narrating taut thrillers, you can be assured of a riveting plot with several heart-in-the-mouth moments. But, alas, it's the screenplay that throws a spanner, with the over-stretched second hour and a formulaic conclusion ruining what Vikram had meticulously put together in the first half," feels Adarsh.
What went wrong?
"The movie plummets in the post-interval portions. It's not the execution of the material that's faulty, but the screenplay that gets taxing and boring after a point," Adarsh explains.
3D effects
"And then there are the 3D effects. Never before in an Indian film have we seen the 3D technique been applied with such resounding impact. The flying rubble, boulders and the dust in the key action scenes actually makes you flinch as they hurl out of the screen at the speed of the film's excellent sound," says Subhash K Jha, IANS.
"Dangerous Ishq has the best 3D effects seen in an Indian film, on a par with what we saw recently in The Avengers, if not better," he adds.
Performances
"Karisma Kapoor puts forth her best efforts, getting to deliver lines in varied dialects. She gets the dialects right, especially Urdu and Rajasthani, but there's not much scope for her to display her acting prowess. Rajniesh Duggal gets some scope initially, but is sidelined completely in the second hour," says Adarsh.
"Karisma gets able support from a slew of capable actors playing her predatory male adversary in various lifetimes. Rajineish partners her ably. Ravi Kissan and Aarya Babbar stand out among the villains who want to separate them," writes Jha.
"Karisma is back with a big bang. DI rests on the strong shoulders of the actress, as she delivers a stupendous performance. It’s a treat to watch her switch lanes and portay women from different eras and cultures. Rajniesh Duggall plays his part well. Jimmy Shergill surprises once again after Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, with a flawless act," reports dailybhaskar.com.
3D effects
"And then there are the 3D effects. Never before in an Indian film have we seen the 3D technique been applied with such resounding impact. The flying rubble, boulders and the dust in the key action scenes actually makes you flinch as they hurl out of the screen at the speed of the film's excellent sound," says Subhash K Jha, IANS.
"Dangerous Ishq has the best 3D effects seen in an Indian film, on a par with what we saw recently in The Avengers, if not better," he adds.
Performances
"Karisma Kapoor puts forth her best efforts, getting to deliver lines in varied dialects. She gets the dialects right, especially Urdu and Rajasthani, but there's not much scope for her to display her acting prowess. Rajniesh Duggal gets some scope initially, but is sidelined completely in the second hour," says Adarsh.
"Karisma gets able support from a slew of capable actors playing her predatory male adversary in various lifetimes. Rajineish partners her ably. Ravi Kissan and Aarya Babbar stand out among the villains who want to separate them," writes Jha.
"Karisma is back with a big bang. DI rests on the strong shoulders of the actress, as she delivers a stupendous performance. It’s a treat to watch her switch lanes and portay women from different eras and cultures. Rajniesh Duggall plays his part well. Jimmy Shergill surprises once again after Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, with a flawless act," reports dailybhaskar.com.
"Karisma Kapur, back on the screen after a nine-year hiatus, continues from where she left off, donning several looks, going the whole distance in justifying her return to the thick of the action, and delivering a performance that is competent, if not entirely convincing," writes Chatterjee.
Conclusion
"On the whole, Dangerous Ishhq is no patch on Vikram Bhatt's earlier achievements. This fantasy-driven film is an epic disappointment!," feels Adarsh.
"Bhatt tells it with a deep-throated rush of passion. You may not believe in past lives. But this film sure makes you believe punar-janam has a future in our cinema," concludes Jha.
"So here's a plea to all filmmakers -- regressive or progressive -- for the sake of Indian cinema and its viewers, Mirabai and Dr Brian Weiss should be kept as far away from each other as possible," suggests Banta.
"You could watch the film for one or the other reason. Karisma makes a fair fist of it. The plot is a problem. It is all over the place," concludes Chatterjee.
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