What is love? That experience of romance and passion, the deep sighs, the roses! But it is also caring, sharing and the feeling that puts the beloved before one’s self. One who lives up to the above is the real lover - the Aashiq.
Chander (Bobby Deol) is a fun-loving, carefree young man who believes in standing up for others. This streak earns him enemies, but also brings him in front of the besotted eyes of the wealthy Pooja (Karisma Kapoor).
What follows is a unique, fun-filled romance and before long Pooja and Chander are irrevocably in love.
The true test of love beckons in the form of barriers galore. Family disapproval, misunderstandings and more…. Fatalistically, Pooja gets abducted by a heinous flesh trader (Rahul Dev). Chander is framed as the abductor.
An outlaw on the run, whilst evading hand-cuffs, Chander takes on the challenge of rescuing his beloved from the lecherous world of flesh trade. Willing to take any risk, Chander puts his own life at stake.
Aashiq is a remake of noted director Vamshi’s Telugu hit Gulabi. To be honest, you expect a lot from director Indra Kumar, the director of Dil, Beta, Raja and Ishq, but the film belies your expectations. It is like a ship with a hole.
Besides Indra Kumar’s credentials, the title of the film gives the impression that you are going to watch a hatke love story, a welcome change from the usual boy-meets-girl fare witnessed innumerable times earlier. But Indra Kumar and his team of writers have boxed up the same old wine in a new package.
When compared to the director’s previous accomplishments, Aashiq pales on both the levels - script and music. The story of the film is as old as the hills and the screenplay does precious little to elevate the situation.
The first half of Aashiq has its share of light sequences, which are thoroughly enjoyable. The Karisma-Bobby romantic track is breezy, while the Johny Lever marriage scene is simply hilarious. The interval point holds a lot of promise, but the post-interval portions do not live up to the expectations.
Director Indra Kumar has opted for a script that is monotonous and which embarks on a lot of cinematic liberties. The portions pertaining to the dog, who strikes the right place at the right time, is indigestible. Besides these sequences, the police informer’s portions look forced in the screenplay.
Even the climax does wee little to perk up matters. In fact, the climax fight at the airport tarmac gives the impression that the security at our international airports is slipshod. To be honest, the scripting is of sheer convenience.
Sanjeev-Darshan’s musical score is also a downer. The tunes are cyclical and identifiable, although it must be said that the picturisation of the songs is commendable. Yet, the placement of songs towards the second half is improper, for they look forced in the goings-on.
Director Indra Kumar leaves an impression in a couple of sequences, not entirety. A fraction of the flick does have the by-now-famous stamp of the accomplished director, but after a point, the weak plot overpowers the director completely
Rajiv Kaul-Praful Parekh’s comedy punches are brilliant. Harmeet Singh’s cinematography is eye-filling. The locations of Europe make the film look visually affluent. Dialogues are tolerable at places. Action scenes are well implemented.
Bobby Deol goes through his role with earnestness. Karisma Kapoor does her part with fervour. Nasir Khan, as Bobby’s best friend, is a welcome addition to the list of talented names. Rahul Dev has a brief role, but he registers a strong impact. Anupam Kher is as usual. Vrajesh Hirjee irritates. Mukesh Rishi, Smita Jaykar, Anjan Srivastava and Mrinal Kulkarni lend fair support.
On the whole, Aashiq has a dull script, which will limit its prospects significantly. It will have a bumpy journey at the box-office.