Some six days of continuous study had really bogged down my energy levels, and a light-hearted movie was the need of the hour to replenish my lost ammunition, I mean the brains! So, while the whole world was busy screaming and howling in the theatres watching Bhoot, I settled down for this teenage-bopper love story...did it entertain? Well..read on!!
::The Plot::.
Alright, there are these two teenagers Rajeev (Shahid) and Payal (Amrita) who are childhood friends. Quite obviously, they are studying in the same college, and being together for so long, have had a perfectly platonic relationship between each other. Moreover, Payal is labelled “Behenji” by everyone for coming fully dressed to the college, which only accentuates her distance with Rajeev, though in heart of hearts she has always loved him. Being in a gang of hunks, a couples-party is organised in a faraway bungalow, where the boys expect to have some “hot” time with their chicks. Rajeev is lured, and turns to Payal expressing his false love for her, so that she can accompany him to the hot picnic. Payal, being a serious girl, gives it all to Rajeev. But at the picnic, the events take a drastic turn which soils their relationship. Moreover, a new hot babe Alisha (Shehnaz) enters the college also enters at the same time. So who does Rajeev select at the end—Alisha or Payal? Or does he dump both of them, and pick a new babe? Watch out the flick for the wonderful climax!
.::What makes Ishq Vishk different?::.
College life remains one of the most fun-and-frolic phases of life. It’s the time when teenagers explore themselves, their infatuations, their desires, their friends, their likes besides getting ready for the future. Easy going, cool, spontaneous are most of the characters that you meet at college, and those are all present in Ishq Vishk too.
The storyline is pretty lame, as you must have realised, but Ishq Vishk is different in that it doesn’t pretend to be youthful---it IS youthful. You don’t get 30+ actors playing college guys and gals, there’s no family rona-dhona or caste differences being thrown in. Everywhere, there’s this bubbling lightness and vibrancy that cuddles you. And the film doesn’t pretend to be overtly dramatic as well. It starts at the college campus, and even ends there, and with some ten youthfully picturised songs and original situations in the first half, it makes for a very entertaining viewing.
.::The Direction and the Technicalities::.
Ishq Vishk is directed by a debutante—Ken Ghosh, who’s directed some 100 awesome music videos (remember Alisha’s Made In India?). As a first-timer, Ken impresses. His masterful execution of the romance between Payal and Rajeev or for that matter even Alisha and Rajeev leaves you warm. If that’s not enough, his depiction of college life is near perfect, and even though the college is straight out of Archie’s, the language used is typical college-going teenager slang, which is definitely enjoyable.
Dialogues are natural in the emotional scenes and a blast in the comic ones. Cinematography is very stylised and so are the sets. Ample doses of vibrant colours like blood red, fluorescent green, navy blue coupled with excellent lighting makes this movie a feast to the eyes. The screenplay is quite alright, though a few questions do ring you—Why does Rajeev instantly become so rude towards Payal? And why do the same friends who had encouraged Rajeev to take Payal, take Payal’s side afterwards? But thanks to a tight script, the movie progresses at a neat pace and before you realise, “The End” is stamped on the screen.
.::The Music::.
The Music of Ishq Vishk is one of the best to have released this year, and it better be. Given by Anu Malik, the tunes are infectious to say the least coupled with magnificient picturisation. Though my personal favourite remains “Ankhon Ne Tumhaari Meethi Baaton ne” for its innocent lyrics and an exotic tune, there are a couple of others which do make a solid impact—“Ishq Vishq Pyaar Vyaar” and “Kya Mera Chehra Romantic Hai?”. Rest all are mere fillers and come and go without much ado. Choreography is scintillating to say the least and there are some brilliant new steps to blast on!
.::The Performances::.
Alright, I confess. The prime reason behind me seeing this flick was Amrita Rao. Though I loved her in that blink-and-miss role in The Legend of Bhagat Singh, here she practically carries the film on her responsible shoulders and comes up trumps. As a simple, practical, studious Payal who loves Rajeev unconditionally, she instantly tugs at your heart with what I call a beautiful performance. The other debutante babe, Shehnaz, a VJ, came out to be better than I thought. Besides having a perfect voice and a great body to boot, the girl looks every part of the rich-spoilt-sexy brat in the film, and that compliment extends to her restrained performance as well.
The hero of the film, Shahid Khan, suffers very seriously from a Shahrukh hangover. Every turn of the neck, every smile he poses, every step he takes and every hand that he raises, is typical Shahrukh. And his resemblance with Shahrukh is also quite uncanny. That said, he’s pretty decent as an actor, and takes to the character of Rajeev with visible ease. Don’t know if he’s here to stay, but he’s a million times better than the likes of Tushhar Kapoor and even Abhishek Bachchan. The rest of the cast is quite functional, and only Vishal Malhotra, who plays Rajeev’s best buds leaves a lasting impression.
.::To see or not::.
Remember the goosebumps you had when you received your first speck from a girl on the cheek...or the first time you asked a girl for a date...or the first time, you took a girl on a ride...or the time when you kissed a girl’s hand just because you had a bet with a hunk?....if you cherished those easy-going, funny college moments, you’ll love this flick. Ishq Vishk makes for a very light, cuddly viewing. It might not rekindle your grey cells (It doesn’t claim to do so, anyways!) be but definitely it touches your heart with its coolness....
The flick makes for a fundoo, cute weekend time-pass; Watch it with your date, and you’ll definitely enjoy it!!
.....Hope you liked the review....Do comment if time permits....
©Karan 2003