Karisma Kapur is back after a six year hiatus with Vikram Bhatt’s Dangeorous Ishhq 3d. While catching the first day first show didn’t turn out to be a great idea, at least I came back with some lessons for myself, and a bunch of requests for Bollywood filmmakers. Though Karisma is awesome and she totally proves what a veteran she is, the rest of the movie is rather absurd. I compiled a list of things that make it awfully weird, and one can only hope that we are subject to less of the same torturous oversights the next time.
1) A thriller does not mean scary music in a completely ordinary scene
The movie is not even remotely thrilling, and the ending is rather complicated, which implies that the makers couldn’t navigate their way through the plot. The dialogue, which is very important in this film genre, fails to add the element of intrigue. Please note that eerie music with Karisma looking scared and worked up over a kidnapped boyfriend (Rajneesh Duggal) does not qualify as thrilling for the average cinegoer.
2) We’re in 2012
The movie’s about past life regression, and I believe an interesting concept like that could make a great movie if it was brought to life with a gripping story and good performances… sadly that did not happen (although I did enjoy Divya Dutta‘s supporting role.) The dialogues are almost as superficial and annoying as the 3D effects, which appear to have be thrown in randomly, and have no relevance to the plot. The story is just really lame, and I wish they wouldn’t think that modern audiences will still buy anything.
3) Does Karisma belong here?
With the kind of intensity and depth that she brings to all her five characters, I know that Karisma deserved better than this preposterous plot to back her up. I really hope that filmmakers out there will appreciate her talent and give her work that is worthy of her talent, and doesn’t leave us feeling cheated.
4) 3D does not mean thrice as disastrous
Next time I am definitely thinking twice (or thrice!) before I walk into a movie that claims to be a 3D supernatural thriller. I always get a headache with those stupid glasses on to begin with, and when the effects are so random (e.g. bricks flying at you for two seconds) it adds to the frustration. I thought the idea of 3D is to make us feel like a part of the movie and to amplify certain settings…I’m sorry but Karisma’s living room looking all scary and enlarged like it’s about to explode is so frickin’ fake and unnecessary.
5) Does calling it ‘supernatural’ get the cash registers ringing?
Apparently they assumed a theme of rebirth, actors with horrible makeup and a creepy looking sorceress would automatically make this movie scary and interesting. I did like the bad guys in the movie, especially Aarya Babbar and Ravi Kissen (although it’s kinda weird that they follow Karisma through multiple generations), but alas a random story spread over five hundred years, is still a random story.
I really wish that they had explored the mythology bit more rather than restricting it a cameo by Gracy Singh (yes, the lady from Lagaan makes a comeback too) because that would really add an element of mystery to the plot. Manish Malhotra did a great job ensuring that Karisma looked super hot in all her avatars, but Vikram Bhatt’s direction is really disappointing. I wish the movie did justice to a beautiful and talented actress like Karisma so her fans across the globe could celebrate her comeback with a bang. Watch this one at your own risk.