Romance is the most favored genre in Bollywood, but love stories have undergone a metamorphosis in the recent past. Films like EK MAIN AUR EKK TU, LOVE AAJ KAL, WAKE UP SID, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK and COCKTAIL have redefined romance in our movies. The anguish which germinates from heartbreak, the outburst of emotions when matters of the heart fail and making peace with oneself and the loved one eventually… the storytellers are in a mood to push the envelope further.
ISHKQ IN PARIS is yet another addition to the new-age, urban setting love tale. The film is significant because, besides its theme, it marks Preity Zinta’s tryst with film production, besides signaling her return to the big screen after a hiatus. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to the romantic fare BEFORE SUNRISE [Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy], ISHKQ IN PARIS also brings back memories of LONDON PARIS NEW YORK, which released a year ago. Needless to say, ISHKQ IN PARIS is different from the above-named films in terms of story development and execution.
When an entire film centers on first getting acquainted and then going separate ways, it puts enormous pressure on the storyteller to make every sequence vital. He/she needs to glisten relentlessly. Even accomplished writers/directors find it most demanding to portray a couple falling in love and drifting apart within a few hours of meeting each other… Prem Soni does have a tough task on his shoulders to depict the wobbly relationship between the protagonists.
Prem borrows the attitude from BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET films, but he makes sure he affixes those delicate touches that appeal to the Indian cineastes. Since the film is chatty in nature, there are times when weariness sets in and the lines seem contrived [the first hour is strictly okay!], but, eventually, this one springs a pleasant surprise!
ISHKQ IN PARIS narrates the story of two strangers, Ishkq [Preity Zinta] and Aakash [Rhehan Malliek], who meet on a train from Rome to Paris and end up spending an evening in Paris. Sparks fly, the two share some wonderful moments before they go separate ways… only to meet again!
What goes in favor of ISHKQ IN PARIS is the vibe and the chemistry between its lead actors. The love story has its moments, the humor is subtle and believable and the writers [Preity Zinta, Prem Soni] make sure they spike the narrative with energetic episodes and clever lines. There’s an invigorating honesty in the way the couple discuss love and the twist in the pre-climax saunters in slickly. The build-up to the climax, coupled with the mature execution of the written material, keeps you hooked.
On the flip side, the writing meanders from stimulating to wishy-washy. There are times when the film tries to be different from movies of its ilk, but doesn’t really thrive. Sure, it begins with a bang, but it continues to taper as it moves forward. The director uses melodrama to depict anxiety and trauma, but the trouble is, haven’t we watched it all in movies earlier?
The DoP [Manush Nandan] endeavors for a certain look and feel and which he maintains all through. The stunning locales of Paris and Prague augment the visual impact. The soundtrack [Sajid-Wajid] is wholesome, with the composers coming up with tracks that capture the mood of the love story. ‘It’s All About Tonight’ is racy, while ‘Kudiye Di Kurti’ is foot-tapping and the presence of Salman Khan acts as the icing on the cake. ‘Saiyaan’ is melodious to the core.
It’s difficult to take your eyes off Preity and Rhehan. Whether bickering or flirting with one another, the actors catch your eye in those tiny little moments that capture their charming chemistry well. What makes the performances work is that the characters are bona fide and credible. Preity is exquisite in every frame. Her eyes emanate genuine warmth and her performance is captivating. It’s great to see this supremely talented actress back in top form! Rhehan too infuses energy into his role and compliments Preity at every level. He looks perfect for his part and carries his part with poise and composure.
Isabelle Adjani is good enough in the few sequences she appears in. Sanjay Lafont doesn’t get scope. Shekhar Kapur shines in the song-sequence. Chunky Pandey is up to the mark in a cameo.
On the whole, ISHKQ IN PARIS is a decent fare, but its fate depends on word of mouth completely, for the film to carve a niche for itself. The delay in release [the promos had been on air for quite some time] coupled with lack of strong face-value might mar its prospects!
Rating: Two & Half.
https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/reviews/type/view/id/1277
Tags: Ishkq In Paris Jaane Bhi De Preity Zinta Reviews Rhehan Malliek Taran Adarsh
Review by Komal Nahta
PZNZ Media’s Ishkq In Paris (UA) is the love story of Ishkq (Preity Zinta) and Akash (Rhehan Malliek), which starts and blossoms in Paris. Ishkq is half-Indian, half-French and lives with her French mother, Marie (Isabelle Adjani), in Paris, after the divorce of her parents. She is a fun-loving girl but she hates the institution of marriage because of obvious reasons. She meets Akash while travelling in a train from Rome to Paris. He is on his way to Paris as he has to board a plane to London from there the next day. Akash is also an Indian, who is settled in London. He also dislikes the institution of marriage.
Ishkq and Akash strike up a friendship and decide to spend the evening and night together in Paris. They both have a great time together and although Akash is keen to have sex with Ishkq, she is too Indian at heart to allow that. However, both have gotten fond of one another. They have also shared their secrets with one another because they are sure, they would never meet again. In fact, Ishkq categorically asks Akash never to come to Paris again.
As luck would have it, the wedding of Akash’s close friend, Karan, gets him to Paris once again after some time. Desperate to meet Ishkq, he spots her as soon as he reaches Paris and follows her home. He is shocked to know that Ishkq is the daughter of Marie, a very popular French film actress whom he adores. He persuades Ishkq to accompany him to Karan’s wedding and related functions. The two come closer to one another and even end up together in bed. Akash is now convinced, he is madly in love with Ishkq and despite his aversion to marriage, he is actually keen to marry her. But Ishkq holds herself back and turns down his marriage proposal because she is haunted by her parents’ divorce.
Dejected, Akash is all set to return to London the following morning. But before that, Ishkq’s mother tells her something that shakes Ishkq. What is it that she tells Ishkq? Does Ishkq marry Akash? Does she meet her estranged father (Shekhar Kapur)?
Preity Zinta and Prem Raj’s script (additional writing by Kausar Munir, Khalid Azmi and Raaj Verma) moves at a leisurely pace and tests the audience’s patience. The story fails to involve the audience as the two friends behave like one-day friends and refrain themselves from getting attracted to one another, physically or otherwise. Even if Akash does express his keenness on having physical relations with Ishkq, it is clear to the audience that his eagerness is not at all because he has fallen in love with her. In fact, he realises much later that he is in love with her. Even the comedy between Ishkq and Akash is more in dialogues and that intermittent comedy will also appeal only to the class audience. The characters of Ishkq and Akash are so unbelievable and plastic that the audience fails to connect with them. Consequently, the viewers simply aren’t concerned about whether Ishkq and Akash will come together or not. Since there’s not much romance, the audience feels nothing when the two of them separate. Even in the second half, the viewers remain disconnected when Ishkq turns down Akash’s marriage proposal, probably because they have not connected enough with Akash. The emotional scenes fall flat on their face because of the same lack of connection of the audience with the two characters. In short, the story and the screenplay are very tame because romance is almost completely absent, comedy is too class-appealing and very limited, drama is minimal and emotions fail to touch the heart. The drama also becomes monotonous because it revolves mainly around Ishkq and Akash only. Dialogues, penned by Preity Zinta and Prem Raj, are good but very class-appealing.
Preity Zinta acts well but a younger actress would have been more suitable for the role. Rhehan Malliek looks ill-suited to be cast as a hero opposite Preity Zinta. He does a fair job. Isabelle Adjani is quite okay as Marie. Salman Khan adds tremendous star value in an energetic song-dance number. Chunkey Panday leaves a mark in a brief role. Shekhar Kapur has just one scene to make his presence felt.
Prem Raj’s direction is alright but the script is such that it would entertain neither the classes nor the masses and neither the youngsters nor the older generation. Sajid-Wajid’s music is average and the songs haven’t been popularised well enough. Lyrics (Prasoon Joshi, Jalees Sherwani, Kumaar, Kausar Munir and Priya Panchal; French lyrics by Sophie Choudry) are good. Choreography of the Salman Khan song-dance (by Mudassar Khan; song director: Longines Fernandes) is reasonably good. Choreography of the other songs (Saroj Khan and Bosco-Caesar) is okay. Background music (Sajid-Wajid) is very ordinary. Shiuli Thukral and Mohan Bingi’s sets are nice. Manush Nandan’s cinematography is eye-catching. Locations are very eye-pleasing. Rameshwar S. Bhagat’s editing is good. Production values are rich.
On the whole, Ishkq In Paris is a dull love story which will fail miserably at the box-office and not only because of the dull promotion and poor initial.
https://komalsreviews.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/ishkq-in-paris-review/
Taran and Komal are poles apart. Taran hardly criticize, komal hardly appreciate.
Agree.
Rajeev Masand’s Review 1.5 Stars
https://www.rajeevmasand.com/reviews/our-films/excuse-moi/
Rediff Review by Raja Sen 1 star
https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-ishkq-in-paris/20130524.htm
TOI Review by Gaurav Malani
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-&-interviews/Ishkq-in-Paris-a-bland-love-story/articleshow/20242711.cms
Indian Express Review by Shubhra Gupta 2 Stars
https://www.indianexpress.com/news/review-ishkq-in-paris-an-imperfect-love-story/1120091/