Posts Tagged ‘Brandon Routh’
What has happened to the quality of our films? Till 2007, we used to get the best of the entertainers and comic capers. But the downfall began in 2008 when suddenly we started getting nonsensical flicks of the comedy genre which were not even properly executed. The ‘tradition’ continues in 2009 and after Chandni Chowk To China and Paying Guests, here comes another such flick-Kambakkht Ishq. One of my most awaited movies of the year, the film badly fails due to no-story and faulty script. A golden chance lost, indeed! More about it later!
The story of the movie: Viraj (Akshay Kumar) is a stuntman in Hollywood who feels that women are good only for two things. Simrita (Kareena Kapoor), a model, hates men and doesn’t believe in love. Both meet and start hating each other a lot from the first meeting itself. Unfortunately for them, they come across several points and the dislike for each other grows even more. At this point of time, Viraj meets with an accident and is taken to hospital. A dramatic twist of fate takes place at this juncture and both have to come closer. To find out why does this happen and what happens next, watch the film.
As one can see, Kambakkht Ishq doesn’t have much to offer. For most parts of the film, the protagonists are fighting with each other. Even the fight could have been an interesting watch. But alas…the four screenwriters including the director couldn’t add something interesting and humorous in many scenes. Take for instance, the Italy sequence. The scene hardly makes for an entertaining watch and even the song ‘Lakh Lakh’ fails to impress.
However, Kambakkht Ishq begins well. In fact, the first scene gives an indication that the film is gonna rock. However, soon after the excellent entry of Kareena Kapoor in the church scene, the film falls. However, there are some individualistic scenes which are fantastic and stand out. Akshay getting operated and Akshay hearing the mantra everywhere were fabulous and utterly hilarious! O! If the entire film would have been so funny!
The climax should be the highpoint of any film. However, in the case of Kambakkht Ishq, the climax was plain mediocre.
Performance wise, each actor gives his best and comes up with nice performances. Akshay Kumar was as usual natural and gives a fab performance. He was at his best in the above mentioned two hilarious scenes. However, its highpoint that Akshay become choosy with his scripts and doesn’t sign any nonsensical film. He’s a great actor and a wonderful person and people want to see him in good entertainers and not in films like Kambakkht Ishq and Singh Is Kinng! Akshay, come back!
Kareena Kapoor looked charming and was terrific throughout the film. She packs in the perfect attitude and snobbishness that was needed for the role and comes out with flying colours. Watch out for her terrific expressions in the underwater sequence. The film may or may not be liked by everyone, but Kareena would surely charm one and all!
Aftab Shivdasani and Amrita Arora play their respective roles perfectly. Jaaved Jaaferi was funny only in his initial scene. Boman Irani brings the house down even though he was there only for one scene. Kirron Kher was as usual excellent.
Now for the Hollywood stars. All three of them-Brandon Routh, Denise Richards and Sylvester Stallone play their part with élan. However, it is Stallone who leaves a tremendous mark. Others do a good job.
Anu Malik’s music was great and it seems he’s all ready to make a ‘comeback’! Three songs stand out-RDB’s Mangalam, Bebo and Kyun. Salim-Sulaiman’s background score was top notch. The introductory song ‘Welcome To Hollywood’ was also composed by them.
Vikas Shivraman’s cinematography was flawless. Art Direction by Acropolis was grand and beautiful. In fact, it’s the wonderful production design that makes the film delightful to some extent. The locales were eye-catchy.
Kiran Kotrial, Anvita Dutt Guptan, Ishita Malhotra and Sabbir Khan-these are the screenwriters and in other words, the culprits who are responsible for the film’s debacle! Guptan and Kotrial are not new to writing and it’s shocking that they did such a shoody job. In fact, Kiran Kotrial had wonderfully scripted Fear Factor and directed Oye! It’s Friday. Very unfortunate!
Finally, Sabbir Khan, the first-time director disappoints. There were lots of hopes from the newbie but unfortunately, he fails to deliver what was expected. He had a wonderful star cast, a producer who was ready to spend infinite amount and most importantly, a Hollywood backdrop. Also, the action scenes were badly executed. For instance, the scene where Akki meets with an accident was so badly treated. Sabbir misses the bus-better luck next time!
Some of the best scenes of the movie:
1. The first scene
2. The scene inside the church
3. Viraj meeting with an accident
4. Viraj’s operation and the intermission point (funny!)
5. Viraj hearing the mantra (hilarious!)
6. The underwater sequence
On the whole, Kambakkht Ishq is a big letdown. The film has only some few individualistic scenes which really entertain but overall, the film falls flat! Go for it if you are an Akshay Kumar/Kareena-fan. It would be interesting to see the fate of the film at the Box-Office!
My rating-** out of 5!
The review first appeared on MouthShut.com: http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Kambakkht_Ishq-170589-1.html
By Taran Adarsh, July 2, 2009 – 20:20 IST
Bizarre has a new meaning and it’s called KAMBAKKHT ISHQ.
Of late, Akshay Kumar has earned the reputation of making you laugh in film after film. You expect KAMBAKKHT ISHQ, his new outing, to transport you to ha-ha-land, given the smart-n-chic promos of the film.
KAMBAKKHT ISHQ belongs to the same family of films which have wooed the masses, such as MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI, WELCOME, SINGH IS KINNG and GOLMAAL RETURNS. The prime motive is to entertain you for the next 2 hours, logic be damned.
| BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Yet, KAMBAKKHT ISHQ is different because it depicts the battle of the sexes, a theme that’s rarely depicted on the Hindi screen. The lingo is poles apart, so is the attitude. In fact, this is a modern take on relationships, with the two hours divided between laughter and emotions, frivolous and reality.
Let’s get this straight. KAMBAKKHT ISHQ works in most parts thanks to the kind of star power and energy that the two actors pack in — Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. It would’ve been difficult to hold the film from falling apart had the two actors not been competent enough to carry off their respective parts. Also, the presence of Hollywood stars — Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards — the first on the Hindi screen, is an added bonus. 1 pe 2 ka offer; Bollywood stars ke saath Hollywood free!
The focus is on the entertainment quotient. There are moments when you laugh so uncontrollably that it gets embarrassing and there are times when you continue smiling, even during the most ordinary scenes.
But KAMBAKKHT ISHQ dips in its second hour because you expect it to be as frivolous as the first hour, but it changes tracks and gets emotional. Things would’ve gone wrong had the end stumbled and fumbled, but it doesn’t. The finale, in fact, takes the film back to the level that one expects from a film of this magnitude.
To sum up, KAMBAKKHT ISHQ offers you value for time and also, value for money. It offers loads of entertainment in those 2 + hours, loads of glamour in those 130 odd minutes, from start to end. Sure, there are blemishes, but they’re trivial when you look at the larger picture.
KAMBAKKHT ISHQ explores the relationship between two individuals who are as different as chalk and cheese. Viraj [Akshay Kumar] is a stuntman in Hollywood, who lives by the mantra ‘women are only good for two things’. Simrita [Kareena Kapoor] is a firebrand who is more than able to stare down the most arrogant male with her caustic wit and sardonic tongue.
So what happens when the two people who hate each other the most meet at Simrita’s best friend Kamini’s [Amrita Arora] and Viraj’s brother Lucky’s [Aftab Shivdasani] wedding? A wedding that both Viraj and Simrita are violently opposed to and desperate to stop. Sparks fly… the battle of the sexes in on.
Director Sabbir Khan’s motive is simple: Entertain for the next 2 hours. The entire first hour moves at a lightening speed, making you enjoy the war of words between Akshay and Kareena at regular intervals.
The first half abounds in terrific moments, but I’d like to single out at least three…
- One, the church wedding of Aftab and Amrita. When the battle lines are drawn.
- Two, the sequence at the operation table, when Akshay spots Kareena.
- Three, the interval point. The pendant connection. Howlarious sequences all!
The post-interval starts with a bang, with Akshay hearing the ‘Om Mangalam’ chant just about everywhere — while sleeping, in the shower, in the rest room, even at an award function. The award function sequence is a double whammy. You get to watch Stallone and also the scene is superbly structured, executed and enacted.
Things are smooth sailing till the emotional angle comes up. The narrative dips in those 20 odd minutes. The mood suddenly shifts from laughter to sadness. The makers may argue that a twist in the tale is justified from the writing point of view, since the emotional track is vital for any love story, but the fact remains that one does miss the entertainment quotient here. In fact, the dip in the second hour erodes, to a large extent, the impression that the first half had built so magnificently.
Director Sabbir Khan picks up a theme that may catch you by complete surprise, but marinates it in entertainment, garnishes it well and presents it like never before. The review would be incomplete if we failed to highlight the grandiose look and the lavish production values thanks to the no-holds-barred expenses by producer Sajid Nadiadwala. Each frame looks ostentatious and glitzy.
Music is up to the mark, with three interesting tracks — ‘Om Mangalam’ [RDB], ‘Lakh Lakh’ and ‘Bebo’ [Anu Malik]. Cinematography [Vikas Sivaraman] is magnificent, with the DoP doing complete justice to the production values.
KAMBAKKHT ISHQ belongs to both, Akshay and Kareena. Akshay is dynamic this time. He received a lot of flak for CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA and there was this nagging feeling that the negativity would spill over to KAMBAKKHT ISHQ. But Akshay is in terrific form here and delivers, without a shred of doubt, a bravura performance. If you loved him in NAMASTEY LONDON and SINGH IS KINNG, you’d fall in love with Akki and his comic timing all over again this time.
Kareena left an indelible impression in JAB WE MET and creates a similar impact, albeit in a different role. Her role has shades of ‘Poo’ in K3G, but the glam looks combined with that rare confidence takes this performance to dizzy heights. Clearly, Kareena is miles ahead of her contemporaries as far as talent goes and this film proves it yet again.
Aftab and Amrita are perfect for their parts. Vindu Singh supports well. Javed Jaffrey doesn’t make a mark because the role has no connection with the main plot. Kirron Kher is getting typecast. Boman Irani is hilarious in that lone sequence. Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards are well integrated in the narrative.
On the whole, KAMBAKKHT ISHQ will strike a chord with the youth and those who relish zany and madcap entertainers. The first half is tremendous, while the second half takes a dip, with the film picking up towards the climax. At the box-office, the film will see an earth-shattering opening weekend and a historic Week 1. It remains to be seen how this film fares in its second weekend/week, given the massive number of screens it has opened globally [2,000 +]. However, the timing is most appropriate [the viewer is thirsting for a biggie] and the hype is tremendous, which should prove very advantageous for the film.
Fenil’s Bollywood Talk # 55
Posted on: July 2, 2009
NEW YORK SHINES AND HOW!!
The weekend gone by was quite delightful! Who knew Friday’s release New York would do such a fantabulous job at the BO? I was of the opinion that the film may not take a huge opening considering the theme of the film and that it would attract people only from the 2nd day onwards. But the film managed to embark on a 65%+ opening on Friday which is a great feat! What made my smile wide was the almost 100% occupancy throughout the country on Sunday! In fact, I went for an early morning show of New York on Sunday in a multiplex and its tickets were sold out by Saturday afternoon! Where do you get to see anything like this nowadays?!
New York is a feather in the caps of all its lead actors, its director (Kabir Khan) and most importantly, for its producers, Yash Raj Films (YRF)! The production house was criticized and made fun of after it delivered string of flops like Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaja Nachle, Tashan, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic etc. But the success of SRK-starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and now New York has restored back its prestige.
However, it is important that the Chopras now doesnt let this respect slip off like before. They’ll have to be more careful in choosing the scripts. Also, they should promote their films aggressively which they often don’t do. And because of this, many of their films had failed (Classic example is Roadside Romeo). However, they did well publicize New York, chiefly because they started the promotion just 21 days before the film’s release. And one can see the result of their aggressive promotion. Maybe they can learn a lot from this.
With two back to back hits, it’s time to see whether they’ll manage to make a Hattrick! Their next film, Dil Bole Hadippa, has Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee and the latter will be seen in Sardar look for almost half of the film! The promo of the film has aroused extreme reactions-some were immensely impressed while the rest found it pathetic! If you haven’t seen it yet, do watch it here and let me know your views on it!
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KAMBAKKHT ISHQ KA KYA HOGA?
One of the biggest and most anticipated films of 2009, Kambakkht Ishq (KI) is all set to hit the screens tomorrow. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by first-timer Sabbir Khan, it stars Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Aftab Shivdasani, Boman Irani and Kirron Kher. Hollywood actors Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh have done a special appearance in the film. The film had aroused tremendous curiosity due to its cast and the presence of Hollywood stars. Everyone is expecting it took a thunderous opening. However, there’s a possibility it may not happen since hardly any show of KI are fully sold out yet. Even the numerous paid previews that are going to happen tonight have not got the expected response. Mostly these paid previews are around 50-60% full while very few of them are house full. Compare this to the frenzy created during Ghajini’s release. The tickets of paid previews and first day were sold out within 5-6 hours of the commencement of advance booking. Something similar was expected for KI too.
What’s more, Bombay Times published an article on the front page on Tuesday that the response to the KI’s advance booking has been phenomenal and that there were serpentine queues at theatres! Another lie published was a trade analyst was angry because he couldn’t get tickets for KI-all the shows of the weekend at PVR-Juhu, Mumbai were sold out! I just checked the online booking of PVR-Juhu 20 minutes back and tickets of all shows of KI are available!
It’s sad that a reputed newspaper and producer are coming with such lies to fool the public. But they forgot that there are people like me who can’t be so easily fooled!
This post first appeared on MouthShut.com: http://www.mouthshut.com/diary/dbbbnrtun/Fenils-Bollywood-Talk55
TIMES NEWS NETWORK (BOMBAY TIMES; June 30, 2009)
Ordinarily, the advance booking for Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq would have opened today. But the filmmaker, who believes that an outand-out entertainer made with conviction will always generate euphoria amongst viewers, had the booking office windows thrown open on Sunday itself. The result? Serpentine queues at multiplexes. It was as if the film by Eros International had taken Bollywood back to the 70s and 80s, when fanatical film buffs would excitedly crowd around the ticket window waiting for the counter to open.
A trade analyst called up Nadiadwala within an hour on Sunday of the booking opening, to complain that he couldn’t get tickets… all shows for the entire weekend were sold out at the PVR cinema, Juhu. “That,” chuckled a delighted Nadiadwala whose brand of cinema has mastered the art of catering to popular palates, “was expected.” Perhaps it was, because the hype surrounding this film since the day it was launched has been unprecedented in Bollywood.
Consider what audiences have to look forward to: Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor on screen, both sizzling hot entertainers, and this time kissing as well; Akshay’s stunts and Kareena’s oomph; the God-like presence and action of Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone; the roles of Brandon ‘Superman’ Routh and former Bond girl Denise Richards (whom also Akshay gets to kiss, lucky man!), the chartbusting music…
Added to this hype was the sixweek long wait caused by the producers versus multiplexes strike. And you have audiences thirsting for a real entertainer after this drought-like situation. Nadiadwala, whose earlier releases include hits like Jeet, Judwaa, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Heyy Babyy, has always gone beyond past achievements. “The audience expects this. After all, they too are growing with time and technology. I feel only if we respect our audience’s expectations to be entertained convincingly, can we connect with them completely in the cinema halls.”
And so, Kambakkht Ishq opens on 2,030 screens worldwide this Friday, July 3. That is almost 20 per cent more than the screens that played Ghajini. Trade pundits calculate that even at an average of Rs 5 lakh per cinema collections, the film has the potential to gross more than Rs 100 crores worldwide in its very first week. That’s a kambakkht hit!
‘Akshay’s a great kisser!’-Denise
Posted on: June 26, 2009
TIMES NEWS NETWORK (BOMBAY TIMES; June 24, 2009)
Is Bollywood Khiladi Akshay Kumar the sexiest man in India? Hard to say, with international polls going weak in the knees over John Abraham lately and Salman Khan being the old standby waiting in the wings. But, former Bond girl and Hollywood hottie, Denise Richards appears to think the title indisputably ought to rest with Akshay. And how did she come to this conclusion? By locking lips with him in Sajid Nadiadwala’s forthcoming film Kambakkht Ishq. It appears there is a full-on, two-minutelong kiss between Akshay and Denise in this Bolly-Holly film that also features Sylvester Stallone and Brandon Routh. The kiss, which has been passed by the Indian censor board, has been described by Denise as passionate. Apparently, she enjoyed the kissing sessions with the actor and found his technique was most impressive. Denise, who hasn’t kissed any other Indian actor but has done love-making scenes with several in Hollywood including Pierce Brosnan, is adamant that no man in Bollywood can match Akshay’s skills. The actress said, “Akshay was so down to earth and very genuine. He made me feel very comfortable, plus he’s a good kisser! I can see why he’s India’s sexiest actor!” She had some struggle with the language barrier while filming the Bollywood film, but got a helping hand from Akshay and the other co-stars. Denise said, “I couldn’t believe how kind everyone was. All the actors were very sweet and gorgeous!” Incidentally, the film also has Akshay locking lips with his leading lady and Bollywood’s No 1 actress, Kareena Kapoor. The Khiladi, when asked to rate the better kisser between Kareena and Denise, replied cheekily, “I don’t kiss and tell!”
All eyes on ‘Kambakkht Ishq’
Posted on: June 23, 2009
By Taran Adarsh, June 23, 2009 – 08:47 IST
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| K A M B A K K H T I S H Q |
“I never thought KAMBAKKHT ISHQ would turn out to be a massive film. Of course, with Akshay and Kareena in the cast, it was meant to be a big-budget film, but the film grew in size and stature the moment we finished scripting and began casting,” KAMBAKKHT ISHQ producer Sajid Nadiadwala admits.
There’s no denying that everyone’s keenly watching KAMBAKKHT ISHQ for various reasons. One of the prime reasons being, the film is expected to bail out the industry from its current crisis-ridden situation. The expectations, hence, are humungous.
KAMBAKKHT ISHQ is helmed by first-time director Sabbir Khan, who has been an apprentice to Mahesh Bhatt and also David Dhawan [during the making of MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI]. Incidentally, Sajid’s last three films have been helmed by debutantes — JAAN-E-MANN [Shirish Kunder], HEYY BABYY [Sajid Khan] and now, KAMBAKKHT ISHQ. “They [newcomers] add so much freshness to a film. They come up with innovative ideas and their approach to work is unadulterated,” Sajid explains.
KAMBAKKHT ISHQ stars three Hollywood celebrities — Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards. “Actually, their names cropped up while scripting the movie. Little did we realise then that they would eventually star in the film,” the prolific producer admits. Was it tough getting them on board? “A lot of pre-production work and detailing went into it. It took us several months of planning to get them on board,” he states.
While KAMBAKKHT ISHQ is slated for release next week, Sajid is getting ready to launch three more projects, with Sajid Khan [HOUSEFULL], Siddharth Anand [Ranbir-Priyanka starrer isn’t titled yet] and Imtiaz Ali
Bollywood Hungama.com
The battle of the plexes is over, the battle of the sexes has begun with the Akshay and Kareena film ready for release
MARK MANUEL Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; June 8, 2009)
Sajid is ecstatic, naturally; he has worked hard on this film, packed it with all the masala that Indian audiences are starved for, and the producer is convinced that he has a hit on his hands. The entertainment business could not have got off to a more rocking start after the dry spell caused by the multiplexes strike. Akshay and Kareena, who happily cancelled other engagements on Friday to celebrate the film’s imminent launch with Sajid, director Sabbir Khan and music director Anu Malik, had their cake and ate it too.
Said Akshay, with a big smile, “This is truly my first international film. I’ve done stunts with Superman, got an award from Rambo, and romanced our very own Supergirl! Finally, you have a big family entertainer coming to a multiplex near you.” Sharing his excitement, Kareena added, “This is a film that’s very special to me, it’s a full-on family entertainer… there’s every genre of entertainment, from romance, comedy and action to emotion, glamour and Hollywood.”
It is true, for Sajid has taken Bollywood for the first time into the Kodak Theatre, Universal Studios and Water World of Hollywood with Kambakkt Ishq. “The Hollywood backdrop is required in the script and not just thrown in,” said Sajid who’s got Hollywood biggies like Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh to act in his film. “I couldn’t pull off Arnold Schwarzenegger,” he regretted. “I met him, but he holds a public post now and can’t act.”
No matter, even without the Terminator star, Sajid’s film is packed with heart-stopping action sequences created by top Hollywood stunt director Spiro Razatos. It’s been shot on locations used for films like Fast and The Furious. And, in one stunt, Akshay uses the same superbike that Tom Cruise rode in Mission Impossible. Fasten your seat belts, July 3 is close. “It doesn’t get bigger and better than this,” promised Kareena. While Akshay added, tongue firmly in cheek, “The battle of the plexes has ended… the battle of the sexes has just begun!”
Also releasing on:
JULY 10-SANKAT CITY; MORNING WALK; DEKH BHAI DEKH
JULY 17-KISSAN; BAHCELOR PARTY
NOTE:
SANKAT CITY INITALLY SCHEDULED TO RELEASE ON JUNE 26 BUT NOW RELEASING ON JULY 10
AGYAAT INITALLY TO RELEASE ON JULY 24 BUT NOW IT WILL HIT THE SCREENS ON AUGUST 7
KAMINEY RELEASING ON AUGUST 14
Fenil and Bollywood 