Review: To curse your karma, watch 'Dangerous Ishhq'

Film: Dangerous Ishhq
Director: Vikram Bhatt
Cast: Karisma Kapur, Rajneish Duggal, Divya Dutta
Rating: *

'Just what did I do in my past life that I had to endure this nonsense of epic proportions?’

No no. This is not what I this reviewer muttered under her breath after watching Dangerous Ishhq. It’s the heroine who’s on a mission to find out why she can’t be with the love of her life (and past life).

The heroine is a top model in her current life. Sanjana Saxena (Karisma Kapur) is engaged to be married to industrialist Rohan Thakral. In a very filmy and flimsy ploy, Rohan gets abducted. Big shot cop ACP Bharghav Singh (Jimmy Shergill) is entrusted with the job of finding Rohan, with the help of Sanjana and her past life memories. It sure sounds interesting (giggles and more giggles), the phrase ‘your past coming to haunt you’ kind of jazz. What director Vikram Bhatt brings to the table is an unintentionally funny, extremely bland bhel puri of elaborate sets, gaudy makeup and the most regressive dialogue you will have heard in a long time. Oh wait, the movie is about past life regression, right?  Well…

Kapur’s PR machinery has worked overtime to position Dangerous Ishhq as her comeback. There’s no taking away from that truth. Kapur is fit as a fiddle, hasn’t lost her powerful screen persona and does well in her capacity. It is the nature of the film that makes her look like a part of those ephemeral sets that eventually go up in smoke. If even half the time, energy and budget spent on the sets, costumes, makeup and the works, was spent on improving the quality of writing, the outcome would have been close to endurable and the effort could have been laudable.

There’s everything a comeback heroine needs, extreme close-ups, clunky dialogue, trendy clothes. But the soul is missing (pun, anyone?). Duggal is wooden while Shergill is the soul of Dangerous Ishhq. But by the time they climax, you hate him too.

Talking about the 3D, after watching Dangerous Ishhq you will want to curse the guy who invented it and all those (Vikram Bhatt) who messed it up so badly thinking it was the coolest thing ever.

No dude, if this wasn’t a press screening, I would have demanded compensation for the trauma my eyes went through during those 2 and half hours. Every long shot is so blurred, it hurts the eye.

Ravi Kishan makes the best use of the 3D (he yells into the camera, you take notice, fair enough). But seriously, would you pay to watch Kishan screaming his guts out? Exactly!

Then there is Divya Dutta (decent enough), Gracy Singh (somebody lock her up in a gym, please), Sameer Kochchar (dude, why don’t you just stick to Extraa Innings T20?), Aarya Babbar (he needs a haircut, shave and some lessons in how not to overact). I guess a lifetime won’t be enough to give you reasons why this ishq is dangerous for your health, unless of course, you’re looking to have a good laugh.

Dangerous Ishhq is like watching a Dr Brian Weiss book in 3D, after about 30 pages, it gets monotonous and uninteresting.

There’s only so much curiosity you can have in somebody else’s life. By the end of the ordeal you wish to be treated to a past life regression theory to find out what was it that drew you to it.

The first line was a ploy to make you read the full review. Go curse your karma now.