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Ishkq In Paris

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After many challenges and hiccups with release dates, Preity Zinta’s maiden venture as a producer released today. The film also features Zinta in a lead role after five long years.

The film starts with Marie (Isabella Adjani) reading a romantic script for a play she plans to direct. The story revolves around an Indo-French girl Ishkq (Preity Zinta), who meets an Indian from London Akash (Rhehan Malliek) on a train while travelling from Rome to Paris. They plan to spend the night together without any commitment or expectations. Ishkq and Akash set out on an adventurous night. However, owing to a no-strings-attached pact set by Ishkq, the two part ways the next morning.

Post-interval, Akash meets Ishkq again, this time in Paris, and the two hit it off again. Ishkq is afraid of commitment although Akash is fine with it but soon he wants to be out of the relationship. The reason Ishkq is dead set against making a commitment is that her French mother Marie was left in the lurch by her Indian father (Shekhar Kapur) when she was just seven. This Indo-French girl thus lives in a cocoon. But what happens when love creeps into their ‘friendship’ forms the crux of the story.

The story appears lifted off from the 1995 Hollywood flick Before Sunrise. If not with the lead pair, you will definitely fall in love with Paris. The city is beautifully portrayed and is an ideal location for a romantic film. It has every ingredient that a commercial romantic film requires, from melodious songs to comic punches to a lovable protagonist to some sobbing drama. It’s easy to imagine what a romantic film should be like with typical clichés and what not. But Ishkq In Paris goes overboard with the boy-meets-girl cliche.

The film starts well but is marred by a jerky rhythm and pace. In the first half, it picks up pace, with tongue-in-cheek one-liners and laughter blended with beautifully picturised Paris. However – and this is its failing – the movie suddenly turns predictable to the very end, robbing the second half of any enjoyment.

Directorially, Prem Raj impresses a little but disappoints a lot. Had he wielded a little more control over the second half of the film, the outcome would have been sheer pleasure for movie-lovers. Each scene lingers longer than it should and hence mars the screenplay. But he was smart enough to understand that a story so weak should be restricted to less than two hours. He makes an exit before the proceedings get monotonous. But the final product is neither impressive nor sways the audience.

Cinematography by Manush Nandan is outstanding. Another highlight of the film is the music by Sajid-Wajid. All the songs are well-tuned and the lyrics are fantastic. The special song featuring Salman Khan is a highlight of the film. Khan’s presence lights up the screen splendidly. Even the background music is superb. Editing by Rameshwar S Bhagat is fantastic and he wraps up the film in mere 97 minutes.

Performance-wise, Preity Zinta gets into the skin of her character and delivers a noteworthy performance. Although we have watched her playing the same type of cheerful role in many films, it’s a delight to watch her on the screen after such a long time.

Rhehan Malliek is just about okay and fails to impress. Noted French actress Isabelle Adjani delivers a bravura performance although she looks uncomfortable in a few scenes and her dubbing in Hindi doesn’t suit her. Shekhar Kapur, in an insignificant guest role, manages to leave an impact. The rest of the supporting cast is okay.

Verdict: Flop.


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