Blog Posts by Kunal Guha

Ishaqzaade

Directed by Habib Faisal

Rating: ** 1/2

We’ve all seen love stories featuring inter-caste couples, ‘Bombay’ being one of the finest in that league. So we know exactly what to expect when ‘Ishaqzaade’ shows sparks of ending up like one. Basic elements in such films: cultural differences are brushed aside for a healthy tolerance if not acceptance of each other’s religious beliefs, fierce parental opposition leading to arms being pulled out of the holster and so on. But this film makes a very simple yet crucial point: the story doesn’t need to be radically different to throw you off your feet. It is the treatment and the finer nuances of presentation which qualify as laudable differentiators. For one- the filmic reality is done away with and how situations pan out are way more believable than in most films. So if they’re in love and you’re happy to see them like that doesn’t mean that the director will indulge in your candy floss fantasy. So

The many avatars of Karisma Kapoor

Cast: Karisma Kapoor, Rajneesh Duggal, Jimmy Shergill, Divya Dutta

Directed by Vikram Bhatt

Rating: 0

Past life regression is like Reiki or market-linked mutual funds or pay hikes in journalism. You and everybody else has to believe in it wholeheartedly for it to materialize into anything. But this dangerous story that takes us through several births, a few deaths, many rented costumes and some dodgy ruins needs a little more faith and lots of laxatives to digest.

The film opens with supermodel Sanjana- trotting her high heel shoes at a Manish Malhotra show. Soon the collection is ignored to announce that she’s become the face of the year or the decade and will get to work out of Paris for year. Everyone, including Manish Malhotra goes ‘woo-hoo!’ But Sanjana’s upset to be separated from her front-row boyfriend Rohan (Rajneesh Duggal). After a few teary-eyed goodbyes, she returns to suggest that they elope in sappy drooling dialogues that won’t get your popcorn soggy. Just then, half a