Kambakkht Ishq (2009)

User Rating:

3.6/10   

Director:

Sabir Khan

Writers:

Sabir Khan (screenplay) and
Ishita Moitra (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 July 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A romantic comedy about an Indian stuntman who takes Hollywood by storm but cannot find true love. |

Plot Keywords:

Stuntman | Anger | Doctor | Title Based On Song | Surgeon

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Himself
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Himself (unconfirmed)
Brandon Routh	...	Himself
Denise Richards
Carmen Electra	...	Herself (unconfirmed)
Holly Valance	...	Herself (rumored)
Akshay Kumar	...	Viraj Shergill
Kareena Kapoor	...	Simrita Rai
Diane Sellers	...	Judge
Amrita Arora	...	Kamini
Raeann Giles	...	Model
Aftab Shivdasani	...	Lucky Shergill
Bayli Johnston	...	Flower Girl
Vindu Dara Singh	...	Tiger
Ashwin Mushran	...	Parmeet
Boman Irani
Kiron Kher		(as Kirron Kher)
Mikandrew Perdaris	...	Matt
Javed Jaffrey
Sheridan Crist	...	Deacon
Tony Alameda	...	Fedora Gangster

Also Known As:

Incredible Love (USA) (literal English title)

Runtime:

USA:142 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:12A

Filming Locations:

Afghan Church, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Company:

Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: When Akshay is presenting Kareena with a ring underwater, you can clearly see that the hand on which the ring is put on has short nails. In the very next shot Kareena Kapoor is shown with long nails and pink nail polish. All other scenes before and after she isn't wearing any paint on her nails.

Quotes:

Viraj Shergill: during surgery, I want to go back to Punjab, Take me to Punjab, I want my mother, i want my lawyer, he works in a laundry
Viraj Shergill: about to be operated on, Are you making a hole to dubai

Movie Connections:

References Pineapple Express (2008)

Dated, Dumb Bollywood Camp

Gosh, I thought that they had buried movies about the 'battle of the sexes' and 'swashbuckling stunt-men' way back in the 20th Century. And yet, here it is, all exhumed, reanimated and outfitted with Hollywood names the likes of Sly Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh - and called 'Kambakkht Ishq'. The title is derived from the popular number, 'Kambakkht Ishq' from Ram Gopal Varma's film, 'Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya'.

Directed by Sabbir Khan, 'Kambakkht Ishq' is loud, crude, clichéd, campy and utterly predictable. And if you are curious about the (advertised) roles of its Hollywood supporting stars, let's say that their parts are so cheesy, you can open a pastry shop with them. Imagine a geriatric Stallone reprising his Rambo role and you will know what I mean.

The movie is a remake of the 2002 Tamil film 'Pammal K. Sambandam'. It is about a 'super' Indian stuntman in Hollywood (Akshay Kumar as Viraj Shergill) who meets an Indian supermodel (Kareena Kapoor as Simrita Rai) at his brother's (Aftab Shivdasani as Lucky) wedding in church. Both the leads are unhappy about the marriage of Lucky and Simrita's sister Kamini (Amrita Arora) and the battle lines are drawn at the wedding reception where we see the movie's most dazzlingly choreographed number that ends in a tasteless and farcical brawl.

Yeah, Viraj and Simrita hate each other. In Bollywood terms, it means they are gonna do lots of idiotic things before they finally realise that they love each other right from the get-go.

The first half is more tolerable than the second. Sabbir Khan loads the first hour with action-packed stunt sequences and dance numbers that take us from Hollywood to Italy. Then he has to take such a long time to render the outcome of the 'battle of the sexes' plot which everyone in the audience already knows. And if that is not bad enough, Sabbir Khan also does recaps of his scenes - in case we missed them or forget them! The director also could not resist crude 'American Pie' gags like having the protagonist fart in the face of a bride, having the heroine curse like a sailor; and going over-the-top with an 'anal search' scene. Character development is minimal, and the cast are unimpressive, with the age-old device of having the 'hero' supported by a clownish aide (in the form of Vindu Dara Singh). And whose idea was it to have Viraj undergo open abdomen surgery without anaesthesia? Of the stars, Kareena shines brightest in a badly-written role. She is the most watchable but alas, not quite enough good to stop this "Dumbakkht" from sinking.