It’s all
about Zinta
Prem Raj’s Ishkq in Paris may not be most different
of ventures in Hindi cinema, yet it makes its mark with certain onscreen zest
that its actors bring with themselves.
Ishkq in Paris, produced, co-written and
acted in by Preity Zinta is a rom-com which neither pretends to be different,
nor tries to. This is one of the cases where they say the routine works. You’d
also be glad to know that director Prem Raj’s disastrous debut, Main aur Mrs Khanna doesn’t repeat
itself in his second venture.
Two strangers
particularly repelled by commitment decide to spend a night at Paris, and the
story develops in the most predictable way. Ishkq
in Paris however suffers due to its weak writing. The first of half of the
film does show some comic moments, but its writers fail to make it totally
satisfactory. They try to be innovative but end up into not so intelligent dialogues.
Perhaps, an Imtiaz Ali kind of writing is what the plot desperately needed. The
second half falters with dragged scenes and overuse of melodrama to create
emotions.
What simply
works in favour of the film is its wisely chosen enchanting setting of Paris.
The cinematography is at its best, and Ishkq
in Paris counts in the top five well shot films in Paris. The crisp
daylight of the Paris winter or the snowfall or varied locations of the Eiffel Tower
are brilliantly captured and make the viewing pleasant to the eye. Prem Raj and
Preity Zinta write a linear screenplay and keep it simple with a sweet, European
style of narration.
The editing
is again very good, and the film is cut short to run time of only an hour and
half. Sajid Wajid do a decent job with the music and background score without
ever getting spectacular. It’s all about
tonight and Jaane bhi de are
outstanding tracks while the others are very forgettable. Salman Khan makes a
charming cameo but is wasted due to a forgettable number he dances on. Surily
Goel deserves a mention for designing fantastic clothes in fashion capital of
the world.
Isabella
Adjani is wasted with a small screen time and least dialogues and looks unconvincing
for her role. Rehan Maleik makes a
strong debut with a subtle yet remarkable performance. But it’s obviously Ms
Zinta all the way through, who carries the movie on her shoulders with her high
energy and brilliant screen presence.
Preity Zinta is THE reason you could watch the movie.
