DJ Munks.com

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Sajid Nadiadwala is back after kind of a flop movie earlier this year in Housefull. Even though Housefull did well with its collections at the box office it still was a terrible movie.. But now he has teamed up with director Siddharth Anand who has made hit modern romance movies like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Salaam Namaste and Ta Ra Rum Pum. Thus Anjaana Anjaani could turn things around for Sajid with a hit that would be even appreciated by the audiences. The trailer looks like it could do the trick with super talented Ranbir Kapoor and super hot Priyanka Chopra leading the way.

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Vishal Shekhar have already had a big musical hit this year with I Hate Luv Storys and so the expectations are really high on the musical front for something new and different. They surely have the calibre and Vishal’s voice to create some magic… but what scares me is looking at the list of lyricists involved here for a total of 9 songs. Does it give a music director & the movie director variety with the songs or makes it difficult to get the right sound with the inconsistency? Let us listen and find out..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani – The title song is definitely new not similar to anything that I think I have heard before. Although the start seems a little disappointing with English lyrics, the chorus is very catchy and you will instantly like it. It has the big sound with a full band including elements of rock, dance and brass. It is an upbeat song and will work well in the international circuit on radio stations and Bollywood dance parties… that is the beauty of Vishal-Shekhar’s composition! Lyrics by Neelesh Misra are average but modern and fun. We first heard singer Nikhil D’souza on the song Sham in the movie Aisha and we loved him. Knew he had a long way to go and here he is opening Vishal-Shekhar’s big budget movie with Monali Thakur supporting him on the female vocals. 7/10 for all the fun this song projects.

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Track 2 – Hairat – Vishal-Shekhar show how mature their music is with a modern global audience appeal. The music of this song could easily be used on a big budget Hollywood movie OST in the background of a suspense thriller.. with English lyrics ofcourse. But here Vishal shows not just how mature his music is but also his lyrics are. The wording and rhymes are perfect and the work of a pro. ‘Long time hiding’ but ‘never forgotten’ singer Lucky Ali delivers a performance to remember. His voice texture brings a different energy and flavour to the song. Love this song as the perfect high speed drive song. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Aas Paas Khuda – An OST for a romantic movie would be incomplete without Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice.. His Sufiana voice works magically on your listening senses. Although this is nothing compared to his other hits but it has it’s own feel. What doesn’t work too well here is the composition of the song. It is outdated and not unique. The instrumentation is average too. Saving the day a little are Vishal & Shekhar’s lyrics which too are not the best. 6/10.

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Track 4 – Tumse Hi Tumse – Three lyricists on this song!! Amitabh Bhattacharya & Anvitta Dutt have written the main lyrics while Shekhar sings it for them. Caralisa Monteiro has written and sung the English lyrics. I really like the vocals and lyrics of this song but the song doesn’t click for me overall.. and that is because of the arrangement. The rock instrumentation is something that I am not sure about was the best musical fit. Well that is just my opinion but something doesn’t make this song click and it becomes an average song. 6.5/10.

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Track 5 – Tujhe Bhula Diya – The start of this song is mesmerising with Shruti Pathaks voice and some innovative guitar strumming. What a come back on the composition and arrangement tactics! Fantastic and truly brilliant!! The bits of Qawalli thrown in on the bridge comes in beautifully.. especially after acoustic main stanzas. The music shifts into three different arrangements seamlessly with excellent classical instrumentation. The Punjabi lyrics at the start followed by the main lyrics are the work of Kumaar and Vishal himself again. They are very good and singer Mohit Chauhan’s harmonic vocals forces you to take notice of them. An overall great song.. 8/10.

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Track 6 – I Feel Good – This is a Vishal Dadlani song with his vocals, his lyrics and his music. Shilpa Rao who recently delivered a mind blowing performance in the song Nain Parindey in Lafangey Parindey joins Vishal on the vocals. Her presence helps but not much.. this is still an average song with another rock English lyrics song. The guitar solos in the bridge make it better but not enough. Only thing worth noticing is Shilpa Rao’s work who usually sings classical song and now delivers a rock chick song. 6.5/10.

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Track 7 – Anjaana Anjaani – This song starts off with very soothing music with ambient flutes and Shilpa Rao’s deep voice on the vocals with Vishal accompanying her again. The they do work well together and you can appreciate the pair as you hear them together in more songs. I love the lyrics by Kausar Munir & Irshad Kamil. Musically it is very well mixed and arranged with lounge taking on rock in the chorus. Innovative but this song needs to be heard a little too many times for it to grow on you. 7/10.

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Track 8 – Tujhe Bhula Diya (Remix) – The only remix on the album is by Abhijit Vaghani who has done an excellent job of making this great song a little different & upbeat. He has given it a twist with a piano melody and a trance feel. He has still managed to keep the traditional elements including a harmonium solo which goes almost dry without a beat which is very brave to play on a trance dance floor. Respect to this mix.. 8/10.

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Track 9 – Aas Paas Khuda (Unplugged) – So I guess I was right with the fact that the musical composition wasn’t working for the original song above. When you hear this unplugged version it sounds totally different and you really appreciate the beauty of it. What you appreciate more is the beauty of voices.. and this includes a feature by Shruti Pathak. Fantastic version! 7/10.

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FINAL WORD

Above Average – 7/10

Anjaana Anjaani has no bad song and no really good song. It is a bunch of average and above average songs with Tujhe Bhula Diya & Hairat being my favourite songs that truly stand out. Title song Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani is catchy and different too but not stunning. Is it the influence of too many lyricists? I don’t think so.. I think it is a Siddharth Anand thing. He usually has a couple of big songs in his movies with other average songs that don’t fight for too much attention. Maybe it is his weird strategy of his or just plain bad luck! Vishal-Shekhar do an decently good job like they always do but the influence of Vishal’s rock background is truly evident and maybe overused. Overall I would still recommend you buy this album as a whole. OST available on T-Series.

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Dharma, Sony and UTV Motion pictures come together for Mr. Karan Johar to do a remake of Stepmom!! Why why why..! Lol.. I am only kidding. I do understand that really good English movies don’t quite reach Indian villages and the people who don’t speak English, but then this movie is nearly worthless for the International Bollywood fans. Thus for the UK Bollywood fans all there is left to see in We Are Family are the performances of Kajol, Kareena and Arjun Ramphal with debutant director Siddharth Malhotra’s vision.

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“Ain’t no mountain high.. ain’t no valley low.. ain’t no river wide enough baby..

If you need me call me.. no matter where you are .. no matter how far.. no problem baby”

We don’t have Marvin Gaye in We Are Family but we certainly do have the best of Shankar Ehsaan Loy on the music with Irshad Kamil and Anvit Dutt writing the lyrics. What I am curious to find out if the OST of We are Family has any inspirations from the Stepmom OST as that truly is some soundtrack. Let us hit play and find out what this 10 track album has in store.. (last 4 songs are bonus songs so lets check out the first 6 for We are Family)

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Track 1 – Aankhon Mein Neendein – The song opens with what you would imagine coming out of the Aisha soundtrack with serious similarities until Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Shreya Ghoshal’s soulful voices fill your ears. The arrangement of the song is catchy at the start but then goes into sounding like an average Bollywood song. Some good instruments used like the mouth organ solo. The overall music feel of the song is similar to the sounds of Kal Ho Na Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and thus lacks true identity. The lyrics by Irshad Kamil are pretty complicated and not that you will pick up on your first listen except for the chorus.. and thus it will take a couple of listens to start liking this song. 7/10.

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Track 2 – Dil Khol Ke Let’s Rock – Elvis would probably kill himself if he listens to this. Sure it is not bad for Bollywood but this song is suicide in the international markets. Totally inspired by Jailhouse Rock and written by Anvita Dutt is what is playing the most of TV these days.. but I am still to develop a liking for this song. The Dholki twist in the bridge of the song is pretty cool but overall the song fails to impress musically and lyrically. Even the vocal performances by Akriti Kakkar, Anushka Manchanda & Suraj Jagan are purely average. 5/10.

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Track 3 – Reham O Karam – This song comes as a surprise after an average and a nearly average song. Pure Shankar Mahadevan vocals can blow anyone away. They are just perfect and can swing your mood and calm your nerves within a minute of listening. This is what you call God gifted talent!! Vishal Dadlani has been singing a number of really good songs and seems to be promoting himself as a singer now and not just a music director.. he is singing for his competition music directors now! Good for him.. and for us since this song is something else. They lyrics by Irshad are very good but not catchy again. The music is nearly not there and is not required as Shankar fills up all the airwaves but when there is then it is with the rock theme with some exciting orchestration and electric guitars. Must & totally recommended listen. 8/10.

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Track 4 – Hamesha & Forever – Sonu starts off this song with some good piano work and harmonic chorus. The mastering could be off in this song as the music seems to sound louder than his vocals. So technically not the best. Again with the lyrics.. the beauty of words comes across through long phrases rather than rhyming words and thus misses the real click that usually works with the audiences. It’s a decently good song overall but I won’t recommend it. SEL (Shankar Eshaan Loy) seem to be loosing it with what really works with their listeners. 6/10.

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Track 5 – Sun Le Dua Yeh Aasman – Bela Shende is a name that has come up after a long time after Jodhaa Akhbar & Paheli. She does another acoustic song to piano which actually sounds really good as far as the music arrangement and her vocals are concerned. The lyrics for a change do work! The sad feel of the song is very situational and I guess works in the background in the movie when she about to die. 7/10.

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Track 6 – We Are Family Theme – Well now we know why there is excessive use of piano throughout all the songs in this movie since it is part of the theme. This is where SEL excel.. in creating good theme musics for situational movies. They never fail to impress in this category and this could well win them an award in the music department.. Musically this song is that good.. Check it out. 8/10.

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Track 7 – Noor E Khuda – Bonus Track from the movie ‘My Name is Khan‘.

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Track 8 – Aaj Kal Zindagi – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Wake Up Sid‘.

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Track 9 – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehan – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna‘.

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Track 10 – Kal Ho Naa Ho – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho‘.

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FINAL WORD

Above Average – 6.5/10

Just a little above average for this OST because of the disappointment that it brought along.. With names like SEL, Irshad Kamil & Karan Johar I was expecting this to be something new that would thrill. But every song is almost predictable with SEL deciding to play safe all across the OST with nothing new in the CD players. No big track to hit the dance floors and all they could come up with was a copy of Jailhouse Rock. The lyrics are good but they don’t click. The vocals are good but fail to totally impress except really good vocals in Reham O Karam and Sun Le Dua Yeh Aasman. hus I won’t recommend you buying this OST but surely get the above two songs. Music on Sony Music.

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Am writing a music review after a long time.. I hope I haven’t lost touch with my music. And I hope exactly the same for Vishal-Shekhar who are making music after a long time. Frankly I feel fit and up-to-date.. One can’t really loose touch of music flavour & understanding can they! I guess it is the same for Vishal-Shekhar too. They are good at what they do & I feel they can never loose that! After Dostana in 2008 they only worked on Aladin last year. This year they are back with I HATE LUV STORYS (== IHLS).

Cliche line..?? I hope the music is not cliche for this exciting forthcoming project which is a Karan & Hiroo Johar & Ronnie Screwvala production under the UTV banner. Starring Imran Khan & cutie Sonam Kapoor who are back after flops LUCK and Delhi-6. IHLS is the brain child of debutant director Punit Malhotra who has also written the story. Karan Johar loves working with new directors I guess.. Well can’t object to that since they usually give him hits like Dostana recently. Another common factor to these projects is the hit music of Vishal-Shekhar. These guys make some of the biggest club tunes like Desi Girl, Bachna Ae Haseeno & Om Shanti Om.

So lets hope IHLS delivers something new for me to play in the parties which is fresh, young and with a killer beat just like the film trailer. Check it out.. It is about a guy who works in the film industry & doesn’t believe in love but then has to work on a romantic film with a girl who is crazy about love.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Jab Mila Tu – This song reminds you of exactly the same album opening to Dostana with Jaane Kyu. A soft romantic beauty this song is.. I love it’s vibe with the classic double bass rhythm and some sharp acoustic guitar at the start followed by dirty electric guitar in the para’s. Anvita Dutt is a hugely talented writer & her lyrics on this song are truly mesmerising. Vishal lends his vocals to his compilation himself & the texture of his voice fits in brilliantly. You will be humming & singing along this tune in a matter of a few minutes. A perfect Sunday morning radio tune – 8/10.

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Track 2 – Bin Tere – So what if Vishal can’t sing every song on the album.. he is hugely talented and can write lyrics equally well. Even if it is for a phenomenal ex-Pakistani band Fuson singer Shafqat Amanat Ali, Vishal can give the lyrics lot of substance & depth. Respect to him.. Shafqat gives his soul in the form of his voice to this song which moves to a rather fast upbeat for a sad romantic song like this. Listen to the guitar on this number. Some really good solo’s with a wholesome band instrumental compilation. Sunidhi Chauhan makes an appearance & does a harmony with Shafqat in the last 2 minutes. Like this one.. but definitely not the best I’ve heard. 7/10.

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Track 3 – I Hate Luv Storys – This funky title song is a modern equivalent of Shut up and bounce from Dostana.. only a lot cooler!!! This is the tune I’ll be blasting in clubs and parties. In the voice of Vishal Dadlani again with the lyrics of Kumaar, this song has a catchy hit chorus line with part Hindi part English lyrics. It is fresh, cool, funky, hummable, dancy and very capable of lighting the dance floor on fire if mixed right by the DJ’s around the world. It is not a massive tune like Desi Girl or Bachna Ae Haseeno or Deewangi Deewangi.. but it has it’s own style & it works. Sure hit – 7.5/10.

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Track 4 – Bahara – A start with the classical Rajasthani voice of Sona Mohapatra is always a good style. It works with the listeners as proved by Genda Phool last year. Shreya Ghosal’s melodic voice literally makes you feel like Spring as she talks about the thrill of her first love with the lyrics of Kumaar. A good romantic song with a very good unique composition. Could have done with more classical instrumentation.. But it is alright. You will still like it. 7/10.

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Track 5 – Sadka – Another song with strikingly good lyrics by Anvita Dutt. 3 Idiots singer – Suraj Jagan gives it a very deep vocal touch. He sounds ambient & very powerful for a song with lyrics talking about worship of love. Mahalaxmi Iyer does well too on the female vocals.. but not outstanding. Suraj steals leads the song all the way. The production & composition sounds similar to the others with the typical Vishal-Shekhar deep bass guitar. Good song. 7/10.

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Track 6 – Bin Tere-Reprise – This version completely surprises you with how good it is. Vishal lets his partner Shekhar take on the mic this time & also lets Kumaar improvise on his original lyrics. A big sacrifice !! and it truly pays off. The acoustic guitar is brilliant.. soulful & melodious. The lyrics are truly beautiful and make you fall in love. A valentines day classic to be or a perfect background song for your wedding reception. Love it.. 8.5/10.

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Track 7 – Bahara (Chill Version) – One of my favourite singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan comes down to make a good song even better. His voice alone gives so much more depth to Kumaar’s lyrics that you just won’t believe how the same song so different.. even when it is not a remix !! The chill version is a true lounge mix and relaxes your nerves. Close your eyes and listen to truly enjoy the bliss of the classical recitation by Rahat. A must listen. 8/10.

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Track 8 – Bin Tere-Remix - DJ Kiran steps in to try and make a great song dancy.. Succeeds at that.. but truly ruins the feel of this soulful number. The trance feel fits in but not well enough to make you like this version. You can stop listening to this album after Track 7. I would hate to find any DJ’s out there playing this anywhere.. Ignore this one. 5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Super Good & Fresh – 7.5/10

Forget loosing touch.. Vishal-Shekhar have only got better. This album might not prove to be very big hit like some of their previous work but it sure has a different essence that they can boast of. It is an all rounder filling in all the gaps in the current market for different genres. It works in every respect to deliver a good package with a lot of love in it.. Ironic for a title that hates love !!

Buy this album if you are a music lover. Or even if you just love your partner then buy this album to impress them with your romantic listening taste.. You will feel the magic ! Available on Sony Music.

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The much anticipated big release of Summer 2009 is here….

Kambakkht Ishq comes up true to expectations.

I expected Kambakkht Ishq to be better than Chandni Chowk To China… IT ISSSS.. !!!

I expected to be sleazy, dumb & crap… IT ISSSS !!!

If CC2C was super bad.. This is BAD…. n that’s a relief !!

Yup, I wasn’t expecting a great deal out of Kambakkht Ishq. The trailers looked stupid with the typical Akshay Kumar sleezy humour & extravagant senseless sets increasing the movie spend around a dumb script. Also, since it is a Sajid Nadiadwala movie you can expect it to be that weird style of comedy that you have seen in movies likes Judwaa, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi & Heyy Baby.

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The only thing I was looking forward to in this film was to see if Kareena Kapoor has got any weight-age to her performance as she has been almost missing in action after Jab We Met & has only done a few rubbish films like Golmaal Returns & Roadside Romeo. Plus, I wanted to see how have they managed to fit Hollywood stars like Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards & Brandon Routh into a Bollywood script.

Another thing to figure out is if Director Sabbir Khan has any talent whatsoever in handling a big budget project like Kambakkht Ishq in his debut directorial venture.. Lets watch & find out..

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PLOT

Akshay Kumar is Viraj Shergill & the best Stuntman in Hollywood who does stunts for the likes of Brandon & Stallone. He is a total playboy who hates the concept of marriage. Kareena is Bebo/Simrita Rai who is an aspiring surgeon & also a supermodel when it comes to generating money to pay for medical school. She hates the concept of men all together since she has seen a lot of bad happen to the women in her family. Their paths are crossed when Akshay’s brother Aftab decides to marry Kareena’s best friend Amrita Arora. There is abuse, hatred, name calling, fighting, etc. all the time between them on every occasion they come across each other & that’s nearly all of the first half. In their ego trip fights they ruin Aftab & Amrita’s wedding too.

Akshay gets injured in a shoot & is taken to Kareena’s hospital for her first operation. She accidently leaves her watch inside his abdomen which keeps ringing a ‘Om Mangalam’ alarm every hour. She realises this later & now has to do everything possible to get pally with him & get him back to her operation theatre and remove the watch before he finds out and sue’s her career to an end. Over the meetings Akshay now is falling for her while she is just playing a game. She manages to operate & get her watch back but shue’s Akshay away. He is heart broken & now about to marry Denise Richards [for God's sakeee...!!! ] It’s now left to Kareena to see his soft humane side & fall in love with him & stop them before they tie the knot.

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REVIEW

The plot does sound funny when you read about it with the continuous fighting between two people who hate marriage & the whole idea of leaving the watch in his stomach. But believe me.. it’s not funny when you see it..!! Except for a few Akshay scenes I couldn’t even force myself to laugh at the rest. The worst part is you can see director Sabbir Khan is trying really hard to make you laugh in every scene but fails drastically.. His direction is not too bad but this man has also written the story & screenplay…  & that’s where he has ruined the movie !! The script is a disaster to say the least for a story that could have been really funny.

The amount of money spent on this movie is ridiculous & seems like a total waste. Totally set in LA with some parts in Italy. The cinematography & locations are all good but that’s it seems they worked on. The script & performances were neglected. They have managed to fit the Hollywood stars well in the few scenes they have but all other performances are average including Akshay & Kareena. Thankfully Akshay is not overacting as was seen in CC2C & is funny in some scene. His action stunts are good & so are his dances in the songs. Kareena has acted like she did in KKKG with the good looking snob character. Her acting is plain average & it’s thus hard to believe she even did a movie like Jab We Met. She is looking super fit, glamorous & hot no doubt. That’s probably the only thing worth going for the guys.

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MOVIE

- Slumdog Millionaire was Hollywood goes Bollywood. Kambakkht Ishq is Bollywood goes Hollywood.

- Some major Hollywood stars appearing in this Bollywood flick.. although briefly.

- Great locations. Good sets. Good cinematography.

- Very good costumes, glamorous look to Akshay & Kareena giving a global fashion outlook to Bollywood in a new style.

- Kareena & Akshay looking very fit, stylish & good together.

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LOWLIGHTS OF THE MOVIE

- Absolutely stupid story.. what makes it worse it rubbish execution of it.

- Barely funny & thus should not qualify as a romantic comedy.

- Script & screenplay are bad with too many loose ends & unwanted.

- Actors like Javed Jaffery, Kiron Kher & Boman Irani are totally wasted on comeo’s. Javed & Boman don’t even have any connection to the main story.

- There is too much show of skin all through. They have forgotten tradition, culture & ethnicity.

- There is name calling, abuse, etc. desperately put in to instigate humour. How low & desperate can they get !!

- Exorbidant sets & expensive locations used to cover a poor dumb script.

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FINAL WORD

Below Average – 4.5/10.

This movie will only make you laugh if you go to see it in a theatre to a full hall with loads of friends. And if you do enjoy it then, then thank the company & not the movie makers. Else the only other reason to watch it is to see Hollywood, LA, Italy and a super sexy Kareena Kapoor who is barely wearing anything. The women can go for Akshay if they like.

The UK audience will not like this movie.. cause we watch Bollywood films so that they take us closer to our homeland & culture. Kambakkht Ishq has forgotten it’s a Bollywood movie.. if we do want to see skin show, sexy dresses & Hollywood stunts we can might as well watch Hollywood movies. This flick crosses boundaries of decency at certain levels. But hey.. they are using all this to cover up a crap script they wrote.. That’s only fair on their part to do. I call this another failed Akshay movie this year & a disappointment from Kareena.Save your £7 for a better day in this recession.

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