Salaam E Ishq Film Reviews

Film: Salaam-e-Ishq

Director : Nikhil Advani

Cast: Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, Govinda, Shannon Esra, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar (Whew!)

Rating - ***1/2 stars

So is Salaam –e–Ishq the desi version of Love Actually? Well, not actually. It is Marriage actually. The film is pretty obsessed with marriage – so (Shiven) Akshaye Khanna doesn't want to get married, his fianc Gia (Ayesha Takia) will pretty much marry anybody; Tehzeeb (Vidya Balan) has forgotten about her marriage with Ashutosh (John Abraham) – quite literally, Kkamini (Priyanka Chopra) is wondering if marrying Rahul (Salman Khan) is better than a film with Karan Johar, Vinay (Anil Kapoor) is married to Seema (Juhi Chawla) but has the 15-year itch, Ram Dayal (Sohail Khan) just wants to consummate his marriage with Phoolvati (Isha Koppikar) and Raju Taxiwallah (Govinda) has been dreaming of marrying a blonde woman for the last fifteen years! At close to four hours, Salaam – e – Ishq is also long. Very long actually!!!

First things first, if you haven't got the point yet, Nikhil Advani needs to prune the film – by a good thirty minutes or so. He's already dropped one song, Mera Dil Mera – which is a pity because it was a nice number, but well, never mind! He could have done without the Sohail- Isha track completely because it is unconnected to the rest of the film and not really needed except for the odd laugh or two, but now, well, never mind!

Never mind – because for the most part, Advani gets most things right in his second outing. The film works as a commercial mainstream entertainer – it is popular, yet at most times manages to be quite irreverent most deftly. Especially, Akshaye Khanna's character which has an inimitable take on love and relationships – and has the audience laughing along in complete approval. Salaam- e- Ishq works because it doesn't take itself too seriously – it is really not trying to be a deeply meaningful take on love – it is candy floss but with a great sense of humour. It is entertaining. It has some nice songs and stars – if only it were not so long, but then again, never mind!

So who in the cast works? Well, just about everybody. Salman Khan hasn't bothered playing anything but himself for the last few years, and he does just that in this as well. Priyanka as the item queen, Kkamini is jerky to start with, but then settles down quite nicely. Juhi Chawla and Anil Kapoor are dependable. Vidya and John are quite earnest, and theirs is the most fleshed out love story, Ayesha Takia needs to watch 'Dor' over and over again and invest in make up removal tissues – she doesn't need that pancake!!, Govinda is a pure nostalgia trip and is supported pretty ably by actor Shannon Esra – but the stand out performer in the week – the reason, you can watch this film a second time is Akshaye Khanna. This actor's comic timing is super and his character, one of the best pieces of writing in the film.

So a good second film from the director of 'Kal Ho Na Ho' – a film which ensures that Nikhil will have a pretty productive kal as a film maker in the industry .Go watch Salaam-e-Ishq, but just be prepared to spend a lot of time in the theatre, but for the most part, it is time well spent!!

http://www.timesnow.tv/Salaam-e-Ishq_movie_review/articlesho w/1456414.cms

**This can be made a sticky, so all reviews can be posted here 😛

I can't wait to see this film!!! Salman and John are my favorites!!! Also Priyanka and Vidya!! Can't wait!!

By Taran Adarsh, January 25, 2007 - 16:21 IST

Six stories. Twelve characters. Helmed by a supremely talented director.

Yet, SALAAM-E-ISHQ, an ode to love, a celebration of love, a film that salutes love, lacks the power to make you fall in love with it. It's high on hype. But extremely low on content. Reason: Too many stories spoil the broth!

Let's get to the root of the problem right away. Where does this desi adaptation of LOVE ACTUALLY falter?
[a] Barring two stories, the remaining stories are not well etched. It looks like a disjointed effort. And also amateurish at times. More on that later!

The style of narrating the stories is abstract. It takes time to get a hang of things. And when you actually fathom what's going on, you realize that its appeal is restricted to a thin section of moviegoers. For the majority of viewers, especially the masses, absorbing the six stories running simultaneously is as difficult as sipping lassi, sherbet, cola, juice and milk simultaneously.

[c] The film suffers -- and badly at that -- due to its unwarranted length. Either Nikhil Advani fell in love with the film and lost all objectivity or the editor doesn't know his job well and forgot to use the scissors. Or, perhaps, the editor had no say in the matter. What could've been conveyed in a concise format of 2 + hours is stretched to a boring 3.30 hours. The film goes on and on and on endlessly!

Write your own movie review of Salaam-e-Ishq
Nikhil Advani proved his abilities in his directorial debut KAL HO NAA HO, but the problem with SALAAM-E-ISHQ is that he tries to pack too many stories and too many incidents in one film. Never stretch a rubber band beyond a point. It's bound to give away. SALAAM-E-ISHQ tests the patience of the viewer for this very reason!

On the brighter side, Nikhil has handled certain sequences remarkably. In fact, he does pull off some amazingly well-tuned moments as well as some funny ones. But as the captain of the ship, he should've ensured that the writing is foolproof. Either he got carried away with the script or he realized he had to do justice to the magnum cast, resulting in this labour of love proving one laborious exercise for the watcher.

To cut a long story short, SALAAM-E-ISHQ disappoints big time!

Story 1:
Tehzeeb [Vidya Balan] wakes up in the morning to find a small diamond pendant by her bedside. It's an anniversary gift from her romantic husband Ashu [John Abraham]. Things take a turn when Tehzeeb is involved in a tragic train accident. She loses memory!

Story 2:
Raju [Govinda], a cabbie, meets his 'dream girl' Stephanie [Shanon Esra], who's come looking for Rohit [Kushal Punjabi], her boyfriend, in India. Rohit decides to marry an Indian girl of his parents' choice, while Stephanie gradually falls in love with Raju.

Story 3:
Vinay [Anil Kapoor] leads a perfect life. He has a loving wife Seema [Juhi Chawla] and two kids. Also, a perfect job in London. But things change when he bumps into Anjali [Anjana Sukhani]. Anjali comes from a world that Vinay only dreams of. Vinay's life undergoes a tumultuous change.

Story 4:
Kamini [Priyanka Chopra], an item girl in Bollywood, aspires for the coveted heroine's role in a Karan Johar film. She devises a plot to change her image by announcing that she's into a serious relationship with a fictitious character Rahul. Suddenly, Rahul [Salman Khan] enters the scene from nowhere!

Story 5:
Shiven [Akshaye Khanna], the most eligible bachelor in New Delhi, is engaged to get married in the next 10 days. But he develops cold feet. He wants to break off the engagement. And he does so by hurting his fianc Gia [Ayesha Takia] in the bargain. Gradually, he begins to realize that he is incomplete without Gia.

Story 6:
Ramdayal [Sohail Khan] is a middle class Haryanvi, married to Phoolwati [Isha Koppikar]. No matter how and where Ramdayal tries to fulfill that burning desire, something goes wrong.

Now let's dissect each of the stories…
Salman-Priyanka: This one sends out confusing signals. The entire exercise -- Priyanka desperately wanting to star in a Karan Johar film and Salman latching on to her -- is a shining example of amateurish writing. Salman loves Priyanka, but she loves her career. So how does this ambitious woman change so suddenly? Salman hardly does anything dramatic to bring about a revolution in her life. And Karan Johar's phone calls to Priyanka make the film-maker sound so desperate. In fact, Nikhil has belittled his mentor [Karan Johar] and made him appear like an opportunistic film-maker!

Anil-Juhi-Anjana: An interesting concept. Mirrors the truth. But Anil's transformation [shaves off his moustache, wears bizarre outfits and breaks into a dance] takes it away from reality. The rift between Anil-Juhi is brilliant, but Anjana's character gets a hasty exit. Is the other woman always black?

Govinda-Shanon: A thin story that's stretched unnecessarily. Yet, the conversations between the desi babu and videsh mem keep you engrossed. The culmination to this story [at the wedding] is interesting.

John-Vidya: Clearly, the best story of the lot. And what takes it further is the twist in the tale -- Vidya losing her memory and John trying every possible thing to revive her memory. The sequence at Akshaye's residence is outstanding.

Akshaye-Ayesha: Believable. But too verbose to the point of getting boring. Also, the sequences could've been much more convincing. The incident that brings about a change in his life [John-Vidya sequence] is apt.

Sohail-Isha: Crass. Tries so hard to be funny, but isn't. Perhaps, the front benchers might like it. This track disappears suddenly. Kya hua, Director sahab?

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is pleasant. 'Dil Kya Kare' [rendered beautifully by Adnan Sami] and the title track are two numbers that stand out. 'Babuji Dheere Chalna' [filmed on Anjana] is another pertinent track that comes at the right place. Piyush Shah's cinematography is excellent. The film bears a consistent look all through.

Of the twelve important characters and the sundry supporting ones, Govinda [suits the role and also does well], Akshaye Khanna [exceptional], John Abraham [dependable], Vidya Balan [wonderful], Shanon Esra [pleasant surprise] and Juhi Chawla [credible] leave a mark.

Salman looks fake. Priyanka hams. Someone should tell her that acting and screeching are two different things. Anil Kapoor looks jaded. Anjana is decent, but her role is half-baked. Ayesha Takia gets minimal scope. Sohail and Isha are hardly there. Amongst supporting actors, Prem Chopra, Tinnu Anand and Vishal Malhotra [Akshaye's friend] are noticeable.

On the whole, SALAAM-E-ISHQ has one major ace -- its massive star cast, which has translated into tremendous hype. But the deficiencies outweigh everything in this enterprise -- disjointed script, abstract style of narrating the story and excessive length [3.30 hours/23 reels]. At the box-office, the tremendous hype will result in a bountiful first weekend, but SALAAM-E-ISHQ lacks the power to walk on its feet after the initial euphoria subsides. The business at multiplexes will be strong in the initial days only, but the film will cut a sorry figure at single screens and also at screens dominated by masses. Highly disappointing!

*1/2

Well, I hope title itself have given you an idea about what's inside the review. Couldn't agree more with Taran Adarsh from IndiaFM - Salman is too fake, and Priyanka Hams during special premiere of the movie yesterday. Nikhil definitely faltered this time due to bad story telling and worst editing - three and half hours excluding commercial breaks. Out of six stories running in parallel, only John-Vidya track seems to be completely justified, while remaining five are not at all well defined at the script level itself.

Too many cooks spoils the broth.

Ratings: *1/2
Source: musicnmovies.info

Special Premiere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajEoe-L4VQU

OWW! I hate the second review.The critic was well Harsh!! Buh love the first one.He he! Cant wait naw..hope it cmes to my cinema soon!! 😃

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, Govinda, Shannon Esra, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Isha Koppikar, Sohail Khan
Director: Nikhil Advani
Producer: Sunil Manchanda, Mukesh Talreja,Nikhil Advani
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Genre: Romance/Drama/Comedy
Rating: **

The story of Salaam-e-Ishq is an interesting collage of the lives of six very different couples, all from different walks of life facing love related dilemmas. They either fall in love, fall out of love, want love to happen, or want back their lost love – you name it.

Here's a brief on each couple's double trouble –

Kkamini-Raoool (Priyanka Chopra -Salman Khan): Kkamini is an infamously famous item girl who dances in movies and weddings. She creates controversies and grabs media attention a la Rakhi Sawant, but her antics often fail to catch the eye of Karan Johar, as all she wants is to be a Karan Johar 'heroine'. Driven to desperation, she decides to take matters into her own hand and fakes having a boyfriend 'Rahul' (another publicity stunt) but is taken aback when a real 'Raoool' (Salman) walks into her life claiming to be her boyfriend! She is entrapped in a web of her own making, and slowly beings to fall in love with Raoool, who she can have only at the expense of giving up the only thing she had dreamt of all her life...

Priyanka Chopra as Kkamini performs well. She dances extremely well and thus suits the 'item girl' character she plays. Salman Khan looks as dashing and handsome as ever but what's with him using that wannabe 'desi-US' accent even while speaking Hindi!

Vinay Malhotra-Seema (Anil Kapoor-Juhi Chawla): Vinay is a man in his forties facing a mid-life crisis. He is sick and tired of his 'office to work' routine. While in need of a change, he stumbles upon Anjali (Anjana) a dance instructor half his age. He is smitten by Anjali and lusts after her 24/7, which shocks his wife Seema. Things get worse when Vinay not only admits his extra-marital 'fling' but also expresses his desire to continue it.

Anil Kapoor acts well but looks too old to pass off as 40. Juhi Chawla has a minor role but has given life to her character. As Seema, she makes you shed a tear in the scene where Vinay admits to his fondness for Anjali.

Raju-Stephanie (Govinda-Shannon Esra): Raju is a cab driver who longs to fall in love with a blonde dream girl. His dream turns to reality as Stephanie comes into his life, but she only wants to get back her lost love, Rohit. On their quest to find Rohit Raju falls in love with Stephanie, thinking Rohit is unworthy of her true love but Stephanie is unaware of Raju's intentions.

Govinda and Shannon are the best performers in the movie. Their miscommunication is very entertaining. Govinda gets into the skin of his character, while Shannon shows tremendous screen presence. Full marks to this couple.

Shiven-Gia (Akshaye Khanna-Ayesha Takia): Shiven wants to enjoy his life, which according to him lies in his freedom, his bachelorhood. Soon about to marry fiance Gia, he gets pre-marital jitters thus upsetting Gia who calls off the wedding. Shiven regrets his decision as though he regains his freedom, all he wants is Gia.

Akshaye plays Shiven, a confused bachelor fearing commitment with ease though he overdoes his facial expressions, he scores with his comic timing. Ayesha Takia is okay, given the fact that she doesn't have much to do.

Ashutosh-Tehzeeb (John Abraham-Vidya Balan): Ashu and Tehzeeb are media professionals crazily in love with each other, married much against their parents' wishes. Their active love life comes to an abrupt end, when Tehzeeb loses her memory in an accident, thus even forgetting Ashu! Ashu tries hard to remind Tehzeeb about their love and relationship, but nothing seems to bring back Tehzeeb's memory...

John plays Ashu, the 'dude in distress' throughout the movie, while Vidya as Tehzeeb sheds an ocean of tears, courtesy her memory loss. John is okay and Vidya does not impress much.

Ramdayal-Phoolwati (Sohail Khan-Isha Koppikar): Ramdayal and Isha are newlyweds. Their only mission to lose virginity seems an impossible task – thanks to a huge family and some or the other trouble playing spoilt sport!

Sohail Khan as Ramdayal and Isha Koppikar as Phoolwati have micro miniscule roles. The couple are just seen in the beginning and at the end of the movie! But their 'desperate' efforts (to have sex) make you laugh...

The music is snappy and foot tapping. The title track is very hummable. Adnan Sami's Dil Kya Kare is extremely melodious and acts as an ideal medium which gives you a brief glimpse of the couples' lives.

The movie is shot well at beautiful locales in India and London.

Talking about the story, director Nikhil Advani fairly inter-relates his six varied stories at the climax of the movie but unfortunately doesn't succeed the way Richard Curtis did it for Love Actually (2003).

The movie drags somewhat in the first half; but gains momentum in the second. However the director fails to do justice to his 12 lead characters, with a majority of them, especially the likes of Sohail, Isha, Juhi and Ayesha having no significant role to play.

The movie is fun in bits and parts but disappoints overall considering it comes from the same director who gave us Kal Ho Naa Ho.

http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1458705,curpg- 1.cms

I hated the review on IndiaFM, I don't think the film will be that bad. I know it will have its minuses but I think the film is going to be good! It has a great star cast and awesome music!! Plus, I don't always agree with IndiaFM reviews, they've badmouthed some films that I've ended up loving and some of the films they loved, I hated! So I am still going to watch Salaam E Ishq!

Watched it online, have NO plans of going to the theatre and shelling out my bucks. The film stinked to the max!

*WARNING: This content may contain spoilers*

Copied directly and in some parts, indirectly, from the super hit Love Actually, Saalam-E-Ishq has nothing to offer. As they say "Too many cooks spoil the broth", Salaam E Ishq just gives the proverb more recogonition. The film turns out to be "kichdi". Coming from the debutant director Nikhil Advani and such a huge starcast, it is almost natural that moviegoers have high expectations - sadly, which Salaam E Ishq fails to meet or even *touch*.

For one thing, it is long. Long - EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA LONG! Movies that go above the time limit of 2 and a half hrs - 3hrs should have that extra touch. But as far as Salaam E Ishq is concerned, to hell with the extra touch, the film(the first 3hrs) comes nowhere near what one might categorize a "good movie". The movie is 3 and a half hrs long but what seems like after 7 hrs the movie FINALLY comes to an end! Truthfully, only the last 10 minutes of the movie are tolerable. The 3 and a half hours are just the movie - EXCLUDING the intermission and advertisements which account for about 15-30 minutes of the movie - take thirty and add it to 3 and a half hrs. You get 4 hrs. Now add the travel time. Nearly 5-6 hrs. And this movie is definately not worth spending half your day. But I've just begun! Let's dissect the stories and the performances.

Track 1 - Kkamini and Rahul - Priyanka and Salman

So Kkamini is an ambitious Bollywood wannabe item girl. She wants to make it big and becomes the heroine of a KJo movie. She fakes "true romance" with Rahul so that she appears genuine to KJo. Ages pass (or so it feels like) and the bootleg romance actually becomes true love in the end but Rahul doesn't do ANYTHING to change Kkamini's priorities - wonder who/what brought such a revolution in her life...and they live happily ever after...Ya-da-ya-da-yara. *yawns* extremely boring, unreasonable and senseless.

As far as the performances are concerned, the less said the better. Priyanka hams - You feel Ash was better as the wannabe girl in Dhoom2! And that is saying something! Salman, yet again, fails to impress. He is all fake. From his mannerisms to his accent - all fake! It's so ridiculuos that it makes you laugh out loud! What was Nikhil thinking when he signed them opposite each other? The two share ZILCH chemistry. Sign Priyanka with Akshay instead. At least then can one expect to find good performances! It wouldn't matter much if the track was taken out altogether. My rating of this track: 0.5 / 5 - being extremely generous!

Track 2 - Raju and Stephanie - Govinda and Shannon

Raju is a taxi driver who dreams that someday or the other, an english woman will come, sit in his taxi and fall in love with him. His dreams do come true but to some extent. Stephanie comes and sits in his taxi but she is chasing an NRI whom she dearly loves. Raju falls for her and wants her to get her love. The NRI gets married to a dutiful indian girl and Stephanie is heartbroken. Eventually she falls for Raju. Doesn't sound much interesting, does it? It actually is interesting! The hinglish conversations between the two keeps you engrossed.

Both Govinda and Shannon were simply wonderful. Govinda took on the main role while Shannon supported him wonderfully. The comic scenes, since Stephanie can't speak Hindi and Raju can't speak english, are wonderful and romantic when need be. If Salaam E Ishq was based on this story alone, it would've been great. My rating of this track: 4.5/5.

Track 3 - Ashutosh and Tehzeeb - John and Vidya

A Hindu-Muslim couple dearly in love. Tehzeeb meets with an accident and loses her memory. Ashutosh keeps pestering her till the time she gains her memory back.

Most developed story of the lot - although boring. Vidya and John are victims of bad storytelling - their perfromances and chemistry are bound to get them 3 stars! My rating of this track: 3.5/5

Track 4 - Vinay, Seema and Anjali - Anil, Juhi and Anjana

Vinay has a perfect life, in a perfect world, with a perfect companion and perfect kids. So what exactly is the problem here? Their world's bloody too perfect. When a 40 year old dude (Vinay) falls for a 20 year old girl, he is ready to leave his perfect wife (Seema) but doesn't as he is told not to do so by Kkamini.

Interesting concept - horribly told. Juhi was perfect - her acting could not have been better. She actually made people shed tears when she did. What spoils it? Anil's transformation was simply intolerable. Anjana was considerably good but she had a hasty exit. Ironically, this is the only part where Priyanka actually does a good performance in the movie. A little bit of editing would've helped. My rating of this track: 2.5/5

Track 5 - Ramdayal and Phoolwati - Sohail and Isha

Newly wed couple. They want to loose their virginity but are unable to do so as someone or the other interrupts them each time.

Possibly, the frontbenchers found this interesting. Held no significance whatsoever to the ongoing movie. Desperately tries to be funny, fails to do so. Take it out and viewers are better off! My rating of this track: 1/5

Track 6 - Shiven and Gia - Akshay and Ayesha

The couple is engaged to get married. Shiven is anxious as he does not want to loose his freedom and thus upsets Gia who calls off the wedding. Soon after, Shiven regrets his descision and realizes all he wishes is Gia. Coolly, Gia agrees to marry someone else. Shiven gets back to his senses and marries her - end of story.

Concept copied from Pyarr ke side effects. However, great comic timing demonstrated on Akshay's part. He was good - but not the best - that friends is reserved for Govinda and Shannon. Ayesha Takia was OKAY given her miniscule role. My rating of this track: 3/5

The editing was hideous. Couldn't have been worse. What could've been fit into a 2hr+ movie was dragged endlessly to a 3 and a half hr movie leaving the audience bored. One wonders when the movie will be over - it's L.O.N.G.

Shankar-Ehsan-Loy's music is good. The title track and Dil Kya Kare are wonderful. The cinematography ranges from average to good.

The only people from the huge star cast who manage to leave a mark are Govinda, Shannon, Akshay, Juhi, Vidya and John. They were all very good. Performances of the rest aren't even worth mentioning except maybe Anil's. Not even worth watching once. Nikhil desperately tries to copy KJ at times - fails miserably.

Overall rating: 15/30

Originally posted by: craZEEinlove

hey u guysz best advice is to ignore the critics reviews...cuz u have different minds and opinons.. maybe u shud read user reviews cuz u can relate to the public cuz ur part of it! ..best thing iz to just ignore everytihn nd watch it for urself and see if you like it ! :D

Yup I've read user reviews, and most have been positive. It seems most like John and Vidya's story the best! 😳