Ishq (1997)

This is the most outrageous Bollyfilm I've seen yet. I was caught off guard by the comedic tone that carried through most of the movie. I was also surprised to see several brown characters as leads! (None of them were female, but alas, one must accept what is given...)

The Good:

1. This is the only film I've seen that was so outlandish that Johnny Lever's performance fit in wonderfully. Take that as you will.
2. Really fun songs that have NOTHING to do with ANYTHING.
   
3. The first half of the film is fast paced and snarky. Admittedly, Aamir Khan is growing on me. In this film, I dare say I actually liked him. The face off between his character and Juhi Chawla's is ridiculous. It's like a comedic version of the matchup in Crouching Tiger. If Juhi had stabbed Aamir before making out with him I wouldn't have blinked...
4. Song #4 will remind you of a Milli Vanilli song you can't quite place.
   
5. The most ghetto, needlessly tragic wedding disaster I've ever seen in my entire life! The only thing that would have made it worse was a successful murder attempt and someone showing up with proof that the groom was the illegitimate parent of an 8-year-old child.

The Bad:

1. Clear plastic knee-high boots a go-go. (Click to enlarge.)
2. The "Operation Theater." Please, if you are with me at a time when I am injured, do make sure I get to a proper hospital, not the set of Grey's Anatomy or something. [However, it appears the staff of the theater is able to assist people in surviving pitch fork wounds so, all is well!]
3. This is the first time I've seen Kajol in a role that could be described as "docile." Her blood pressure got low because she was too depressed?! That hurt my feelings. [In fact, there are several odd, misogynistic near-fetish like things going on in this film but don't let them weigh you down! It's certainly no worse than MTV.]
4. [Amendment] As I was so fabulously reminded, I left out the rising star of the film, the 007 Monkey. This was a horrible oversight. I think I blocked out the monkey because his part in the film was very disturbing. People should not let monkeys drive cars.
   

The Ugly:

1. The choreography. Why ask a girl to lift her leg and hop on one foot while wearing a poorly colored mini-dress? There's no good reason.
2. Sadashiv Amrapurkar looks like he recently raided Whoville.
   
3. Parents who will stop at NOTHING to get their way in their children's lives. After spending 2.5 hours establishing that said parents will stop at NOTHING, the writer gives them a change of heart 2.5 minutes before the movie ends for no apparent reason. BOO. BOO. BOO!!!! They should have just ended the movie 2.5 minutes earlier.

Overall though, I'm impressed. I mean this film is like, Arranged Marriage Gone WILD!!!