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		Home > Bollywood Movie Reviews > Salaam-E-Ishq Star-Studded, Glossy Remake APK | January 28, 2007 Rating: **.75 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) Cast: Vidya Balan, John Abraham, Govinda, Shannon Esrechowitz, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Anjana Sukhani, Karan Johar, Aroon Bakshi, Tinu Anand, Vrajesh Hirjee, Viju Khote, Prem Chopra, Mangal Kenkre, Kamini Khanna, Manoj Pahwa, Atul Parchure, Kushal Punjabi, Deepak Qazir, Saurabh Shukla and Others. Art: Priya Raghunath. Audiography: Manoj Sikka. Choreography: Bosco & Caesar. Cinematography: Piyush Shah. Dialogues: Saurabh Shukla. Editing: Aarti Bajaj. Lyrics Sameer. Music: Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy. Screenplay: Nikhil Advani, Saurabh Shukla & Suresh Nair. Director: Nikhil Advani. Presenter: Gautam Kumar. Producer(s): Sunil Manchanda & Mukesh Talreja. Banner: MAD Entertainment Ltd. & Orion Pictures. Release Date: 25th January, 2007. After backing out of the Karan Johar camp, director Nikhil Advani had huge expectations upon him. Kal Ho Naa Ho proved to be a blockbuster, and now he's back with a multi-starrer (in the true sense of the word). The music topped the charts, the 'look' was good. The British movie that Salaam-e-Ishq is based on, Love Actually, was not so glossy or did not have so many top stars working in it. Nor did it have good music. But with the same theme, story and even parts of the background music, Salaam-e-Ishq doesn't really match the hype. It does entertain; it has its fun moments, but with jerky editing and lacks focus. Plot Okay, so there are six couples. Ashu and Tehzeeb are newly married. On an assignment, journo Tehzeeb loses her memory. Raju is a taxi driver, and wants to marry a gori mem. He meets Stephanie, who comes to India in search of her boy friend who is all set to marry an Indian gal. Vinay Malhotra is on the wrong side of forty, and unhappy with his unexciting life. He meets a girl young enough to be his daughter, and there is a rift between he and his wife Seema. Terrified at getting committed, Shiven gets cold feet after getting engaged to Gia, who is Seema's sister. Then there's item girl Kkamini, who wants to become an actor. A publicity stunt involving a long lost lover becomes real, when Rahul turns up. Isha Koppikar and Sohail Khan are also in the movie, but they walked in by mistake. Story, Screenplay and Direction The story is firstly a difficult one to pull off. Six couples. Too many tracks. Somewhere they had to meet, at least most of them do, and the climax is fun. The movie has its moments, but overall it fails as a narrative. It is too long, and when cut short it is jerky and incomplete. Logic should ideally be forgotten in an Indian movie, but still one tends to ask oneself some questions. Kkamini's track fails to make sense. Is the Indian paparazzi really like that? And is it enough to have a long lost love story to get a lead role in a big banner? While one can dismiss this as part and parcel of the keep-your-brains-at-home movie syndrome, you might occasionally squirm in your seat. The fresh humor and perfect comic timing of Advani's debut is not visible, and that is disappointing. With so many stars and good music, it manages to still stay afloat. Otherwise, as a movie, the execution falls flat. The performances of the actors along with some well-written characters and scenes save the day for Salaam-e-Ishq. The editing is a big minus in the movie. And yes, it is too long, even with a few scenes deleted after the first day. Performances Vidya Balan is here to stay, and rule. In the brief period of time she is on screen, she just connects with the audience. Akshaye Khanna is a fabulous actor, a rebel who is the personification of non-conformity. Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla are seasoned performers, and their potential was explored a little in the movie. Salman Khan is the reason behind the Paisa Vasool factor of the front benchers, and there's no denying his value as a star for this already starry movie. John proved himself before, and he makes a great team with Vidya. Ayesha Takia has good screen presence, while Shannon Esrechowitz is good. Priyanka Chopra stands out in the movie, and does a good job as an ambitious actor-to-be. Music All the songs are hummable, and the title number, Saiyaan Re and Tenu Leke rock. Last Word Salaam-e-Ishq=An Ode to Romance. Unfortunately, it lacks the soul required for a movie about the romantic lives of twelve individuals. It is mostly gloss and candy floss, with little soul and substance. Some of the tracks are sometimes touching, but is that enough? A few emphatic factors and some lovey-dovey yarn about how lovely love is makes this flick time-pass (three and a half hours of it).