Australia's Best Movie Magazine

Film reviews

The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

search the site

Enter search term:

newsletter

Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter

Enter search term:

I Hate Luv Storys (Film)

by Mamta Bhatt | July 05, 2010 13:04 | Edited July 05, 2010 13:06

While the film initially sets out to parody the Bollywood romance, it quickly and disappointingly falls into cliché itself.

Does anyone do romance bigger than Bollywood? The movies have it all - international locales, hair billowing in the wind, articulating love through song and a gyrating pelvis, parental disapproval, and flight from villains, finally culminating in a happy ending. As much as things have changed, the formulaic rom-com is still a staple in Indian cinema. Enter I Hate Luv Storys, a pastiche, parody and ultimately, ode, to the ever-present Bollywood romance.

 

Jay (Imran Khan) hates love stories, and in particular, the melodramatic Bollywood love stories he works on as an assistant director. He's a one-night-stand man, with nothing but disdain and scepticism for true love. Simran (Sonam Kapoor) loves the world of romance she creates as an art director in Bollywood productions. She's so smitten with the idea of love that she's sculpted her real world like the reel world, filled with the perfect guy chasing her with the perfect romance. So what happens when Jay and Simran meet on the sets of their latest Bollywood rom-com?  Chemistry, cynicism and a whole lotta cliché.

 

I Hate Luv Storys starts with the right idea, but ultimately falls into its own trap. The artifice and cliché of Bollywood love stories are parodied perfectly at the beginning of the film, with witty comments, and the film within a film premise. Unfortunately, the parody falls fast as Jay realises true love does exist, and a fresh approach to Indian stories becomes predictable and painful to sit through. The film is only redeemed by the chemistry and performance - despite the limited characterisation - of the lead pair, the music and a handful of funny moments.

 

Coupling the humdrum plot with bad editing, unnecessary and confusing voice-overs, repetitive dialogue, and truly cheesy plugs by the producers for their past films, I Hate Luv Storys can't even be classified as one of the better Bollywood romances.