大象传媒

With Bollywood audiences already familiar with Toronto and Vancouver, writer/director Raj Kanwar opts for Calgary as the Canadian backdrop for his latest romance Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, which teams the ever-popular Akshay Kumar with attractive newcomer Katrina Kaif. The location and pairing may look fresh but this hackneyed story of forbidden love is well past its expiry date, offering scarcely anything original besides a few catchy songs set against snowy mountains. Feel free to give this one the cold shoulder.

Inspired by the Ben Affleck-Sandra Bullock starrer Forces Of Nature, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye tells the story of Aditya (Kumar), an Indian engineer who believes it's destiny when he unexpectedly falls in love with Jia (Kaif), a fellow Indian whom he meets while working in Canada. What throws the proverbial spanner in the works is the fact that they are both engaged to be married to other people back home. So when their intended make a surprise return you'd think they'd reassess their relationships. Oh no. That would be far too 'modern' and 'westernised' for this traditional thinking duo.

"KUMAR FAILS IN HIS ROLE"

Kumar and Kaif may make a cute couple on screen, but Romeo and Juliet can rest easy. Kaif tries her best to play the damsel in distress and is surprisingly decent given her former modelling background, but it's the more experienced Kumar who fails in his role. A master when it comes to action and comedy, sadly he doesn't quite pull off the traditional Bollywood romantic hero with conviction. His tendency to break into superficial English phrases in the midst of Hindi dialogue and the film's weak climax doesn't help the situation either. But he's got Kanwar to thank for that.