Salaam-E-Ishq - Movie Review

Published: July 14, 2009

By JENNIFER HOPFINGER

Starring Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Anjana Sukhani, Govinda, Shannon Esra, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar

Smart, funny, and expertly crafted, this modern masala weaves together six love stories. Some have compared the concept of the film to the British romantic comedy Love Actually (2003). Each tale in this grand multistarrer is stylistically distinct and focuses on different challenges that couples face. It’s hard to say which story is best, and the performances are strong across the board.

The happily married Ashutosh (played by John Abraham) and Tehzeeb (Vidya Balan)—who both work for a TV news program—overcome family disapproval because of their religious differences but then face an even greater test when tragedy befalls them and they must begin their relationship anew.

Middle-age couple Vinay (Anil Kapoor) and Seema (Juhi Chawla) grapple with infidelity when, after years of marriage and children and routine in their comfortable London home, the bored Vinay meets an exciting, much-younger woman, a dancer named Anjali (Anjana Sukhani), and he proceeds to make a fool out of himself over her.

Shiven (Akshaye Khanna) gets cold feet before his wedding to Gia (Ayesha Takia). She patiently loves him, despite his doubts, and while he also loves her, he’s overtaken by panic and devises elaborate schemes to get out of marrying her. So Gia’s father steps in and decides to arrange her marriage to someone else.

Newlyweds Ram (Sohail Khan) and Phoolwati (Isha Koppikar) have a hilariously difficult time trying to consummate their marriage when one mishap after another prevents them from doing the deed.

Taxi driver Raju (Govinda) falls in love with an American woman, Stephanie (Shannon Esra), while driving her all over northern India to find the Indian lover who dumped her because she’s not Indian. It’s extremely rare to see a Western actor in a lead role in a Bollywood film—Esra is a South African actress (with a perfect American accent)—because it’s understandably difficult to find Westerners who can speak Hindi, but the storyline allows her character to speak English as she slowly learns halting Hindi during her trip. And unlike the vast majority of Western actors with speaking parts in Hindi films, Esra performs competently. Govinda is irresistible as the romantic underdog—in a teddy-bear kind of way.

Perhaps the most amusing story is that of B-list starlet Kamini (Priyanka Chopra) and mystery-man Rahul (Salman Khan), who stage a fake romance as a publicity stunt to improve Kamini’s reputation and help her get coveted roles as a leading romantic heroine. Khan’s comedic touch here is more subtle—and even better—than usual.

Salaam-E-Ishq is rated Must See.

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