Apr 08, 2016 02:50 PM
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Traumas and bad experiences don’t leave people easily. When untreated, it can lead to the concerned person exhibiting risky, self-destructive and even criminal behavior. Love Games tells the story of such people who indulge in a dangerous game to spice up their lives. What happens when it doesn’t go as planned forms the crux of the film. The film is based on a very interesting idea of swinging couples which is a reality in today’s times. It is breezy and engaging and yes, quite erotic as well. The end portions though unexpected actually bring the film down to an extent, however.
The story of the movie: Sam aka Sameer Saxena(Gaurav Arora) is disturbed thanks to a bad experience in childhood. His f*k buddy Ramona(Patralekha) one day suggests that they get into ‘Love Games’. They start attending Page 3 parties, target a happy couple and then Sam tries to woo the wife while Ramona tries to do the same with the hubby. The one who gets laid is the winner. In one such party, Sam meets Alisha(Tara Alisha Berry), the battered wife of Gaurav(Hiten Tejwani). Both fall in love with each other, infuriating Ramona as Sam tells her that he wants to put an end to the ‘Love Games’. However, Ramona sees this as suffering a defeat and she will go to any lengths to get Gaurav back with her, by hook or by crook
The trailer gave a nice idea of what the film is all about. And sure enough, there’s enough craziness, sex, madness and it’s all executed nicely. The pacing is just fine and the characters are nicely introduced. The songs, English as well Hindi, are nicely woven in the script. Nothing is extraordinary here but no complaints as the viewers are engaged. The fun and drama continues in the second half as well. Trouble arises in the pre-climax. The twist that arises does catch one’s attention as it comes up unexpectedly. But the way the whole thing plays out is a bit silly. Also, after a point, it becomes predictable. Again, it is engaging but not exactly digestible. The basic idea is good but in the detailing, the film goes wrong and this hampers the impact.
Performance wise, Gaurav Arora has something missing in his looks but he is a great actor. He has a nice dialogue delivery and manages well. Patralekha surprises with her transformation from her first film where she played a demure village girl in Citylights. Here she gets totally into the skin of the character as the ultimate seductress and charms all the way to glory! Also, she plays the villainous bit very nicely. Tara Alisha Berry looks extremely sweet and gives a fabulous performance. Her performance in the surgery scene and in the song ‘Awargi’ is something to watch out for. Hiten Tejwani is good and same goes for the actor playing the psychiatrist.
Sangeet and Siddharth Haldipur’s music is not that great but works well in the film. From the many songs, the 2 that stand out are Awargi and Nirvana. Their background score is exciting especially in the end portions. Manoj Soni’s cinematography is decent. Vikram Bhatt’s story is promising and has equal dose of thrill and sex. His dialogues are very relatable and not too over the top. Screenplay however is a bit faulty. His direction is more or less good. He’s a veteran filmmaker who has proved his worth by handling various type of films. His execution is fair but only if he had made the pre-climax and climax portion a bit more convincing and a bit more unpredicatable, Love Games could have been a very good film.
On the whole, Love Games revolves around an interesting idea of swinging, a reality in today’s times. The characters and their problems seem quite real and the dangerous game they get into makes for a nice watch. The unexpected bits in the last 20 minutes could have been really fun if it were a bit more realistic and not so convenient and predictable. An average flick and worth watching only if the best film of the week The Jungle Book doesn’t interest you!
My rating - 2.5/5!
