Film careers to make or break this weekend

Why Dangerous Ishhq and Ishaqzaade will play a pivotal role for the actors in the respective films.

NEW DEHLI: Dangerous Ishhq and Ishaqzaade — both films releasing this Friday — will play a pivotal role in the careers of their actors. While the former marks the comeback of Karisma Kapoor after a sabbatical of six years, the latter is the launch pad of film-maker Boney Kapoor’s son Arjun.

Directed by Vikram Bhatt, Dangerous Ishhq hits the screens in 3D format and features Rajniesh Duggall, Jimmy Sheirgill and Divya Dutta. The film tells the story of supermodel Sanjana (played by Karisma) and her boyfriend Rohan (Rajniesh), son of one of the nation’s biggest business tycoons. They are the most popular couple on the social circuit. However, their life takes a turn when Rohan
gets kidnapped.

The high-profile kidnapping creates chaos in Sanjana’s life. The kidnappers demand INR 500 million, but the police believe that even paying the ransom will not bring Rohan back. In this extreme trauma, Sanjana discovers something extraordinary. She sees visions of them together, sometime in the past, in different eras. In her visions lie definitive clues that could lead her to save the love of her life.

The suspense-thriller will see Karisma’s character going through a period of 500 years through past-life regression. The 37-year-old actor has made sure she makes a flawless comeback and trained in five dialects for the film. She took various workshops to clear her diction for the demanding role, which will see her in different avatars. Last seen in Mere Jeevan Saathi in 2006, Karisma is eagerly looking forward to the release of the film as it would help decide her fate in the industry.

Bhatt has rubbished reports that Dangerous Ishhq is a horror film and said it’s a mystery set with the backdrop of reincarnation.

Meanwhile, the fate of Arjun’s acting career also depends on this weekend with the release of his debut film Ishaqzaade. The Yash Raj Films (YRF) project will also be a test for Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl actor Parineeti Chopra, for whom Ishaqzaade will be her first solo release.

Directed by Habib Faisal, Ishaqzaade narrates the tale of 22-year-old Parma (Arjun), an immature, short-tempered bully and his twisted love story with Zoya (Parineeti).

Zoya is a twenty-something, boisterous girl from an affluent political family and she dreams of becoming an MLA. Parma and Zoya are born to hate, but destined to love.

Arjun had to shed 50 kilogrammes to get fit for the role he plays in the film. The actor is all praise for superstar Salman Khan, who prepared him to jump into the world of acting. Arjun credits Salman for being more than a mentor.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2012.