What Is the Story About?
ZEE5’s new original film ‘Aafat-E-Ishq‘ is an adaptation of award-winning Hungarian film Liza, the Fox-Fairy. It is a quirky fantasy drama that is centred on naive 30-year-old, Lallo (Neha Sharma), who wants to find the love of her life before she is past marriageable age. She has only one friend in life, a musical ghost named Aatma (Namit Das). One fine day, she comes across a book titled ‘Laal Pari’, and reads it back to back. Strange events begin to happen in her life from there on. Men with even a passing interest in the lissome lass drop dead within no time. What is the enigmatic connection between Lallo, the book and the weird deaths?
‘Aafat-E-Ishq’ is produced by Zee Studios, directed by Indrajit Nattoji, and written by Neha Bahuguna
Performances?
Neha Sharma is arresting as the gauche Lallo. Her performance as the naive, unsophisticated girl is realistic and understated, never hitting a single false note. Deepak Dobriyal’s act as police constable Vikram is cute, but the character doesn’t skim even the surface of the actor’s vast talent. Namit Das is effective in his quirky role. Amit Sial’s dapper playboy role in the film is the most entertaining, proving yet again the versatility of the actor in playing myriad roles with ease. Ila Arun and Darshan Jariwala are engaging in their cameo roles.
Analysis
‘Aafat-E-Ishq’ is a decidedly novel attempt at delivering a horror and romantic comedy that is different from the run-of-the-mill stuff. The story is inventive, and the technical aspects of the film are on point too. The film proceeds at a good pace, and the plot is quite entertaining. However, the weakest part of the film is that it takes an innovative concept and stretches it beyond need.
Men that seek Lallo’s love drop dead like flies around her, and in the most mysterious ways possible. Even those that cast merely an appreciative glance at her meet a grisly end. The premise is entertaining in the beginning, but starts to get tiresome after a while.
The story starts to get repetitive, more so when it becomes clear that several characters and subplots have been introduced into the narrative with the sole aim of lengthening the runtime. Vikram Kochhar’s segment is one such instance. But for the viewer, it gets tedious and boring to watch the same thing over and over again. We know the fate of the poor humans beforehand, and it does get boring sooner rather than later.
Another grouse we have with the screenplay is the grossly underwritten characters, their traits and what drives them. The script takes lazy liberties with the natural progression of the story and jumps to its desired conclusions with a lack of seamlessness. Amit Sial‘s playboy character has a change of heart just by a few cheesy dialogues from Lallo. Likewise, there’s no apparent reason for Constable Vikram to fall in love with Lallo or begin to care so deeply for her, except for her attractiveness. It is a classic case of lazy writing. The attempt at giving a twist at the end falls flat. The end is quite tame and contrived.
The funniest thing about Lallo’s character is that once she dons that hideous red outfit, she wears it constantly throughout the rest of the runtime. She even sleeps in it, for Christ’s sake! The least the creative minds behind the film could have done was to give her a decent wardrobe, even if it was full of red clothes, to stick with the ‘Laal Pari’ theme. The poor girl wouldn’t have to then wear the same outfit in practically the whole of the film.
Overall, ‘Aafat-E-Ishq’ is an average watch, nothing that great. Watch it only if you really have nothing better to do. Interestingly, the film ends on a note that is conducive for a sequel. Whether ZEE5 will green-light it remains to be seen.
Music and Other Departments?
Director of Photography Shreya Gupta’s camerawork is quite good. Several innovative shots stud the film-scape, capturing the attention of the viewer. Gaurav Chatterjee’s background score is average. The songs are forgettable. Shad Mohammed’s editing is fine.
Highlights?
Neha Sharma is quite watchable
Cinematography is good
Drawbacks?
Story gets repetitive after a while
Poorly etched characters
Tame end
Did I Enjoy It?
I found it average
Will You Recommend It?
Watch only if you really have nothing better to do
Aafat-E-Ishq Movie Review by Binged Bureau