‘Ishq Vishk Rebound’ Review: A frivolous, lazy attempt on young romance
Before diving into the film, let’s understand what a ‘rebound relationship’ means. In simple terms, it means rushing into a new relationship without processing the breakup!
Now, if you recall Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao from ‘Ishq Vishk,’ you’ll notice that the actors have aged gracefully, but the storyline may not have. An adaptation of the film, titled ‘Ishq Vishk Rebound’ returns, exploring modern-day themes of rebound, love, friendship and heartbreak. In a day and age where the definition of love seems to be convoluted, ‘Rebound’ only adds to the confusion. Co-writers Vaishali Naik, Vinay Chhawal and Ketan Pedgaonkar capture this confusion well, but never seem to move beyond that.
Meet Raghav [Rohit Saraf] and his friends Sanya [Pashmina Roshan] and Sahir [Jibraan Khan], who are your quintessential trio. While Sanya and Sahir have been childhood lovers, bonded by their mutual trauma, Raghav is the third wheel in their relationship. However, situations force the lovebirds to split, making room for a rebound relationship between Sanya and Raghav [who also had a recent heartbreak]. If you are wondering why Riya [Naila Grrewal] doesn’t get much of a mention, it’s because the writers also forgot to give her more agency and screentime in the movie.
Co-creators Akarsh Khurana and Nipun Dharmadhikari’s [of ‘Mismatched 2’ fame] love for Rohit is evident. Rohit is funny and has a lot on his shoulders to carry, but lazy writing doesn’t help him. The director-actor duo carry their synergy forward here as well, so much so that Raghav feels like an extension of Rishi Shekawat [Mismatched]. Only Rishi is more relatable!
What starts as a story about these friends, soon becomes about Raghav and his predicaments. There is no attempt made to address serious topics within the narrative. It is frivolous, to say the least. In one of the scenes, you see a blissfully unaware Raghav, also a writer, learning about ‘couple therapy’ from the fantastic Sheeba Chadha. As an audience, you finally hope to see something more real to be addressed there, but no, you are wrong!
In another scene, Sahir and his dad’s equation finally sees a point of culmination, only for it to be ruined by over-the-top cinematography and fourth-wall-breaking dialogues. For a moment as serious as that, the gimmicks used made it appear insincere.
But, it is the non-judgemental tonality of the film that deserves a mention, but it is not an excuse for lazy work. Jibraan Khan, whom we have previously seen as a child artist in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, is charming on screen. Despite limited screentime, in moments of confrontation, he makes sure you take notice of his intense delivery style. If backed by good writing, the actor has the potential to carry off interesting roles.
Pashmina, cousin of Hrithik Roshan, makes her debut as well. While she does pull off one or two scenes that require emotional gravitas well, junior Roshan has a lot of work to do. Naila’s appearance in the film can almost be categorised as ‘special’ but she is one of those characters you really would feel for, had it been written enough!
The songs are groove-worthy, but for a film that is one hour and 45 minutes [almost], having four songs within the narrative doesn’t work.
The major problem with the film is not that it makes rebound seem ‘frivolous’. But, it makes a half-hearted attempt or resorts to tokenism to entertain. It is funny and cheesy, yes! But all of this without a soul, feels like a wasted opportunity.