There is never a good enough reason to let a Bollywood movie about reincarnation slip by without at least a watch, and decades of shameless Bollywood horror watching has educated me in the nuances of reincarnation. Lovers will usually meet with a violent end and be reunited in modern-day India when one of them is dating the person, or a relation of the person who had brought their relationship to its untimely and usually gory end. Or one of the not-happy-anymore couple will be born again as the other survives in a dungeon as a demon. It's always exciting, and it's always a delight to watch two gorgeous women fight for the affections of Mithun Chakraborty, whom I am certain was the star of every '80s child's list of hotties. 

That is obviously not the only reason to watch Dangerous Ishhq though, as the film marks Karisma Kapoor's comeback and promises to show her off in at least four different avatars. Therein lies the film's weakness - we already know exactly what is going on when we start watching Dangerous Ishhq. That Karisma's character Sanjana will lose her fiancé Rohan (Rajneesh Duggal) to a kidnapping and will realize the key to her present conundrum lies in a past life. But where's the fun there? Especially given that as other reincarnation movies, be it Bees Saal Baad, or Suryavanshi, involve some element of classic horror, it seems okay to let this one thing slide since there will be plenty of shockers. I realize that Dangerous Ishhq is perhaps not meant to fall in the horror genre, but hold something back, won't you. If you've watched A Tale of Two Sisters, imagine watching it knowing exactly why an 'interfering ghost' is messing up the two sisters' and their family's lives. If you haven't watched A Tale of Two Sisters yet, now is the time. By giving away the reincarnation thing, Bhatt loses the element of surprise. However by giving it away, he suckers people like myself into watching his film. Well played, overall, Vikram Bhatt.

Karisma Kapoor descends upon the screen within the first few frames, as showstopper for a Manish Malhotra show, at the end of which it is also announced that she's been appointed ambassador for a Paris-based brand. We're quickly introduced to her fiancé Rohan, who is very pretty, but his nose needs more work (perhaps I mean less, but it's too late for that), her best friend played by Divya Dutta, and Rohan's friend. All these people except for Rohan's friend have something to do with the story, which is very neatly developed, and Vikram Bhatt has his research on everything from the philosophies of reincarnation to the places and times the different  lives are set in down.

Saying that, Karisma Kapoor's acting resurgence reminds us of why some of her latter movies ultimately flopped. She's not the best actor, period. There are millions of Karisma fans in the world, and I am one of them, but somehow the bubblegum drama of all her '90s movies hid her lack of certain skills required to be an actor. There were anomalies such as Zubeidaa, but please remember that she played exactly the kind of character that made her famous with hits such as Raja Hindustani, Haseena Maan Jayegi and Biwi No. 1 in Zubeidaa too.

Sanjana in Dangerous Ishhq is going through a heartbreaking, dramatic time, and when Karisma Kapoor tries to emote those feelings, she seems stilted, with a particular focus on very wooden dialogue delivery. However, she shines in the high-tension scenes, which are perhaps the meat of this film. Any Karisma Kapoor fan though, will be able to second guess her next move in any of these scenes, as we have seen her do this a million times before.

The character that really stands out is Jimmy Shergill's ACP Singh. Jimmy Shergill's light usually hides under a bushel of bad films and frosted tips, but if by chance you end up watching Dangerous Ishhq, you will realize he is not a bad actor at all.

Overall, Dangerous Ishhq threatened to be yet another horror/ supernatural movie that was unwatchable at best, its only allure being Karisma Kapoor's return. However, we must not forget that Vikram Bhatt has over the years actually produced some great horror films, that may not go down in history as classics or cult classics, as neither are they brilliant enough to be the former, nor campy enough to be the latter, but they are slickly made and interestingly played out. Dangerous Ishhq is another one of those, and perhaps with just a slight tweak to philosophy or method, Bhatt may well find himself with an absolute winner.

Safe **1/2

*ing: Jason Statham, Catherine Chanand Chris Sarandon
Directed and Written by: Boaz Yakin

Action movies, as the description suggests, can grate on the viewer's nerves with their loud content. In today's fast-paced world, a lot of people go out to the movies, or kick back at home with one with the intent to relax. Perhaps that is the reason Jason Statham starrer Safe did not really work for Pakistani audiences - although when they were buying a ticket for an action flick, what did they expect?

Jason Statham is super-agent turned fighter turned fugitive on the street, Luke Wright who notices Mei (Catherine Chan), in similar peril as himself. Mei is hunted by the same gangsters who haunt Wright's days, and in her head she holds a numeric code which the influential would kill for - and are leaving no trick to get there either.

Jason Statham, who is now one of the biggest action stars, super heroes it up, beating up bad guys and saving the day. Catherine Chan plays off his acting well, and you can see what the director, Director Boaz Yakin was trying to do. Yakin attempts to lend Safe an extra layer by having Wright take on Mei's protection and the cause to make sure she does not lose her way. Statham is at his action best, but really, we have seen better with movies such as Snatch, or The Bank Job and it comes to mind that it is perhaps Boaz Yakin's patchy portfolio that is to blame. He has previously directed 2003's chick flick, Uptown Girls, as well as a tragic love story, Death in Love. Of course he also has a Remember the Titans to his credit, but all his work is just seemingly so random, that it is easy to imagine why Safe went off-kilter so much.

Of course there is bloodshed in Safe - what self-respecting action flick will not have some of that? But at times it seems that all the horror Mei, a child, has to witness is gratuitous. Statham, established action star that he is, seems to not have grown beyond what we have seen him do umpteen times before. Is it perhaps time for the actor to step out of his - dare I say it - safe zone and try a role with a bit more to it?

But obviously, as with everything else, the kind of movies one likes varies too. I am not personally an action fan, but I can appreciate a good film. Despite its punchy action sequences and extremely slick cinematography, Safe is just that - safe. A joke that has probably been made a million times by now, but nevertheless, here's my contribution.

A one-time watch at best, Safe could maybe a good way to pick up an otherwise lazy day, or if you're really that into action.

— Faiz Rohani
*CINEMATIC SUICIDE
**FORGETTABLE
***WATCHABLE
****COLLECTIBLE
*****AWARD-WORTHY