Ishq Vishk Rebound Movie Review | Filmfare.com (2024)

Ishq Vishk Rebound is neither a sequel, nor is it a remake of the 2003 hit Ishq Vishk, which starred Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala. It marks the debut of Hrithik Roshan’s cousin Pashmina Roshan, and also of child actor Jibraan Khan. The film revolves around four friends living in Dehradun: Raghav (Rohit Saraf), a writer, Sahil (Jibraan Khan), a soldier in training, Sanya (Pashmina Roshan), a golfer and Rhea (Naila Grrewal), an activist. Raghav, Sahil and Sanya are childhood friends while Rhea is an outsider to their group. From being best friends Sahil and Sanya gravitate towards being lovers, with Raghav being the third wheel. They're always fighting and he always helps in patching them up. Things take a turn when they actually break up and that's when Raghav, who has been dating Rhea, realises he doesn't want to be in the friendzone any more. How the constantly changing equation brings about a change in the relationships forms the crux of this frothy story.

Director Nipun Dharmadhikari and his team of writers have tried to hardsell the film as a take on modern relationships. However, love on the rebound is not exactly the hot new topic. What they could have gone for instead is polyamory, which young people are getting attracted to, or situationship, which has become something of a norm. Even a throuple-like situation would be considered new. What they've done instead is to put the old genie in a new bottle. Dosti vs Pyaar is as old a topic as the hills.

What's refreshing is the absence of melodrama when it comes to making ‘sacrifice’ of one's love. They've also made the mistake of stretching a gag far too long. Rohit Saraf breaking the fourth wall works for the first couple of times but then the device loses flavour. Also, instead of a quick wink at the audience, he begins to have long conversations, which jars the momentum of the scene.

The writers are also guilty of not writing well-rounded characters. Apart from Rhea, everyone else seems perpetually confused about what they want from life. There's so much see-saw amongst the couples that after a while the confusion starts getting to you. They do get some portions right. The friendship between Raghav and Sahil feels genuine. The best scene in the film is when Raghav stands up to Sahil’s abusive father. The conversation between them always sounds real. The problem is that instead of centering the film around love or friendship, they've centred it along Raghav. After a while, his vibe starts looking forced. He also comes across as a fickle and shallow individual as the film progresses and that's a red flag which points towards bad character development, considering he started off as being a loveable goofball.

Pashmina Roshan has faced the camera confidently enough but is let down by the lax screenplay. Her character has the maximum angst and has many layers but the director hasn't been able to extract the extra mileage from the debutant. Jibraan Khan too has made a confident debut again as an adult. We wish there were more confrontational scenes between him and his strict father. He comes alive in his scenes with Rohit Saraf, which brim over with warmth and camaraderie. Naila Grrewal of Mamla Legal Hai fame has brought her A game to the film. She starts off as the outsider who is tired of her boyfriend's clingy friends and then remains absent for most of the movie. We wish there was more of her in the film. Rohit Saraf, as said earlier, has been made the centre of the film and gamely shoulders the responsibility. He's got good comic timing and uses it to the maximum effect, despite the topsy-turvy screenplay. Kudos to him for the sincere effort.

Summing up, Ishq Vishk Rebound starts off as being a frothy romantic comedy but then loses its fizz midway. Watch it if you have a yen for rom coms and have to catch every such outing…