salaam - e - ishq

i should really dislike this more than i did, but maybe i was forewarned and went with as miniscule expectations as possible. after all the length was not the only deterrent, the stars were the other – no one really i would want to watch- but for govinda- and he was the reason i bought the ticket. and he did not disappoint. he is such a joy to watch, terrific timing, easy humor and what a dancer! in that one scene, in that one dance. even his east/west love story was the most watchable of the bunch with a blonde american playing his lovelorn love interest.

the other stories were juhi/anil kapoor in their ‘shall we dance’ reprise; the akshaye khanna / ayesha takia runaway groom story; sohail khan/ issha koppikar and the getting laid skit; vidya balan/john abraham in the tear jerker segment with memory loss and hindu muslim love; and the worst of the bunch priyanka chopra as the item girl who wants to be a tragedy queen with salman khan in tow.

the pacing of the film is flat, nothing much happens, everything is predictable and slow and yet i did not hate it as much i expected to. i guess it must be because the characters were really quite nicely drawn (some of them); some warm hearted sentiment and sweetness; and one good song. and then there was ayesha takia as the earnest bubbly bride left waiting, akshaye khanna as her groom, isha and sohail as the comedy item; and of course govinda himself. after ‘guru’ i think i have become more ‘generous’.