Love Games Movie Review

Cast: Patralekha, Gaurav Arora, Tara Alisha Berry

Director: Vikram Bhatt

Love Games is a film so awful that within the first 15 minutes, you start to feel embarrassed for the actors on screen. It aspires to be dirty and dangerous. It opens with a voice-over that tells us, 'Roses are red, violets are blue, sex can be messy but love can be too'. We are introduced to characters who are living life in the fast lane – which means they snort cocaine, have many sexual partners, and party all night. Their biggest problem is that they are bored. To alleviate boredom, they start to play love games.

What are those, you ask? They are apparently elaborate role-playing games, which have these two characters –Ramona and Sam — go to parties where they try and seduce other people. Whoever scores first is the winner. As if this wasn't twisted enough, writer-director Vikram Bhatt throws in love, blackmail and, of course, murder.

Have I just made this film sound somewhat intriguing? It's not. It's excruciating.

Though I will admit that the dialogue is the stuff of pure comedy. Sample this: When Ramona finds out that Sam has fallen in love, she grins and says: "Best of both worlds, wahan classical piano, yahan hard rock." It's lines like these that get me through my low moments. At another point, Ramona tells Sam, "You know why I lust you – you have beauty and brains." And it's not just the dialogue. The plot is so convoluted that it will make your head hurt. A Gucci handbag — from the 2015 collection, no less — plays a pivotal role.

But finally, what wins this train-wreck contest is the acting. Patralekha was decent enough in City Lights two years ago but here she is attempting an image makeover. She is trying to transform herself into a wild and wicked sexual predator, which unfortunately only leads to moments of unintentional comedy. Newbies Gaurav Arora and Tara Alisha Berry attempt valiantly to make an impression, but this script is so purposefully inane that it's impossible for anyone to retain their dignity.

Making films can be messy too.