(Also published here: http://fwa.co.in/SitePages/10ml-LOVE-MovieReview.aspx)
A scene in 10 ml Love has Ghalib (Rajat Kapoor),playing a
jealous and possessive husband, begging to be forgiven by his wife, Roshni (Tisca
Chopra).The lines are almost lyrical, somewhat like this.. ”kasoor mera nahin,kasoor hai meri maa ka
jisne who dawa dee…kasoor elaaychi ka hai,kasoor elaichi ki sheeshi ka
hai..kasoor is raat ka hai jisko rangeen banana ka khwaab dekha…”.
This almost poetic mood and a theatrical presentation
adapted from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”rules the style and
narrative followed by debut writer/director,Sharat Katariya who has earlier
written the dialogues of “Bheja Fry”.
When adapted to
contemporary Indian milieu and characters in 10 ml love, it retains so much of
the theatrical format that everything seems staged. Three parallel tracks centered
on love come together on a wedding night. Mini(Koel Purie) loves Neel(Purab
Kohli) who loves Shweta(Tara Sharma ) who loves Peter( Neil Bhoopalam). Ghalib ,who
sells medicines and herbs to help couples resolve sexual problems, is plagued
with obsessive love for his wife, Roshni who seems indifferent to him. His 10
ml “joshi jawani” love potion meant for Roshni, plays havoc with all four lovers
and a night of mad confused love follows.
Love in its various forms is explored in a light vein in the
city of Mumbai. Mini and Neel are more than long term buddies. Mini in love
with Neel, doesn’t mind shopping for his bride to be, Shweta who is also her
best friend. Shweta is a rich girl in love with a car mechanic, Peter. Interestingly,
there are no lines drawn between love and friendship here and would have
made a more compelling story to explore
their relationships deeper.
Also, instead of each
one’s love life, two very brief scenes between two unlikely characters, turn
out to be the most fascinating ones. The chance encounter between Peter and
Ghalib who are hiding at Shweta’s engagement party, have moments of empathy,
again not touched upon sufficiently enough to draw the viewer into their love
lorn troubles. While Ghalib evokes some caring for his life, both because of
his story and great lines, Ghalib’s wife, Roshni gets ignored. Likewise, while
we see Mini’s agony, we don’t know much about Neil, Shweta or Peter. An
additional Ramleela track is given more screen time than required.
Koel Purie, Rajat Kapoor, Purab Kohli and Tisca Chopra make this little comedy more appealing with
their own screen presence and performances.
Despite the flaws ,10 ml Love charms in small doses. After
all, it is based on the great bard’s work.
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