Rating: A-
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
You can get mp3's of all the songs at bollyfm.net
This is one of my personal favorites... as much for being bad as for being good. It has great songs, romance, intrigue and three of the most gory deaths I've seen in Bollywood. What a winning combo! It also has one of my all-time favorite Bollywood film conventions: the dance troupe. For a while, I was under the impression that every 20-somethingish male in India had his own dance troupe, for which he could select and then marry the hottest girl he could find. Sounds like a good M.O. to me.
Karan and Priya heat up the dance floor
At Priya's wedding reception
Humraaz (I think it means "Our Secret") is about Karan (Akshaye Khanna) and Priya (the hot Amisha Patel), a poor cute couple and the stars of a new Bombay dance troupe. Karan and Priya hope their troupe gets selected for an upcoming cruise and Karan is willing to kill for the chance to make dreams of wealth and success to come true. On the ship, Priya naturally attracts the eye of the business tycoon who owns the cruiseline, Raj (Bobby Deol). Raj wines and dines Priya, throws a better birthday party for her than Karan, and eventually gives her a shockingly big engagement ring. Priya goes to tell Karan, who must be heartbroken... but is he? What will Raj do when he finds out about the real nature of of Karan and Priya's relationship? or their plans? Eventually, a movie that starts out with classic Bollywood romance and fun songs, turns into "A Perfect Murder." Who will Priya choose? Who will come out alive? Whooo... the suspense is killing me.
Karan and Raj face off; do blood stains ruin a bridal saree?
In addition to the great songs and dance sequences, the three main actors give excellent performances. Akshaye usually plays spoiled rich-boy lovers (and appeared as himself in Bollywood/Hollywood), but he makes a great villain in this film... the kind that you genuinely hate. But Amisha Patel is the best part about this film. She has to be at her hottest because we have to believe Raj would instantly fall for her and she has some gorgeous sarees in this film.
Amisha: a little sugar, a little spice
Just for fun: Bipasha Basu(Bollywood's sexist starlet) and Amisha