It is surprising to see that a film like 'A Strange Love Story' can actually be commissioned to move ahead from scripting to final execution. One can understand the actors to be consenting to play their respective roles since they are getting to play the lead protagonists when nothing much is happening in their professional career. However for someone to actually finance a film like this which doesn't really promise much when it comes to entertainment, it is nothing but really strange.
Riya Sen is a young Goan girl who comes close contact with an absolute stranger (Eddie Seth). They fall in love and suddenly there are 'jeena marna tere sang' kind of 'kasamein' being spoken around. A murder (of Raj Zutshi) happens in the interim and all evidences point at Ria. However a Crime Branch officer (Ashutosh Rana) feels that both Riya as well as Eddie are innocent. He packs them off to Simla but strange things start happening to the young couple as they start getting visions and presence of spirits all around them. How the mystery is solved and this love story comes to its culmination is the strangest part of this enterprise.
The film never makes up it's mind if it wants to be a horror, supernatural or a love story. Picture this. Eddie gets a call from his dad who conveys to him a shocking truth. However when he passes on the message to Riya, he does so while sipping his coffee as if he was reading the morning newspaper. Later when the spirit comes right in front of them and even goes on to possess Riya's body, everyone just stands there without any reactions whatsoever. Next day morning it is all business as usual all over again as if nothing had happened. This isn't all. Worse is reserved for the end when the spirit decides to leave the duo without much ado. This is where the entire drama just fizzles out and the entire film seems like an exercise in futility.
There are numerous incidents like these which end up killing whatever little impact that the first half of the film had made. Since you watch the film with zero expectations, you don't quite mind the entire build up around the suspense. Riya's visions, warnings from strangers, Ashutosh Rana's strange behaviour, presence of the surreal - all of it actually manages to contribute in creating an environment of intrigue. However the motive (when revealed) turns out to be so 'strange' as well as poorly written that you end up wondering if the script was being written on the sets.
Film's cinematography is below average and seems to be suited for a TV serial. Background music is decent. Music though is decent with 'Nede Nede' being the pick of the lot. Acting is uniformly below par with Riya Sen looking good but just not managing to keep her head high in the emotional scenes. Ashutosh Rana is good when playing natural but the moment he is required to go through dramatics, he isn't impressive. Eddie is just not the one whom you want to see again as a leading man. Supporting actors (Raj Zutshi, Yashpal Sharma, Milind Gunaji, Snehal Dabbi) too barely manage to pass muster.
'A Strange Love Story' is indeed a strange film. You keep wondering right through the film what is it trying to convey. Unfortunately even when the suspense is revealed, you are left wondering what exactly was the entire hullabaloo about. There is a semblance of a 'story' but the 'love' element doesn't quite come out well. Yes, it is 'strange' for sure.
Rating: *1/2
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