By: Amit R Agarwal
Love Sex Aur Dhokha should go down in the history of Indian cinema as a film that revolutionized release format in India. Agreed, President Is Coming and Karma were shot digitally and released - but an extensive commercial release is what LSD has achieved and for this fact alone it deserves a mention.
The other path-breaking step is that a mainstream production-house Balaji is associated with a digital-film. LSD is intelligent film-making at its best - using new talent, making it viable with an affordable shooting format and a controversial title to augment film's business potential.
Hard facts first -
1. The film has been passed intact - without any cut - the media-reports about censors mulling over chopping a 7.5 minute sex-scene were all rumors.
2. There is no sex-scene in the movie
3. The film follows a narrative format, brilliantly told by Mani Ratnam in Yuva (2004) - fusing 3 stories together.
LSD tells 3 stories.
LOVE. Rahul, a student in a film institute. While shooting his diploma film he falls in love with Shruti his lead actress. She belongs to a rich family. They elope, get married and then...
SEX. Rashmi works at a departmental store. Adarsh, a guy known to the owner Lalaji installs security cameras in the store. A colleague tells him to make a porn-clip to make a fast-buck.
DHOKHA. Prabhat, is a failed sting journalist. He saves Mrignaina from a suicide-attempt. She is one of those millions of girls who land in Bombay to earn name and fame, but ends up on the couch of a pop-star Luki Local. Prabhat coerces Naina to do a sting operation.
The best told story is 'Love'.
Dibakar is way better than his highly disappointing Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, but fails to deliver a knock-out Khosla Ka Ghosla.
The audiences might LOVE, the pathbreaking format used, will be disappointed that there is no SEX as reported by media-reports. Those who just went to see LSD for the titillation factor will feel that the makers have given them the ultimate DHOKHA.
What rocks the movie:Title, ensuring that the opening show was at par with any Akshay Kumar or Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan film.
Cinematography by Nikos Andritsakis. Simply brilliant, it adds to the character of the movie.
Performances. First rate.
Dialogues, agreed the expletives are liberally used, but they match the content.
What chucks the movie:Makers claimed in an interview that the idea behind the film is to make the girls aware about the infamous MMS's. The message is not at all received.
VERDICT:Definitely not for family viewing, LSD is for people who understand cinema; contrary to the title those looking for the 'sex' element will be grossly disappointed.
I AM A LOVE ADDICT
Opening Film New York International Independent Film Festival is ONLINE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcaCLf5NbF0
This is the work-in-progress low-res version