MUMBAI: Karle Pyar Karle is the launch pad for the third generation Darshan, Shiv Darshan, the son of Suneel Darshan, writer, producer and director of a number of films. Shiv’s grandfather, Darshan Sabharwal, was a producer himself besides having distributed hundreds of films in Central India.

Shiv is a 6’2” hulk of a lad and that limits his launch vehicle to be an action romance. Also, one does not usually expect a newcomer with such a frame to fit an emotional drama. As such, Karle Pyar Karle is designed to be so, a campus romance that soon turns into a fight for survival against a gang lord. This combination of romance and action gives Shiv an ample scope to showcase his proficiency with action, stunts and dance, things one can be trained for.

Shiv and Hasleen are star-crossed lovers forced to part ways in their childhood; Hasleen as well as Shiv’s family is convinced Hasleen is bad news for Shiv because of which he keeps landing in trouble. The duo meets again after a gap of 12 years at a police station. Shiv has been arrested to messing with the city’s traffic system; no idea what is Hasleen doing there! While Shiv has recognised her, she has not despite her childhood claims that she would always recognise him whatever the time lag.

That is not an issue since both happen to be in the same institution, ‘the game is on’ as they often dare each other since childhood. On the campus, there is the usual lot of a villain and his sidekicks. Shiv, now starts to woo back Hasleen till she finds out he is her childhood mate, which she soon does, thanks to a bracelet he had gifted her as a child. They are together again, much in love and it is time for the villain to create a rift between them and create a situation for the interval break.

The second half is all about gangsters. Shiv getting better of each other alternately till the villains are all dead and the lead pair is almost dead! Which is a miracle since the villains are armed with everything from knives, swords, guns and rocket launchers while Shiv prefers to fight with bare hands, well, also legs?

The choice of predictable story and script, among other aspects of the film, is surprising, coming as it does from Suneel Darshan, and for a launch film of his son at that! The hero starts off with a bike stunt, a dance and a fight scene within first few minutes in to the film and with that he has run out of his repertoire of qualifications.

For the rest of the film, things become repetitive. Also, having licked the villain in the opening fight along with his sidekick within seconds it hardly makes any sense to have a long climax fight between the hero and the villain’s sidekick again.

Shiv has limitations. Hasleen lacks screen presence. Direction is below par. For a love story, music is not up to the mark and despite five composers and as many lyric writers on its roaster, the film has just one decent tune in Teri saanson mein…

Karle Pyar Karle faces poor prospects.

Producer: Suneel Darshan.

Director: Rajesh Pandey.

Cast: Shiv Darshan, Hasleen Kaur.