Hate Story IV Review: Fails to match the thrill and titillation of its predecessors

Positive Points: Music, Cinematography, Locations

Negative Points: Story, Execution, Performances, Dialogues

Hate Story IV Plot:

Rajveer Khurana (Karan Wahi) is a well-known fashion photographer in London while his elder brother Aryan Khurana (Vivan Bhatena) is into advertising business. They are the sons of politician Vikram Khurana (Gulshan Grover) who is set to contest the election to the post of Mayor of London. Aryan and his girlfriend (Ihana Dhillon) are looking for a fresh face for their upcoming advertising campaign. They give the whole responsibility of finding the right girl for the campaign to Rajveer. Soon Rajveer meets Tasha (Urvashi Rautela), who dances in a club, and finalizes her for the campaign in the very first meeting oblivious to the fact that Tasha has a secret up her sleeve. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

Hate Story IV Performance Review:

Films in the Hate Story franchise are all about women and their hate and revenge. It's a franchise that predominantly has a woman at the helm of the affair. Hate Story IV has Urvashi Rautela as the leading lady. She plays a glamorous model. Since the actress has herself been a model before making a shift to acting, she looks glamorous and that is about it. Talking about her performance, it’s disappointing to say the least. The newbie needs to work really hard on her acting skills if she wants to cover a long distance in an industry as competitive as Bollywood. There are many actresses out there who could have performed this role far better.Karan Wahi, who makes his film debut with Hate Story IV, does not deliver anything great as far as his performance is considered. No matter what's the requirement of a scene is his expressions remain uniform throughout the film. Vivan Bhatena is also not so impressive. Gulshan Grover plays his part well.

Hate Story IV Direction Review:

Trying to cash in on the success of Hate Story, Hate Story 2 and Hate Story 3, filmmaker Vishal Pandya is back with the latest instalment of the franchise. While the first part of the series was helmed by Vivek Agnihotri, Hate Story 2 and Hate Story 3 were made under the direction of Pandya. The last two instalments, directed by Pandya, were received extremely well by the audience and the confidence it engendered is clearly shown in his latest directorial. Here, he tries the same formula - focus more on oomph than story. Hate Story IV has a humdrum story, but is powered by an extravagant condiment of sex, greed and betrayal. Pandya’s direction is good, but in absence of a crisp story, he fails to offer anything fresh.

Hate Story IV Technical Aspect Review:

Of all the parts of the Hate Story franchise, Hate Story IV is the one which has been shot most beautifully, and the whole credit for the same goes to cinematographer, Sunita Radia. She has undoubtedly done a good job. Portions shot in London are breathtaking. Despite being mounted on a moderate budget, the film looks lavish. All songs have been choreographed really well. Talking about the editing department, barring a few scenes, it is smooth throughout. Production design is good along with the background score.

Hate Story IV Music Review:

Tanishk Bagchi, Arko, Mithoon, Tony Kakkar and Baman have composed music for Hate Story IV while lyrics have been provided by Kumaar, Rashmi Virag, Manoj Muntashir, and Shabbir Ahmed. "Aashiq Banaya Aapne", which is the reprised version from the 2005 film Aashiq Banaya Aapne, is as good as the original. Neha Kakkar's quirky voice does full justice to the song while Himesh Reshammiya reminds you of his old version when he was the numero uno in Bollywood music space. "Boond Boond", sung by Jubin Nautiyal and Neeti Mohan, is one of the best compositions you will hear in a long time. Composed by Mithoon, "Tum Mere Ho", which is sung by Nautiyal and Amrita Singh, is another gem in the soundtrack of the film. "Mohabbat Nasha Hai" by Tony Kakkar and Neha Kakkar is also good. Overall, the music of Hate Story IV is a hit.

Hate Story IV Final Verdict:

You can watch Hate Story IV if you have religiously followed all the previous installments of the franchise. Having said that, you might feel a little underwhelmed as the latest part does not offer you the same thrill and intrigue as the previous ones did.