Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 5, 2014)

A young man crazy about his cousin, a passionate affair between a doctor and a patient, and a love story between an employer and a domestic servant; these are some of the forbidden real-life romances set to feature on a new TV show which will be hosted by Vikram Bhatt.

 The filmmaker will step in front of the camera for Ishq Kills, coming at the beginning and the end of each episode and sometimes in the middle too, to initiate a dialogue with the audience. Popular faces from TV will recreate inspiring love stories that dared to flout society’s moral norms. It will flag off next Sunday, February 16, on the 10 pm slot, after Sunil Grover’s new show on Star Plus. Each episode will be a new story with a fresh cast.

Said a source close to the development, “The makers were on the lookout for a Bollywood face and had initiated talks with Bipasha Basu to come on board as presenter. However, she decided against it because of the unconventional content. And that’s when they approached Vikram.”

When contacted, Vikram confirmed the news saying, “I said yes to the project because the concept of dark, noir love stories is right up my alley.”

And will his chequered love life be referenced on the show? “My love life is rather tame compared to some of the stories we are profiling,” he laughed.