Ishqiya

AG's Verdict - 3/5 (this was my first movie of 2010)Story - Ishqiya is a story co-written by Vishal Bharadwaj (Kaminey). He is known for adding twi... read more

AG's Verdict - 3/5 (this was my first movie of 2010)

Story -
Ishqiya is a story co-written by Vishal Bharadwaj (Kaminey). He is known for adding twists in his plot. And he doesn't disappoint this time too. SO, we have two thieves- Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) who share a generation gap between them. They are on a run as a consequence of duping Mushtaq (Khalu's jijaji) of Rs 20L. They find no place to go and finally reach their dacoit friend Vermaji's house in Gorakhpur (eastern UP fame). Vermaji to chal basse hai and have left his wife, Krishna (Vidya Balan) alone. The two thieves now stay at her place and develop a liking for her. While the more aged chor is a silent dreamy lover of her persona, the younger one gets sensual and lusty. A good proportion of the movie is dedicated to this difference of liking somebody. Basically we see two variant of lovers - a silent slow aged man who is gathering courage to advance his moves and the second one a pervert (couldn't find a simpler word). Meanwhile Mushtaq, turns up again and set them another deadline. Post interval is where Vishal's style dominates the story. In order to get those 20 lakhs, they plot a kidnap. Bang! Wonder! How! Abbey ye tha vo!! the last laugh!! There are twists, flashbacks and conning going on in every second scene.
This unfortunately turns out to be the biggest drawback of Ishqiya. Too many twists just too fast. Deception and the feeling of getting deceive needs to maintain a minimum timegap which unfortunately is not properly managed. Hope debutant director Abhishek Chaubey notes this.

Few months back, a movie came by the name of Kaminey. It was directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, was full of twists and had quality in it. I doubt same for Ishqiya. Ishqiya leaves you with a comfortable feel but doesn't leaves impact. It is a feel good movie but not a satisfying one. A good movie but not a very very good one.

Casting-
Naseeruddin Shah is brillant. Infact this can be said as his best performance in recent past. He feels himself old enough to be courteous to the lady, knows his limitations (physical), talks of humare zamane ki bataye and would take subtle steps like dying his mehendi colored beard in order to look young. Bottomline, he moulds himself into an elderly man who can pursue love of younger age by emoting 'dil to bacha hai ji'.

Arshad Warsi - Break loose out of short-circuit. Warsee here is a macho man who reads lusty novels, speaks with surma-Bhopali accent and is a 'pervert'. He is overtly aggressive in his moves and can express them with no hesitation. His butcher looks are borrowed from Chambal's men and wears the darkest shade of kajal. Though I want to conclude that the circuit stereotype is still a better role for him.

Vidya Belan Bold and very bold for two reasons firstly, for the longest liplock by any famous mainstream heroine in Hindi movies. Second bold is given for silently delivering hardcore abuses. The second bold gets prefixed with very as there are no abuses from our two main male leads. Bravo belan!

One confusing negative I felt was the unnecessary abusing. Why so-dirty talking? Why would words like BC come only through non-lead actors mouth. And will somebody in this fast-evolving scientific world explain me the meaning of morphing the simplest of [complex-compounds] - CaSO4 to Chu***** Sulphate. Should I expect a dharna from chemistry teachers on this? Even the IITian Sandy had no answers for this? May be I have to ask some Gorakhpur chap? Help de Neel

ps: Ca(2+) and SO4(2-) were some of the favourite ions during my IITJEE preps. Dedicate this review in memory of them. Keep reacting

Babban: teri umaar kya hai be
Nandu: paanch kam beesview less

An attractive Krishna ( Vidya Balan) with those Indian curves and seducing charm welcomes you before the opening credits. And from that moment onwa... read more

An attractive Krishna ( Vidya Balan) with those Indian curves and seducing charm welcomes you before the opening credits. And from that moment onwards, starts a series of extra ordinary dialogues penned by our very own Vishal Bharadwaj, which continues throughout, matched up by a thick plot and an exceptional cinematography by Mohana Krishna.

Yes, Get ready for a bold, sleazy and a unusual Ishqiya which will actually pull you inside the messed up lives of Babban (Arshad warsi), Khalujan (Naseeruddin Shah) & Krishna. On the run from their Boss, Babban & Khalujan seek a bit of solace at an old friends house in Gorakhpur only to find his widowed wife Krishna.
Little do they realize the series of the perils ahead, as head honcho turns up for cash, threaten them for their lives & from there starts a tale of mind-games sliced up with panic & anxiety to chop a foolproof plan to get through, which ofcourse, here is fully capable of failure.

The latest entrant to the brigade of young talent in film-making is Abhishek Chaubey from the Bharadwaj bandwagon who doesnt show the slightest trace of being a new-comer, mind the pre-climax conversation scene between Krishna & Verma, the frustration emitted by Naseeruddin Shah post-kidnapping.
Also, would like to add the comic timing given which of all doesnt divert the plot or creates unnecessary non-sense just for the laughter sake.

The characterization & their development ( read Mustaq Bhai, Nandu & Koo-Koo) right from the casting to their witty punch lines is a major add-on which gives this tale a fresh, unique & a atypical avatar.

Music will take away your soul & you will continue to hum Dil To Baccha Hai even when you loo after the closing credits.

To sum it up all, the whacky bold lingo, the setting at Gorakhpur with a authentic background of local tribes & communities & less-known-but-super-rich politicians & tycoons creates the much needed atmosphere & takes our cinema to a more mature level. Arshad Warsi has raised his own bar & gets inside the head of Babban very distinct from his circuit image as the lust-full young lover who doesnt miss a chance ,whereas veteran Naseeruddin Shah sticks to the Golden lover who celebrates on just being called jaan
But, creating a landmark in her tray of distinct movies is Vidya Balan who is a powerful Krishna, mastering the perfect Gorakhpurya accent & carries the much needed rusty glamour, if that can be something.
To pin-point, the climax couldve been a little less crowded thus avoiding a dj vu feeling of Kaminey, & more connecting. A college going teenager was heard commenting End me kya hota hai ? This couldve taken care of by a less-complicated story line towards the end.
Nonetheless,
ISHQIYA is a genre in itself, a rare combination of all that comprises of Bollywood... with a very classic veteran Indian-Villager feel ...directed carefully inch by inch by debutante Abhishek Chaubey ...& executed flawleslly by the Ensemble Of Stars - Get out of the House & have a %&^$# sulphate of a Week End
view less

Ishqiya is a brave attempt at making a movie which is a comedy at the threshold of the film noir genre. A film that can easily be termed as pure ad... read more

Ishqiya is a brave attempt at making a movie which is a comedy at the threshold of the film noir genre. A film that can easily be termed as pure adult fun, Ishqiya very unapologetically becomes sleazy and crass while being realistically high on drama. However, this treat isnt for the faint-hearted as you never know what turn the story will take, the characters are so unpredictable and dynamic. As bold and as clever as any Vishal Bharadwaj fare, Ishqiya still exudes a vibrant originality under Chaubeys reign.

The story is held by its three main characters: Khalujaan, Babban and Krishna, where the first two are convicts who after double-crossing their boss try to find refuge at a friends house in Gorakhpur, until they can cross the border. Here they find the friends widow and then starts a roller-coaster ride of love, lust, deceit and betrayal. Desire, greed and revenge will surface in the rural landscape while the three try to escape a doomed fate. The raw appeal of the script and the sensitive style of narration is what keeps you gripped.

Ishqiya reveals something new with every frame, a story which constantly unravels itself. The first half is thoroughly enjoyable as an introduction into the functioning of the various characters but the thrill really comes in the second half as the instability of the characters comes into play. You are gripped and anxious to know how this vicious saga will end, and though the end may be debatable and anti-climactic, it still remains unconventional. Perhaps crisper editing and a better thought-out and clear conclusion could have done wonders.
Chaubey definitely has a knack for storytelling and he, Bharadwaj and Sabrina Dhawan understand sexual mores to the core, especially in a rustic realm. The dialogues make the movie more worthwhile, certain phrases and terms are extremely edgy and controversial but that just makes them more delicious.
Music by Bharadwaj is just apt for the movie. Ab Mujhe Koi is haunting, while Dil To Bachcha Hai is perfect at describing the thought process of the characters kudos to Gulzar). Ibn-E-Batuta is entertaining as hell. The background score sets the mood of the film well.

All this added to the powerhouse performances by Balan, a self-proclaimed amoral character whos sly flirtation will keep you in the loop, Warsi with his lustful eye and the best one-liners, and Shah who emotes subtly with his face more than anything else, makes Ishqiya an irrisistable comedy of manners. Even the supporting characters, who are relatively less known, are perfect in their respective roles.

Overall, Ishqiya is a splendid watch for its absorbing plot, riveting characters who arent perfect (just the way we like them), beautiful music, some outrageous sequences and superb performances. Its just non-stop fun. view less

ISHQIYA *ing Naseeruddin Shah, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi, Anupama Kumar, Salman Shahid & Rajesh Sharma. Director-Abhishek Chaubey & Produce... read more

ISHQIYA *ing Naseeruddin Shah, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi, Anupama Kumar, Salman Shahid & Rajesh Sharma. Director-Abhishek Chaubey & Producers Raman Maru & Vishal Bhardwaj.
Rating *** & 1/2

Ishiqiya is indeed a fascinating tale about love and lust, greed and deceit and down right cunningness boiled in passion that is embedded in true life characters that you can see on a day to day basis or even in some mirrors. Each one has his personal agenda and anyone coming within those parameters is used, abused, misused and chewed out after his need has been fulfilled.
Quite a routine run of the mill scenario you would say.So what's new? It's the realistic handling and the perfect presentation that makes the film so absolutely engrossing and keeps you glued to the seat till the final titles rollover and the lights come on.

While Naseeruddin Shah is always open to any kind of challenges over here to he shines brilliantly and Arshad Warsi is also fascinating. The mamu-bhanja jodi promises to have you roll in sheer delight. Their interesting journey that is a virtual cross country race to save their skins is just the start of a joy ride you wish would never end.

But all said and done the film simply belongs to Vidya Balan who will not only have her fans turn purple with her passion and love-making scenes that seem to go on and on(not that I saw anyone complain).What takes the cake is how exactly Vishal Bhardwaj actually managed to convince the prudish and rather conservative Vidya Balan to toe the line and do such a heavy duty passionate prolonged kissing scene with Arshad Warsi. Wonder how much explaining both of them must have had to do back home once the movie was released?

Like most Vishal Bhardwaj films this one too is not sugar coated so be prepared to listen to the grassroot dialect that you encounter in your day to day life but hearing the same abuses in Dolby surround sound may make many uncomfortable especially when they flow freely even from the female characters who use their body's as freely as weapons to entice use and discard men to achieve their goals.

All said and done after Kaminey one was waiting to see what Vishal Bhardwaj would come up with next and sure enough he has pushed the envelope even further with his Ishqiya and gives his audience a lot to chew on till his next release.

Gulzar maybe embroiled in a seedy controversy over the Ibn Babtuta lyrics and where he got the inspiration from but that said the track and it's picturisation is something worth looking forward too.

The Bottom line in this delightful caper is Vidya Balan and her rocking performance that shall make you sit up and view her in an absolutely different light and to what extent she is willing to go if she is convinced that the role actually demands it. In more ways than one Vidya has done absolute justice to her demanding and complex role that polishes the film into making it much more than a normal run of the mill crime thriller.

BY THE LIP SHANDIL



view less

Isquiya is a fine film. Vishal Bharadwaj has started attempting the films that India can call "originally ours" ( Finally), this is a very apprecia... read more

Isquiya is a fine film. Vishal Bharadwaj has started attempting the films that India can call "originally ours" ( Finally), this is a very appreciable act, Abhishek Choubey comes from the same school of thought and that is so evident in his work. Everything is just perfect, even the smallest of the casting is so authentic that you really marvel at the amount of hard work put in.The dialogues are fresh, creative and egdy at times compliment the film so nicely. I was very impressed with the way director has used small little things to show the differences in the character of Babban and Khalujaan ( like the songs they both hear...tells us how different they are from each other. I think that was fantastic.).
I was also impressed with the way Arshad has carried off his Bhopali accent and lingo all through the film.Though I am so disappointed with the way Vidya's accent and lingo kept wavering. One second her accent is so clear the other second she has that rustic flavour, I am also disspointed with the way people mix up Bihari with the Up language. The language of the areas like Lucknow, kanpur and Gorakhpur stc have a different lingo even from the language of Mathura, Abhishek is from Up he should know. Now that is the language Nandu speaks, even Vidya's on screen husband manages to do well there.I mean it very a real turn down , though Vidya tried to cover this up with her acting.There are some magical moments that Vidya and Naseeruddin Shah manage to create just using their face and eyes. I am also very unhappy with the way film ended. Vidya, Arshad and naseerji walking out after the blast looked like a scene direct from the Charlie's Angel's film, I found that funny. The way jijaji spares the three of them also amused me. C'mon guy you are making a realistic movie, why do you have to say in the end that look moral of the story is : the good always wins over the bad.I wasn't expecting it. But anyway its Abhishek's film, he has every right to make it the way he has made it. Overall I would say a real nice attempt. A good film. Thumbs Up to Ishquiya. view less