You might not fall in love with Ishqiya but it's a worthy watch.

Grade: B

Ishqiya

Indian Release Date: 29/01/10
CBFC Classification:  A
Running Length: 2 Hours 15 Minutes

Cast: Naseruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Salman Shahid
Director: Abhishek Chaubhey
Screenplay: Vishal Bhardwaj, Sabrina Dhawan & Abhishek Chaubhey
Cinematography: Mohana Krishna
Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Ishqiya is quite an enigma, it’s a wonderful film to behold in it’s simplicity but at the same time when the layers are peeled away it doesn’t quite hold as much meat in it as expected.

Khalujan (Naseruddin Shah) & his nephew Babban (Arshad Warsi) are two thieves on the run from their former employer, Mushtaq Bhai (Salman Shahid), since they stole a great deal of money from him. In trying to find a place to lie low they happen to reach Gorakhpur where they believe an old acquaintance will give them shelter & help cross the border to Nepal. However on reaching Gorakhpur they learn that the acquaintance has been dead (murdered actually) for sometime now & only his young widow Krishna (Vidya Balan), resides in the house. While trying to figure out their next move they take refuge at the house but Mushtaq Bhai and his coterie catch up with them & demand their money. The bag full of money which they were carrying with them suddenly goes missing from where it was hidden in the house & Mushtaq Bhai gives them a period of one month to get him his money back or else he’d kill them and if they try to make a run for it, he’d kill Krishna. Khalujan who has turned affectionate towards Krishna doesn’t want to partake in Babban’s plan of running away but doesn’t know how to get the money back either, until Krishna comes up with a twisted scheme to get the money back & save all their lives. What follows is an alluring love triangle half-heartedly stained with much crime & deceit that lets more than a few skeletons tumble out of everyone’s closets.

Ishqiya’s setting isn’t very unlike the ‘cow-belt’ world that Vishal Bhardwaj created in Maqbool & Omkara, except this is a tad milder & has a quaint charm about it. It hooks you in with the rustic laid-back setting, which is wonderfully captured on camera & that coupled with the remarkable acting by the three leads creates a potent mix which will have you enticed through most of the movie.

The dialogues & humor though bawdy don’t exactly come across as sleazy or excessive (though if taken out of context they aren’t exactly poetry to the ears) since they conform so well to the atmosphere of the film. I smiled, chuckled & laughed aloud quite a few times through out.

For 3/4ths of it’s running length when the movie revolves around the three protagonists only, it draws you in masterfully. The characters are pretty well defined & coupled with the acting give the impression of being at such an ease with each other & their environs that even though reasons for their attraction toward each other are never properly developed you rarely get the feeling that something is amiss. It’s only when the plot starts to unravel much later, that the lack in the depth of the relationships hits you when the principal players start to behave out of character for the sake of love. By themselves they are perfectly fine but their relationship building leaves much to be desired when pondered upon later.

The characterization while competent throughout has one flaw & that is in setting up Vidya Balan’s character. You always get the impression of her as a seductress who’s playing her little games with both the men & this leaves little doubt in your mind that there’s a twist waiting for you at some point during the narrative

‘Ibn-E-Batuta’ is a catchy number that is sure to get stuck in your head but the song that literally put me in a trance of sorts was ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai’. The song has a dreamy, amorous quality about the way it’s been shot for the celluloid & the song by itself is very soothing to the ears. Plus the little scene on the cycle with Naseer & Vidya is an nice little ode to ‘Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid’, to which Ishqiya owes more than a little inspiration.  

Naseeruddin Shah & Arshad Warsi get under the skin of their characters and are exceedingly natural & credible in their performances, though Arshad Warsi runs away with some of the best lines in the movie. Vidya Balan though competent enough doesn’t quite fit the bill of a lady from the village, she’s far too polished in every manner to make her character utterly convincing. I enjoyed Salim Shahid’s raspy voice & imposing posturing though he does come off more a fool than a goon. Special mention must go to the old lady (I’m sure she isn’t a regular actor) who asks for matches early on in the movie & is barely around in the rest of the movie, but is an absolute natural in her dialogues & expressions.

‘Ishqiya’ is a worthy watch with some very fine performances, funny dialogues, great music & an almost seductive earthly setting. It could have however been a great movie if only the plot & narrative would have been more cohesive, especially towards the second half & if the love triangle between the characters would have been given some more time to develop and make the affections credible enough. I can only hope that this is an early sign for some great things to come in the future from Abhishek Chaubhey.

Final Verdict: You won’t exactly be swept off your feet in ‘Ishqiya’ but it’ll keep you occupied none the less. It’s worth a watch.

Grade: B   

 

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