Ishqiya

Another wonderful one from the Bharadwaj camp. God! Doesn’t Vishal Bharadwaj get tired of making awesome films?

Ishqiya is a comedy weaved beautifully in the web of crime, love and I must admit – lust. It is a story of two thugs: Iftekhaar a.k.a. Khalujaan and his nephew Babban who run away from their boss, Mushtaq Bhai. After all known people turn them down, they seek refuge with their friend Verma, but instead, find his widow Krishna (Vidya Balan).

The three devise a dangerous plan so that they can repay their debts to Mushtaq. The story takes many a twist as a different facet of Krishna is seen even as Khalujaan realises that he is falling in love with her. However, Babban is still reluctant to admit even to himself that he too has started liking her.

Each and every twist has been portrayed brilliantly. I must say that the lighting and the colours used can leave a lasting impact. One does notice the detailing in the make-up along with the voice tone, language, dialect and costumes. The entire set was made beautifully. I’m  pretty sure the genius in Nitin Desai felt satisfied after watching this set in the film. One can actually smell the village air while watching the movie. Vishalji proved that he is a great dialogue writer; once again after Kaminey. The dialogues and punch lines had just the perfect timing. Lines were delivered brilliantly. Subtle sleaze and comedy have also been marvelously blended. The chemistry that exist between a nephew and his uncle in a small town has also been well depicted.

However, I feel that the use of abusive language was not required in many places. Many swear words were needlessly repeated. Also, people may find the ending a bit vague as it does leave some stones unturned as to what happens to the love trio (Who the hell gets Krishna?). Maybe Vishalji wanted to leave it to the audience to figure that out.

The music was brilliant. Mr. Bharadwaj has laid equal emphasis on the background score as much as the songs. Even the music in the songs are very catchy. Gulzar’s lyrics maintain the essence of the BRAND GULZAR. The music and lyrics complemented each other quite well. Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji was a “very-well written song” considering the age of the character (Khalujaan) on whom the song was picturised. The tang of Ibn-e-Batuta will stick to one’s tongue for a very long time.

The actors were well selected. Each and every actor, no matter how much footage he/she got, performed brilliantly. Salman Shahid was exceptionally good as a stern but stupid and gullible Mushtaq.

Overall, the movie is brilliant and does justice to the stature of Vishal Bharadwaj. I would give a 4/5 for this movie. Truly Paisa VasooL!