Dil toh baccha hai ji..
After humming this tune for a considerable amount of time I made it to the cinema hall to watch Ishqiya. The excitement of watching a movie on the day of the release or the premier show is always far superior than watching a movie that has already been evaluated by experts and critics. I didn’t get that lucky with Ishqiya but came home thoroughly entertained.
Have you heard great stories? Why are the stories so great? Let me rephrase that question. Are there great stories or do they sound great? If a story ‘sounds’ great the credit has to be given to the narrator. Ishqiya is a narration excellence. The best authors are those who write stories that bring visuals in your head as you read along. A movie director has a much tougher job. He already has visuals to present. He faces a number of challenges like the relevance, the colors, the contrasts, the mix and the general appeal of the same. Ishqiya is a story narrated in exquisite detail. The storyline is pretty simple. There are two small time thieves who are running away from a bigger goon with a ransom. They seek refuge in a house in Gorakhpur that belongs to one of their old associates. But they find out that their friend passed away in an accident. They are hosted by the friend’s wife who to describe in short is a village beauty. One fine day they find their booty missing. To recover the money she suggests a kidnapping plan. All three of them set out to execute it and in the process the two thieves fall in love with her. The story unfolds from there on to a dramatic end where they find out that the lady has actually been plotting to avenge her husband’s death. The main characters are Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and the lady love is Vidya Balan. The three of them are critically acclaimed and the choice of roles for them is tailor-made. Therefore Abhishek Choubey, the director, had his work cut out. The only question was how close to excellence could he take them. He almost took them to the summit.
Lotsa movies have stopped looking at foreign locations and have started discovering pockets of India and its beauty. I never knew Gorakhpur would be a destination for a movie. But the place is presented in a classy way. Any movie’s edge is its authenticity. Authenticity comes from bringing a movie as close to reality as possible. Detailing plays a huge role. Abhishek and Vishal have achieved this in a major way. Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi look like typical small time thieves. The choice of the design of the clothes, the MP accent and the mannerisms are typical. Vidya Balan is presented in an austere way. Her simple yet sexy look in the movie is skillfully designed. The choice of sarees is the usual nylon and polyester worn by lower middle class women and her subtle sexuality is brought out beautifully. This is adds the much needed impetus to a story. I was recently watching a movie called The Cell which features Jennifer Lopez amongst many actors. In one scene she is lying on her bed and watching TV and just about to fall asleep. A close shot reveals shiney lip gloss on her lips. Fancy wearing that to bed especially when the scene involves no sexual element. Hence the importance of getting the detailing right. Ishqiya excels in it and we have come to expect that from Vishal Bharadwaj as he knows the recipe of a rural set up just too well.
A special mention has to be made to the music of the movie. Vishal already has a proven record of hummable tunes. The music in this movie has already topped charts. There is another aspect here. The music is not an addition to the movie. It blends like salt in sambar. The use of classical music is not something we notice in every movie and that betters the flavor of this movie. The background score is nice and pacey.
The movie is not a visual delight because it does not have scenes showing breathtaking views of sunset on a seashore but it is one that will probably convince you that this is how life in a village in UP is. The story is not a general one that just pans out. It makes the audience think. Lots of scenes demand the audience’s imagination and interpretation. But it does not come out inconclusively. At the end of the movie Vidya Balan is seen walking off hand in hand with Arshad Warsi. The flow of the story might not suggest that. The story is not the one we can call “expected”. In some parts the editing could have been done better. Some scenes do come out as restricted and abrupt.
Vishal Bharadwaj brings out yet another entertainer. His movies generally tend to feature village mafia. But I think Abhishek Choubey has managed to keep the focus away from it and concentrate on the three central characters that have a lot of strength.
Ishqiya is a movie for everybody, of course, with some parental guidance!
Have you heard great stories? Why are the stories so great? Let me rephrase that question. Are there great stories or do they sound great? If a story ‘sounds’ great the credit has to be given to the narrator. Ishqiya is a narration excellence. The best authors are those who write stories that bring visuals in your head as you read along. A movie director has a much tougher job. He already has visuals to present. He faces a number of challenges like the relevance, the colors, the contrasts, the mix and the general appeal of the same. Ishqiya is a story narrated in exquisite detail. The storyline is pretty simple. There are two small time thieves who are running away from a bigger goon with a ransom. They seek refuge in a house in Gorakhpur that belongs to one of their old associates. But they find out that their friend passed away in an accident. They are hosted by the friend’s wife who to describe in short is a village beauty. One fine day they find their booty missing. To recover the money she suggests a kidnapping plan. All three of them set out to execute it and in the process the two thieves fall in love with her. The story unfolds from there on to a dramatic end where they find out that the lady has actually been plotting to avenge her husband’s death. The main characters are Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and the lady love is Vidya Balan. The three of them are critically acclaimed and the choice of roles for them is tailor-made. Therefore Abhishek Choubey, the director, had his work cut out. The only question was how close to excellence could he take them. He almost took them to the summit.
Lotsa movies have stopped looking at foreign locations and have started discovering pockets of India and its beauty. I never knew Gorakhpur would be a destination for a movie. But the place is presented in a classy way. Any movie’s edge is its authenticity. Authenticity comes from bringing a movie as close to reality as possible. Detailing plays a huge role. Abhishek and Vishal have achieved this in a major way. Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi look like typical small time thieves. The choice of the design of the clothes, the MP accent and the mannerisms are typical. Vidya Balan is presented in an austere way. Her simple yet sexy look in the movie is skillfully designed. The choice of sarees is the usual nylon and polyester worn by lower middle class women and her subtle sexuality is brought out beautifully. This is adds the much needed impetus to a story. I was recently watching a movie called The Cell which features Jennifer Lopez amongst many actors. In one scene she is lying on her bed and watching TV and just about to fall asleep. A close shot reveals shiney lip gloss on her lips. Fancy wearing that to bed especially when the scene involves no sexual element. Hence the importance of getting the detailing right. Ishqiya excels in it and we have come to expect that from Vishal Bharadwaj as he knows the recipe of a rural set up just too well.
A special mention has to be made to the music of the movie. Vishal already has a proven record of hummable tunes. The music in this movie has already topped charts. There is another aspect here. The music is not an addition to the movie. It blends like salt in sambar. The use of classical music is not something we notice in every movie and that betters the flavor of this movie. The background score is nice and pacey.
The movie is not a visual delight because it does not have scenes showing breathtaking views of sunset on a seashore but it is one that will probably convince you that this is how life in a village in UP is. The story is not a general one that just pans out. It makes the audience think. Lots of scenes demand the audience’s imagination and interpretation. But it does not come out inconclusively. At the end of the movie Vidya Balan is seen walking off hand in hand with Arshad Warsi. The flow of the story might not suggest that. The story is not the one we can call “expected”. In some parts the editing could have been done better. Some scenes do come out as restricted and abrupt.
Vishal Bharadwaj brings out yet another entertainer. His movies generally tend to feature village mafia. But I think Abhishek Choubey has managed to keep the focus away from it and concentrate on the three central characters that have a lot of strength.
Ishqiya is a movie for everybody, of course, with some parental guidance!
this story is not intesresting more...
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