Ishqiya - 2010

Rating: 4.5 out of 6

About The Film:

In the multiplex cinemas age, it’s definitely worth a watch. Vishal Bhardwaj produces yet another rusty-desi looking film that satisfies our urge to see the real village romance. It goes far beyond the usual bollywood flicks and tells us some trivial but interesting details about small town extra marital affairs; the anger and hatred between different jaatis; the easy access to dangerous arms.

Ishqiya, directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubey is a strange tale of love and deceit. In the eastern UP, Khalujaan and Babban are two petty thieves who are on the run from their boss/brother-in-law Mushtaq. For refuge, they go to their old time friend Verma but instead meet his widow Krishna. Both falls in love with Krishna but she has something dark in her mind. An object of desire and vulnerable Krishna seduces both of them, which takes them onto a path of violence and betrayal.

The film has moments of rustic romance, humor and thrill. The multi-layered plot has all the crucial elements for its own kind; saucy language, drama, rugged yet sexy looking characters.

It has an ambition to portray a woman so madly in love, that she will do anything to reach her goal. A desire to break that old notion of simple-village-girl by presenting a woman from rural parts of India can take charge of her life and make/change things as per her wish. Every actor has been aptly cast for this film. Especially in the song Dil toh bachcha hai ji we see common-people which is not so common in bollywood. In one scene Naseerudin Shah is flirting with a young girl in a bus who is also showing her interest. The scene is delightful and unusual.

Overall the plot and the screenplay is good, excellent dialogues and music, great performances and cinematography.


Cast:
Khalujaan - Naseeruddin Shah
Babban – Arshad Warsi
Krishna Verma – Vidya Balan
Mushtaq – Salman Shahid
Nandu – Alok Kumar

Duration:
Approximately 120 minutes.

Parental Guidance:

Violence: No blood or gory scenes except some gun shots and explosions.

Language: Rural and a plentiful usage of unparliamentarily words.

Nudity and Sexual Content: A small, sensual kissing scene. A couple of bed scenes which have been handled carefully.