Get
ready
for
tangy,
pungent,
sizzling
and
spicy
stuff.
Be
forewarned,
Ishqiya
isn't
the
fluffy,
candyfloss,
saccharine
sweet
story
of
lovers
breaking
into
songs
in
mustard
fields.
In
Ishqiya,
you
just
don't
know
what
turn
the
story
may
take
next.
Not
just
the
story,
even
the
characters
here
are
so
impulsive
and
unpredictable.
You
need
to
have
a
strong
stomach
to
absorb
Ishqiya.
It's
high
on
drama,
it's
wild,
it's
real.
But
it's
not
dark,
it's
not
sleazy,
it's
not
crass.
Frankly,
you
don't
expect
debutante
director
Abhishek
Chaubey
to
make
a
stereotypical
fare
thanks
to
the
tutelage
by
his
guru
Vishal
Bhardwaj,
who
loves
to
swim
against
the
tide
and
undertake
risks
in
film
after
film.
You
could
call
Ishqiya
a
distant
cousin
of
Omkara.
Set
in
Gorakhpur
in
North
India,
the
film
has
a
rustic
feel,
depicts
characters
that
may
make
you
uncomfortable
and
is
laced
with
saucy
lingo.
Yet,
it's
different
than
Omkara.
Final
word?
You
can't
help
but
fall
in
ishq
with
Ishqiya.
Tired
of
sherbat?
Try
this
spicy
jaljeera
for
a
change!
Two
thieves,
Khalujaan
[Naseeruddin
Shah]
and
Babban
[Arshad
Warsi],
are
on
the
run
from
their
boss,
Mushtaq.
They
seek
refuge
at
a
friend's
house,
but
instead
meet
his
widow,
Krishna
[Vidya
Balan].
The
time
spent
together
draws
the
duo
to
her,
Khalu
with
his
tinted
vision
of
old-fashioned
love
and
Babban
with
his
lustful
eye.
But
the
past
catches
up
with
all
three!
There's
no
denying
that
the
promos
had
prepared
me
of
the
journey
ahead,
yet
it
took
me
a
good
15-odd
minutes
to
get
into
the
world
of
Khalujaan,
Babban
and
Krishna.
But
once
you
get
sucked
into
their
world,
the
blurred
images
start
getting
clearer
and
clearer
and
you
become
an
active
participant
in
their
journey.
The
first
hour
passes
in
a
jiffy,
but
the
story
actually
gets
dramatic
and
volatile
in
its
second
hour.
It's
at
this
stage
that
things
start
getting
more
and
more
unpredictable.
The
story
does
a
somersault
every
10
minutes
and
by
the
time
it
reaches
its
finale,
you're
curious
to
know
how
the
debutante
director
would
conclude
this
saga.
The
end,
of
course,
will
have
its
share
of
advocates
and
adversaries,
but
the
fact
remains
that
it's
offbeat.
Abhishek
Chaubey
is
a
welcome
addition
to
the
ranks
of
avid
storytellers.
His
choice
of
the
subject
and
also
handling
of
the
material
is
what
makes
this
film
so
eminently
watchable.
Not
once
do
you
feel
that
Ishqiya
has
been
helmed
by
a
first-timer.
Note
the
change
of
events
in
the
song
'Dil
To
Bachcha
Hain
Ji'
or
the
kidnap
drama
and
the
heated
argument
that
follows
thereafter.
Even
the
passionate
lovemaking
sequence
between
Arshad
and
Vidya
has
been
dexterously
canned.
However,
Chaubey
and
his
team
of
writers
could've
kept
the
writing
simplistic
towards
the
finale.
It's
complex
and
also
lacks
clarity.
Yet,
all
said
and
done,
screenplay
writers
Vishal
Bhardwaj,
Sabrina
Dhawan
and
Abhishek
Chaubey
deserve
kudos
for
coming
up
with
a
film
that
keeps
you
hooked
for
most
parts.
Vishal
Bhardwaj's
musical
score
has
his
unmistakable
stamp
all
over.
The
film
is
embellished
with
two
lilting
gems
-
'Ibne
Batuta'
and
'Dil
To
Bachcha
Hain
Ji'
-
which
are
a
rage
with
listeners
already
and
have
been
juxtaposed
beautifully
in
the
plot.
Mohana
Krishna's
cinematography
is
first-rate.
Dialogues
[Vishal
Bhardwaj]
are
acidic
and
a
few
lines
are
indeed
startling.
Every
actor
in
Ishqiya
delivers
a
sparkling
performance!
Naseeruddin
Shah
is
superb
as
a
romantic.
He
is
matchless
in
the
sequence
when
he
learns
the
truth
about
Vidya
and
Arshad.
Arshad
packs
in
a
bravura
performance
yet
again.
Post
Munnabhai
films,
Arshad
should
be
liked
in
this
one
the
maximum.
Vidya
continues
to
surprise.
It's
a
dynamic
performance
undoubtedly.
PAA
and
Ishqiya
are
two
landmarks
in
her
career.
The
actors
enacting
the
role
of
Jijaji,
the
kidnapped
victim
and
Vidya's
husband
are
all
perfect.
The
child,
who
interacts
with
Arshad,
is
natural.
In
fact,
every
performance
in
Ishqiya
is
worthy
of
mention.
On
the
whole,
Ishqiya
is
definitely
worth
a
watch.
The
film
has
a
riveting
plot,
great
performances,
soulful
music,
an
absorbing
story
and
skilful
direction
to
make
the
viewer
fall
in
ishq
with
it.
It
should
appeal
to
the
hardcore
masses
as
also
the
multiplex
junta.