Sure to fall in ishq with 'Ishqiya'

Ishqiya (A)
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan
Rating: ****

Get ready for tangy, pungent, sizzling and spicy stuff. Be forewarned, Ishqiya isn’t the fluffy, candyfloss, sweet story of lovers breaking into songs in mustard fields. In Ishqiya, you just don’t know what turn the story may take next. Even the characters here are so impulsive and unpredictable.

It’s high on drama, wild, 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.

You could call Ishqiya a distant cousin of Omkara. Set in Gorakhpur, the film has a rustic feel, depicts characters that may make you uncomfortable and is laced with saucy lingo. Final word? You can’t help but fall in ishq with Ishqiya.

It took me a good 15-odd minutes to get into the world of Khalujaan (Shah), Babban (Warsi) and Krishna (Balan). But once you get sucked into their world, the blurred images start getting clearer.

Chaubey’s choice of the subject and handling of the material is what makes this film so eminently watchable.

However, Chaubey and his team of writers could’ve kept the writing simplistic towards the finale. It’s complex and lacks clarity. Yet, screenplay writers Vishal Bhardwaj, Sabrina Dhawan and Abhishek Chaubey deserve kudos for coming up with a film that keeps you hooked for most parts.

Bhardwaj’s musical score has his unmistakable stamp all over. Every actor in Ishqiya delivers a sparkling performance. Shah is superb as a romantic. Warsi packs in a bravura performance and  Vidya continues to surprise.

On the whole, Ishqiya is definitely worth a watch and will make the viewer fall in ishq with it. It should appeal to the hardcore masses as also the multiplex junta.