Jun 05, 2010 12:30 PM
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Sometimes, Reputations drive reviews and thats what happened on the RANN, ISHQIYA release date. RGV was panned for his unrealistic preachy RANN and some reviewers went to the extent of saying "Tarantin would be proud of ISHQIYA"!
While I had below zero expectations for RANN, I had bloated expectations for ISHQIYA becoz of the stunning reviews. Rann pleasantly surprised me. I was a rivetting movie. But Ishqiya wasnt quiet the mind blowing movie I expected, though it did leave an impression.
Ishqiya set in Gorakhpur, gives you a slice of the rustic, rural india set up. 2 louts, Naseer and Arshad, running from a gangster take shelter in Vidya Balan’s home. Vidya, taking advantage of their situation, seduces and uses them both to extract revenge.
Lets look at the many positives in the movie. 1) The Characters: Characterisations of Naseer, Arshad and Vidya are wonderful. While Naseer, the old goon, is the mildly romantic type - Arshad is the young, flashy lover. Vidya on the other hand is the perfect seductress, mixing vulnerability and vengence with ease.
2) Performances and Chemistry: To say that Vidya steals the show, is an understatement. She is amazing. Her body talks, her eyes emote. She seduces Naseer with her fleeting touches, her sensual voice, her voluptous body and sets Arshad on fire with her trash talk, her naughty advances. Naseer is in the perfect "Aashikaana" mode. He doesnt have many dialogues, but he plays the childlike lover to perfection. Arshad has the most lines and delivers them with perfect comedic timing. His body language is in perfect unison with his character.
3) The Direction and research team: Though everyone is saying its a Vishal Bharadwaj film, Director Abhishek Chaubey deserves the appluads. His overall knowledge of the setting, the detailing in the sets, the get ups, the dialogues, the language transports you to UP. He promises to have a good future in cinema.
But, the story, the plot is not gripping. This is the only flaw in the movie. Sometimes, the movie does become cumbersome. The content is probably apt for a 1 hour film, as 1 hour 40 minutes also feel a bit long. Though some scenes are powerful, others just seem to be a squeeze. Also, its only the performances, and the chemistry between the characters that work. Its not the plot. The plot is secondary, hence the movie somehow loses steam towards the end. Maybe a week or two with Bharadwaj on the script would have elevated the film a few notches.
Overall a commedable effort by a first time director. To make a film work without any big hero’s is a big achievement and the film is the only one that has worked so far this year because it does have a universal appeal. If you havent watched, have a go. Coz its good, but not great.
