Carnal, Sensual Ishqiya

Vishal Bharadwaj is no stranger to the magnificent barrens of Uttar Pradesh. He was born and raised in Bijnor. Most of his films seem to have the dreary, yet deeply poignant desolateness of the UP hinterlands captured in all her rustic beauty and simplicity at some point or the other. In Omkara, the desolation itself became a merciless ‘character’ of the movie. In Ishqiya, he has gone a sublime step further. He has created and fleshed out three characters right from the rugged, earthy and dusty western UP,  and from the looks of it, is going to stay around in your imagination for a long time, some where close to where you have lovingly filed away “Langda” Tyagi. Vishal Bhardwaj produces, shares credit in the scripting and is the music composer for the soundtrack and the background score.
Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, who incidently also shares the script credits, Ishqiya is painted in the rich, deep, earthy colours of the desolate and arid land, the main protagonists also seem to reflect three delightful versions of the this dynamic environment. It is essentially about two thieves (on the run from their pure evil boss), Khalujan ( Naseerudin Shah), his nephew Babban (Arshad Warsi) and the “salacious, smoldering, slicker-than-oil, mysterious” Krishna ( Vidya Balan), who happens to be 30-something widow of their friend to whom they have come for security in the first place, and ends up being their only refuge.

Khalujan and Babban are poles apart when it comes to that strange affliction called love. Babban’s brain translates into a simple, practical equation that is usually accompanied by the rush of blood in your head, its roar in your eyes and strikes you blind with desire- for Babban, love equals lust. Its that simple.

But, for the aged, tired, romantic-under-the-layered-gangster-heart Khalu, its dynamite lit by laser beams as he lays eyes on Krishna. Romance, flows like a river through the parched heart of Kalujan-on-the-run.

Abishek Chaubey, who has been the faithful scribe for Vishal Bharadwaj since The Blue Umbrella (2005), it would not have been difficult to translate the latter’s  vision  to celluloid, if you have sat through their team work till now, Kaminey being the  latest.

Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi (who seems to have been woefully miscast since ‘Circuit” and has been working real hard to shake off the same hangover) will be a delightful combination on screen to be savored. Sabrina Dhawan (Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding) also shares the script credits of Ishqiya, and with three extraordinary creative powerhouses coming together, you can almost get that popcorn bucket ready along with a hassle-free Friday evening.

Interestingly, this is the first time ever, in a career that spans 30 years, that Naseerudin Shah plays a man in love! And the same spelled out in the maestro’s own words made it all the more endearing.

Ishqiya’s all India theatrical distribution rights have been purchased by Boney Kapoor on behalf of his company BSK Network and Entertainment, this being their first release in 2010. Here is hoping he continues his golden run which started with Wanted: Dead and Alive.

Ishqiya releases on 29 January, 2010 worldwide.

Watch the Trailer of Ishqiya here.