When I heard the name of the movie….I went with the name literally….Ishq Kiya. Also I have a notion about some films. If they are highly publicized or hyped…they turn out to be a big BORE. Seeing the promos of the film did not give a pinch of hint about what the movie really was. Was it a love story, a thriller, or a comedy? The start cast was all together diverse. Vidya Balan has been paired against so many actors. But with only a few does she compliment the role she plays. In addition the duo…Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi . They too come from a very different line of acting. If it is a love story whom does Vidya Balan fall in love with? Keeping “Dil to Bachha Hai Ji”…in mind we think her muse would be NS. And the other hot and steamy scene between VB and AW…tells another story.
I had to watch this one more Vishal Bhardwaj movie.
Babban and Khalujaan, are on a run trying to hide away from Mushtaq who is Khalujaan’s brother in law. The duo has money that belongs to Mushtaq and that’s how the movie starts. Mr. Director has taken beautiful shots of green fields and sunset of the rural. Mushtaq is shown as a very creepy and villainous character who threatens to kill to Khalujaan and Babban if they don’t pay his money back to him.
They somehow get rid of Mushtaq and set themselves to hide out again. That is how they reach Krishna Verma (VB) house. Here Krishna is a widow and lives in a village house all by herself. But the way she has been portrayed since her first shot, she seems to a woman who is in midst of some mystery …like some unfinished business. Her husband was a criminal, and a wanted one, Krishna wanted her husband Vermaji to surrender to the police and get minimum punishment for his ill deeds. To get himself out of Krishna’s persuasion, he weaves a plan for his freedom. He plots a gas cylinder fire explosion where he is claimed dead. But in reality he escapes the fire and works for crime in a disguised manner.
Krishna when comes across Khalujaan and Babban who are both in search of money, in bits for companionship and in some other bits for love and sex. She in return plans to get Vermaji to her house at any cost. She is too smart to know that Khalujaan and Babban both are attracted towards her. She plays around them for her own personal gains and ultimately hits the bulls eye to take her revenge from Vermaji.
The intricacies of the movie would be best seen not told, hence not giving away the whole story. But yes I would like to share some of the commendable scenes and dialogues of the movie.
- The car that Babban drives while coming to Krishna’s house has a naked lady hanging to its rear view mirror. While Khalujaan comes to know that Babban made one of his nieces pregnant while staying at a hide out J
. - Mushtaq readies a grave for the duo and asks them if there is any last wishes, Babban takes the opportunity and narrates a small story. The manner in which he tells the story is typically Bhopali..
3. Babban and Khalujaan even though on a hideout and located by Mushtaq and his men. In a very mean and most cruel facial expressins Mushtaq says “Mujhe mere PAISE chahiyennn”.
4.When Babban wants to enquire about Vermaji’s status, he asks Krishna…”Aaj kal nange hain yaa dhoti mein?”….He means is he out free or in jail?
5.In the beginning they have shown a typical picture where the criminals are showcased in a in a traditional manner with the police men.
6.Babban wants to go to a red light area and asks Nandu to take him around the village. Their conversation is:
“Nandu: In sab ka Rs 500 lagega . Babban: Abe teri kaun legaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……”J
7.Slangs are used heartily and new word has been added, ‘Ch*tiam Sulphate!’
The songs are melodious and well paced with incidents in the story. Most popular of the songs are Ibn-E-Batuta…and Dil to Bachha hai JI… Sets for this film have been shown as of a typical village panorama. The costumes have been matched to the north Indian culture to a great extent. Make up and character buikding has been done superbly, showing Babban with his creepy beard, loud clothes and Naseeruddin Shah with subtle clothes but still with a tinch of wickedness. Plain chiffon sarees in pastel shades are given to Vidya Balan, which she carries off very naturally with classic deep neck and back blouses..:-).
For Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah BOLD is a familiar word as they have played niche roles earlier too. But yes for Vidya I would rank it as a BOLD & BEAUTIFUL performance. The cowboy music at the end with all 3 characters walking in harmony towards future leaves us with speculations with what will happen next in their lives.
