My take on Ishqiya: A wonderful debut by director Abhishek Choubey, and a befitting tribute to his mentor Vishal Bharadwaj. The film slowly bares open the underbelly of small town India, in a typical Bharadwaj style. Ishqiya has a bit of everything--comedy, curry Western, thriller, noir, raw edginess and sensuality--in... a cinematic package that is Indian in content yet international in appeal.
Eastern UP becomes the setting, as layers unravel in a plot that teases the viewer with its unpredictability and intrigue. Vidya Balan, Naseer and Arshad look as if they were born and bred in the badlands, even as their characters come alive on a slow simmer. For Warsi, this one is a killer act. He erases Circuit and etches Babban firmly in our collective memory.
Ishqiya will not rock you, but will leave you with mixed emotions about love, lust and greed in the Wild North (our answer for the Wild West). Go watch it. But one spoiler: The 'gaalis' and 'sex scenes' are in short supply (in case that is the main pulling factor)
I would like to let the Ishqiya hangover remain with me for a while. I don't want to spoil it with Rann (i sort of know what to expect from that film), prefer to watch it on DVD. And yes, I also want to visit Gorakhpur and other places in Eastern UP.
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