Directed by: Abhishek
Chaubey
Starring: Naseeruddin
Shah, Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi, Huma Qureshi, Vijay Raaz
Released: 2014
My rating: destroy
every copy – horrible – bad – whatever – flawed
but enjoyable - shitastic - good – great –
amazing
Dedh Ishqiya is a film
that gave me everything I wanted. Everything I expect from a movie,
that too from a sequel of a film I already like a lot. I have been
waiting for it for over two years, anticipating it with bated breath,
so brace yourselves because this is going to be LONG.
Ishqiya is carried forward
as a franchise by the extremely loveable characters of Khalujan and
Babban, a notorious uncle-nephew duo, with eyes always on some prize
and constantly trying to escape their rishtedaar from previous film.
However while it is their franchise, it is not their story. Much like
we witnessed Krishna´s story (albeit through their eyes) in Ishqiya,
this time it is another woman whose life, struggle and plans come
into focus. Neither Khalu nor Babban changed since we last saw them.
Khalu is still in love with the idea of love and Babban has not lost
anything from his brisque nature. Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi
are both great, great actors. Arshad has the advantage over other
characters in the film because he is really the only one providing
fun and entertainment through one-liners, which he delivers like only
he can. Naseeruddin Shah delivers one of his best perfromances, and
given his amazing record that is really something. Khalu with
puppy-eyes and love-struck expressions is a sheer delight. He is
still a crook, but he looses himself in love (and is happy to do so),
more than he intended. He has stopped dying his hair, has accepted
his age, and his affections are indeed deep, not a flying romance
which he shared with Krishna.
+720p+DVDRip+x264+AC3+5.1+(Untouched)+ESUBs+%5BCHAUDHARY%5D.mkv_001227326.jpg) |
| Huma Qureshi. My hope for a better Bollywood of tommorow. |
But look for a woman
behind everything, right? And this woman around whom everything is
centered is remarkable. Now, we all know Vidya Balan seduced us one
and all, men or women irrespective, with her earthy, raw sensuality.
Begum Para seduces too, but through different means. Krishna from
Ishqiya was real in every sense of the word. Begum Para seems to be
from a different time and place altogether. As if she stepped out of
an old painting, she carries herself with utter grace, refinement,
class and distinct air of royalty. She seems an illusion the men are
chasing wholeheartedly, and at the same time, as you wander through
the haveli corridors in day time, it turns out the picture she gives
to the outer world is a lying image, put up for the sake of mere
survival. Unlike Krishna, Begum Para is not a deserted woman set
after a revenge. And she does not need to sleep with anyone or lick
their fingers to have them eating out of her lily-white hand. Her one
look is enough to set hearts racing, as she possesses the aura of
being above mere mortals and almost untouchable. She knows she has
these qualities and is aware of the effect she has on people, and
yet, at the same time..... she is a child in her soul. Crippled by
past experiences, suffocated under the royal title and slowly dying
on the inside, trapped in the enormous palace. Dedh Ishqiya heroine
is just as exciting, and even more complex than Krishna, even though
she is created from a different mould altogether. She too is
unpredictable and unreadable, but that is where the whole similarity
stops.
 |
| Every single interaction between Madhuri and Naseeruddin is magical. |
If one expected a shrewd,
scheming woman using her raw sex-appeal to get what she wants, Begum
is not it. However Muniya is. She fits much more into the
expectations people had if they approched the sequel with a
pre-conceived notion of how the characters are going to be. Huma,
arguably the most talented actress among the current new lot, plays
her role of Begum´s close confidant with ease and conviction, and
she is not at all lost beside other, much seasoned actors. Huma looks
gorgeous and one can feel the energy and vivacity radiating from her.
Her diction is wonderful. Not even her hairstyle can compete with the
one the excellent Vijay Raaz is sporting though. In a film where
everybody chases their own agenda he is no less and no more ambitious
and sneaky than Khalu and Babban, making Dedh Ishqiya truly a story
where there are no heroes and villains, just self-loving people who
work towards their aspirations.
 |
| Screw poetry. My hairstyle is the best. |
Dedh Ishqiya is a cinematic triumph
in many ways, and one of them is the characters. This is one of the
rare Bollywood films in which all of them are multi-dimensional,
needed for the progress of the story and to drive the plot. There is
no place for superficial rubbish.And all the actors involved are so
massively talented and click so well together it just doesn´t feel
correct to dissect the scenes for the sake of bringing somebody up or
down. They are all needed, they all deliver and in the end the FILM
is more important than any actor. And it works.
It wouldn´t be Ishqiya
though, if love did not get in a way. And there is way more love than
in the first film. Between more than two people. More than three.
More than four. Dedh Ishqiya is just love, in many forms, with many
faces, of different motivation and springing from various roots. The
chemistry is at work between all four main protagonists, but
interestingly Babban/Khalu and Begum/Muniya have better chemistry
together than opposite each other. Babban and Khalujaan are indeed
one of the most loveable „bromances“ I can think of, up there
with Munna/Circuit, Karan/Arjun, „Shashitabh“ in most of their
film and Anil/Jackie in everything they ever did together. They are
comfortable with each other and it shows.
What is much more rare and
actually made Dedh Ishqiya so special was the bonding between Begum
and Muniya. I have not seen two female characters being so close and
in such a tight-knit relationship in a movie ever. At one point Begum
adresses Munnia as her “dost, behen and jaan”. And there are more
hints on what the relationship is actually about. The possibility
that they MAY and MAY NOT be homosexual is enthralling. Munnia is
Para´s „jaan“? We all know this word can be interpreted in more
ways than one. And perhaps it is innocent. Perhaps not. It depends on
the viewer, who can freely choose what they want to believe. And if
indeed they are supposed to be lovers, then it is the most subdued,
tasteful portrayal of such situation on the screen in Indian cinema.
Nothing about it is in your face or riding on stereotypes. Even their
prospective grooms are shown to be in awe and actually turned on by
what they discover, rather than be disgusted and use it against them.
 |
| One of these is as innocent as a lamb without even knowing it. Hint: it´s not the girl. |
There are flaws. Minor
ones, truly. The second half is rather slow, at the same time I
cannot imagine any scene missing. Jagave Sari Raina dance number
happens quite all of a sudden and out of nowhere, a bit more of a
build-up would have made it even better. The song is gorgeously
choreographed and executed, giving us even a flashback bringing us
closer to understanding the backstory of Kahlu and Bagum. I
definitely felt more should have been said about it. How close they
were? What happened to them really? Why was it her specifically that
Khalu set his mind upon once he realized he wanted something in life
for himself? Was she his first love? How did he find her? Or was he
keeping eye on her throughout the years? Too many questions to be
asked.
Musical score is
beautiful. I love the whole soundtrack, with qawali Kya Hoga taking
the cake for the best song. And lyrics... Oh the lyrics! If we forget
the Horn OK Pleaj track, it has been a long long time since such
gorgeous and meaningful lyrics have sounded through cinema halls.
Gulzar Saab penned down some of his best efforts for this movie. The
background score is hauntingly beautiful and truly underlines the
atmosphere of some of the scenes – Begum´s entry being one of
them. It takes a little while before one gets used to Rekha Bhardwaj,
but then the effect is wonderful.
Dedh Ishqiya can also
boast of great dialogues. From Babban´s hilarious one-liners, his
attempts to woo Muniya, Khalu´s elaborate poetry and all the lines
Begum presents with her impeccable and unmatched dialogue delivery,
the film is a language festival, Urdu in particular. Even I, though
not familiar with it much, was smitten by how sweet and beautiful it
sounded.
 |
| Camera work and visuals are excellent too. |
To me the highlight of
this fantastic film was Begum Para, brilliantly brought to life by
Madhuri. Perhaps it is because I simply notice her more, then again
there is reason why I consider this woman my favourite actress and
she re-assured me I am justified in that opinion. And I am proud of
her, because Begum Para is a role not everybody would or could do.
Begum Para is not a Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. She is emotionally,
possibly mentally disturbed woman. She is not interested in love, and
of course there is the already mentioned homosexual colouring. Add to
it you have to share screenspace with twenty years younger and fresh
power-house of talent Huma Qureshi in most of the scenes. In her 30
years long film career Madhuri has given us some truly inspiring,
strong characters. Independent and fierce women. Begum Para has
something I don´t believe I have seen in any other of Madhuri´s
roles – she is extremely frail and fragile. She is vulnerable. For
all the plotting and mystery she has gentle innocence in her eyes.
She projects such a feeling of helplessness and desperation one just
wants to cuddle her up and comfort her, protect her from the
realities of the world – and that we love Muniya for doing just
that.
Be it Para who is furiously scratching her own face out of
old pictures or Para who in matter of seconds transforms into a
seductive temptress, Madhuri plays the role to perfection. Her skin
almost changes colour with the mood she portrays, she radiates warmth
one moment and it is completely lost in the next, her expressions are
lucid and clear and beautiful. And her dialogue delivery yet again
flawless. Finally, this is a woman in her 40s, shown as extremely
desirable, a central piece of the story, and both she and Muniya make
for some of the best feminist characters in recent times. The world
of Ishqiya is unique because it shows that WOMEN ARE PEOPLE without
need to call anything female-centric and flaunting any such
„progressive“ tag.
And so a complaint of mine
would be we did not seen nearly enough of her in the film. The
screentime is distributed amongst all the actors pretty evenly, which
gives them all their chance to shine, but ultimately takes away from
the most interesting person of the story. I desperately wanted to
know more.
All the bias of mine
aside, Dedh Ishqiya is not a flawlessly sculpted film, but that
doesn´t take away from the charm it possesses and the story stands
pretty strong. Dedh Ishqiya is a celebration of acting, of chemistry
and camaraderie, of language and classical dancing. A strange,
captivating atmosphere breathes through the film, showing a world
where time had stopped, and while some want to rule it, others wants
to be free of it. Dedh Ishqiya is witty, entertaining, clever,
sensitive, original, better than in predecessor and for me as a woman
extremely satisfying. Dedh Ishqiya is important.
 |
| Hope to meet these guys again, really. |
