Movie Review: Dedh Ishqiya

About twenty odd minutes into ‘Dedh Ishqiya’, Madhuri’s Begum Para meets Iftekhar aka Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and comes up with one of the most cliché lines – “Aapko pehle kahi dekha hain”, to which Khalujaan replies – “Yaad aaye kahaa toh itilla zaroor kijiyega; hum bhi dhoond rahe hain kab se apne aap ko”. A scene so routine that you would just pass it off as mushy trash had it not been for the wonderfully restrained performances; it is among the best scenes in the movie. Sequels are seldom better than the original movie but there are exceptions. Director ‘Abhishek Chaubey’s ‘Dedh Ishqiya’ stands tall in that rare list.

Much like in ‘Ishqiya’, the two witty and loveable con men – the ageing yet delightfully romantic at heart uncle, Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and his equally love-struck (or is it lust?) nephew, Babban (Arshad Warsi) are again on the run from their boss. Khalujaan ends up in a town posing as a nawaab where Begum Para (Madhuri Dixit), a beautiful widow has organized a swayamvar – the best poet wins. Babban follows his uncle and falls for Begum’s aide and confidante, Muniya (Huma Qureshi). There is also Jaan Mohammed (Vijay Raaz), a rich bad guy of the town obsessively in love with the Begum. All should have been well but there is someone here planning to kidnap the Begum.

Director Abhishek Chaubey who has also co-written the script with Producer Vishal Bhardwaj weaves a black comedy around this premise. I must say here ‘Ishqiya’ hadn’t left me too happy and I wasn’t expecting anything much from its sequel. Critically acclaimed and an average success in 2010, it did boast of good performances but was far from an engaging fare for me. A sequel wasn’t even needed but as you watch ‘Dedh Ishqiya’, you instantly realize what must have been the intent of the makers – to make a delightfully charming humorous film with some wonderful performances. Like some of the directors these days, Chaubey also chooses to shoot his films in the heartland of the country. Like he did in the first, this one too is beautifully shot in Uttar Pradesh. Though the running time is a bit long, there is hardly any dull moment and you enjoy thoroughly. The twist is quite predictable but the climax is suggestively bold; some may not like it. Dialogues are mostly in Urdu and there is a lot of sher and shaayari here, reminiscent of the nawaabi culture. One might have a little problem understanding but you will laugh a lot if this is the kind of humour you enjoy. Don’t miss the stand-off which lasts for an entire night only to be ended with children at a nearby school singing ‘humko mann ki shakti dena’. I laughed my guts out! The writing is very original. Also watch Khalujaan and Babban discussing the seven stages of love. The major flaw here is that you miss tracks like ‘Dil to baccha hain jee’ or even ‘Ibn-e-batuta’. Music by Vishal Bhardwaj is plain ordinary this time.

There is a reason why Naseeruddin Shah isn’t too humble and not at all in awe of most performances and movies. You might not have liked it when he bluntly said a lot of stuff not to forget, criticizing Big B’s choice of films and saying he won’t be remembered in the long run. But when you see him perform, you realize most stars can take a leaf out of this man’s book. Devoid of stardom, Mr. Shah is still capable of stunning you even today with a performance like ‘A Wednesday’ or as Khalujaan in this franchise. Excellent would be an understatement and rating his performance would be wrong. Though not touted as Madhuri’s comeback film (we all know what fate ‘Aaja Nachle’ met with), this is a good comeback role and she makes the most of it. She looks beautiful and graceful even at this age; watching her dance to classics is a treat especially for her fans (I’m a huge Sridevi fan so, don’t think I’m getting biased here). Her role is unconventional and it was indeed brave on her part to choose it. Arshad Warsi is brilliant in a role that seems to be tailor-made for him or we may say he has made the role his own. Huma Qureshi is very natural; we have an unusual yet good actress. Vijay Raaz is hilarious as the fake nawaab and he is the villain.

Watch it or not: Yes; if black comedy is your kind of humour. Yes again; if you are looking for a nice movie with good performances. Madhuri fans should be excited about her comeback.

At the Box-Office: At best, it will do average business. Reviews will range from good to excellent.

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!