Salaam-E-’Ishqiya’ (Movie Review)

When I came out of the theatre after watching Ishqiya, I just said one word: Flawless! Simply, because I really couldn’t find major flaws with the film.

I had seen the trailer of Ishqiya, just few days after Kaminey; while I was still in the awe of Kaminey. And I felt, here comes another amazing movie from Vishal Bhardwaj, but I realised quite late, that the movie is directed by a newcomer Abhishek Chaubey while the movie is being produced by Vishal Bhardwaj.

Babban  (Arshad Warsi) and Iftikar  (Naseerudin) are two thieves who are running away from Mushtaq after cheating him for Rs. 20 lakhs. They take shelter in an acquaintance’s  house, Varma, who is already dead but his stunning widow Krishna (Vidya Balan) lives there. She sings well and also guns down people. She flirts with Khalujaan (Naseerudin) and sleeps with the boy he raised like his son (Arshad Warsi) and she knows how to earn Rs. 20 lakhs too!

The screenplay is the real hero of the movie. Full points to Vishal Bhardwaj, Sabrina Dhawan and Abhishek Chaubhey for that. The music given by Vishal Bhardwaj is amazing too. I hardly know anyone who has not been gripped by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji’.

The star-cast is the biggest USP of the film. You have an actor like Naseerudin, who plays the role of a single old man wanting to settle down with a young village belle; with such flamboyance that you want to fall in love with his ‘love’. On the other hand, his performance is matched by the other fine actors; Vidya Balan who just seems to get better with every film and Arshad Warsi, who is simply amazing with the Bhopali accent, mannerisms and style. I have always felt he deserves better than what he gets.

What totally bowled me over was the ending of the movie, while the other critics and viewers have slammed the climax scene, saying it didn’t do justice to the film, I totally loved it. Sometimes, the director leaves it to the audience to comprehend what he really means, instead of giving a ‘and-they-happily-lived-ever-after-ending’. Abhishek Chaubey does just that, with panache.

All in all, an amazing experience. Go watch it!

Ratings: 4/5

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