Rough side of romance

 

 

Even the most jaded moviegoer would be intrigued by the opening flourish of Yash Raj Films’ Ishaqzaade. A boy and a girl, children of two feuding families in the rustic, fictional badlands of Almore, are shown throwing stones at each other and trading insults. As if embarrassed, the camera hides behind a wall of bogies barrelling down a nearby railway track, offering viewers a broken view of the brawl. This short sequence, along with the stylised, blood-stained visuals of the opening credits, effectively sets the tone of the narrative—that of a bare-knuckle tale of love, far removed from the glossy world of the Yash Raj staple.
The quarrelling boy and girl grow up to be staunch soldiers of their warring clans, the Chauhans and the Qureishis. Parma (a rakish Arjun Kapoor, channelling the vulnerable-bad-boy stereotype) and Zoya (a brilliant Parineeti Chopra) take their intense dislike of each other to a point where they fall madly in love. Zoya’s metamorphosis, from a gun-toting tomboy to a naive and sentimental lover, is quite unbelievable, but, for the most part, the first half of the film is a storytelling triumph.
Director Habib Faisal, however, flatters to deceive. The plot takes an unexpected turn, leaving Zoya heartbroken and vulnerable. But, even as she plots revenge, Almore’s patriarchal society and Ishaqzaade’s convoluted plot force Zoya, the single best thing the movie offers, to become the quintessential desi girl, the docile and dutiful second fiddle to the male lead.
For a movie that promises the skies at its beginning, Ishaqzaade ends on a thoroughly low note. Perhaps, Parineeti’s character deserved a better man than Parma. She certainly deserved a better movie.

Ishaqzaade

Director: Habib Faisal
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra
Two stars


This short review was originally published here