Amid love and war, Ishqiya leaves you with multiple flavours and a wish for Abhishek Chaubey to make more films

Ishqiya is the story of Krishna (Vidya), widow of a wanted criminal Vidyadhar Verma (Adil Hussain), who lives alone in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. She gives shelter to conmen Babban (Arshad) and Khalujaan (Naseeruddin), who are on the run after irking crime lord Mushtaq Bhai (Salman Shahid). None of the characters in the film is cut from the same cloth; each character comes with their own unique personality and quirks. None of them are the ideal protagonists with a straight moral compass — but you still end up sympathising with most of them.

When I hated Verma for abandoning Krishna, Chaubey gave me a well-reasoned argument for his action. I felt Khalujaan’s heartbreak but didn’t like him as a bitter lover who cusses at Krishna and Babban. Even Nandu, Babban’s ‘friend’ in this foreign land, is cunning in his first meeting with the audience, but then he does something which makes you cheer for him. Chaubey once said, “Man has two sides, one is cultured and the other is coarse.” The film director’s words ring true for his characters in Ishqiya.

As the film begins with Khalujaan and Babban’s drive into Uttar Pradesh, after beating up a goon and his men in a stolen car with a playful song “Ibn E Batuta”, you assume you are getting into a classic crime caper, which is a world of men. But the tables turn when the damsel-in-distress Krishna turns out to be a femme fatale. The film changes course when Krishna literally takes the driving seat with Babban and Khalujaan reduced to being her puppets.

Coming to performances, the audience would always be grateful to Chaubey for introducing to us a Naseeruddin Shah who can romance on-screen with the same zeal as he does the heavy-weight characters. His expressions in “Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji” are the epitome of a fine performer. I wish the veteran star had done more romantic films just to showcase his wide variety of skills. Arshad Warsi blends so well into Babban that you forget that he is an actor who has played various other roles. The playfulness he brings to Babban — the first-time lover is adorable. Vidya Balan, besides being sultry in her sarees, is as good as a cussing, fearless woman in a man’s world as an embodiment of grace.

Vidya Balan in Ishqiya. (Express archive photo)

The film’s soundtrack by Vishal Bhardwaj elevates Chaubey’s perfect story. Gulzar’s lyrics in the romantic number “Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji” and Bhardwaj’s music, give a perfect representation to a man’s emotions who has fallen in love at an old age. “Ibn E Batuta” in the opening credits sets the mood of the film right as it goes, “dono taraf se bajti hai ye, zindagi kya dholak hai”.

If like me, you missed this masterpiece of cinema upon its release, do yourself a favour and watch it on Amazon Prime Video. Rest assured, it will be a great experience in times when quality of Hindi films is being questioned. Also, Abhishek Chaubey, do us cinephiles a favour, and make more films, please.