Fantastic!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

A Masterpiece!

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film's crackling humor, set to Bhardwaj's terrific dialogues, is its biggest strength. From laugh-out-loud punch-lines to cheeky repartee, Dedh Ishqiya has some of the most inspired writing you've seen on screen recently. Dedh Ishqiya gives the UP badlands a light cloak of humor and, to the viewer – we're happy to note – a bold reveal that is more suggested than emphasized. I'm going with four out of five for director Abhishek Chaubey's Dedh Ishqiya. Like heady wine, it delivers a welcome kick. While ISHQIYA was earthy and rustic, one gets to witness an alternate universe in DEDH ISHQIYA. There are layers to the story that baffle you. This time, it's even more dicey and perilous. On the whole, DEDH ISHQIYA is a worthy follow up to the widely admired ISHQIYA. Powerful writing, superb direction and outstanding performances make DEDH ISHQIYA a must watch. Just don't miss it!

Dedh Ishqiya is the much-awaited sequel to Ishqiya—the 2010 Hindi feature film which had introduced us to two of the most delightful caricatures penned down in recent times, as far as Hindi cinema is concerned, that of the criminal vagabonds, Ifthekhar alias "Khalujan" and Razzaakh Hussain alias "Babban". What really makes the uncle-nephew duo tick is the camaraderie they share. Both Khalujan and Babban come across as shrewd and deceitful campaigners when it comes to their day- to-day shady affairs and that's what keeps the two of them alive, but when pitted against beautiful women they are at their most vulnerable as their chivalry and quixotic mannerisms tend to get the better of them, invariably trapping them in bizarre situations and exposing them to grave danger.In Dedh Ishqiya the scenario more or less remains the same, if only a wee bit more complex. Khalujan and Babban continue to go about their usual business while somehow managing to stay out of the clutches of their evil boss Mushtaq despite all his efforts to bury the duo alive. Khalujan and Babban are forced to part ways when a con job goes awry. Babban's lust takes him to a brothel where he unexpectedly comes to learn about Khalujan's whereabouts. To his dismay, Khalujan, now disguised as the Nawab of Chandpur, is all set to participate in the annual poetry competition organized by Begum Para, the beautiful widow of Nawab of Mahmudabad, in the hope of wooing her. When Babban arrives on the scene and finally confronts Khalujan, he gets infatuated with Begum Para's sexy aide and confidant Munniya. But, the path of love has never been an easy one to tread. And, once again, Khalujan and Babban must learn it the hard way.Set in the sumptuous backdrop of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the cradle of India's Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, Dedh Ishqiya serves as a great tribute to the now extinct uber-luxurious lifestyles of the Nawabs of Awadh. Without actually being a period film, Dedh Ishqiya brings back great memories of the grandeur of a bygone era, an epoch underlined by the Muslim elite upper class' deep-seated love for ghazals, qawwalis, Urdu poetry, and various classical music and dance forms. In this regard, the movie's attention to detail to immaculate: be it costume, dialogue, or set design.Abhishek Chaubey needs to be congratulated for his exquisite mise-en-scène that greatly adds to the movie's verisimilitude. Dedh Ishqiya's dialogue, rife with vernacular expletives, packs a powerful punch. Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi are brilliant as ever. Madhuri Dixit makes a strong comeback and is delightful to watch. Huma Qureshi impresses playing a rather tricky part. The big surprise, however, comes from Vijay Raaz who plays the part of an obsessed and dangerous lover with remarkable brilliance. Dedh Ishqiya is entertainment galore for a casual viewer, and, at the same time, it offers enough food for thought for an intelligent viewer. 8/10

Thankfully this sequel of the original ISHQIYA, titled in a Fellini inspired style as DEDH ISHQIYA goes way ahead and is able to impress you largely since now there is no confusion of satisfying all kind of viewers in its powerful execution and the film is purely made for a particular section of viewers to say the truth.So in case you cannot appreciate Urdu poetry and are not in love with the language, then DEDH ISHQIYA might not be the film for you. Further if you do need some routine entertaining sequences with few catchy songs or forced in comedy thrown in at regular intervals then also DEDH ISHQIYA might not be a good choice for you either. Because this is actually a film which is more involved & in love with its own characters, the ambiance and its complex story progression full of friendship, lust, love or deceit and is not desperately trying to impress the viewers with any usual tricks or compromises. Continuing with his Tarantino & Guy Ritchie kind of treatment, director Abishek Chaubey uses the same two key characters of Khaalujaan and Babban in a fresh script which has more complex characters and the element of deceit incorporated with some interesting twists and turns in a prolonged (but outstanding) climax. However what takes the film to much greater heights this time is its poetic feel, the colourful tone, a winning sophistication and a lovable charm, well presented by a rare and talented cast ensemble. As indicated by its promos, the dialogues are sharper, with many well written one liners and the film simply transports you to a different rustic world quite aloof to the glossy city charm seen in every other movie. The unpredictable screenplay keeps a gripping hold on the viewer along with a wonderfully stunning DOP and a matching background score wherein you also get to hear few precious golden Begum Akhtar's thumris and a lot more. Plus this time Abhishek plays both the unconventional humour and the sensual card quite subtly without going into any cheap mode.Coming to the performances, every single person featuring in it has simply excelled in his own assigned roles, even if he is standing right behind the lead actors in a scene like Ravi Gosain. Naseeruddin Shah, efficiently lives his role getting deep into the psyche of his lonely character Khalujaan and comes up with one of his finest performances in the recent times. Arshad Warsi is in great form once again with his comic timing and brilliant expressions and its really a treat to watch the scenes where both Arshad and Naseer are together. Huma Qureshi truly surprises you with her cunning appeal and confidently grabs your attention even standing along all the big names unarguably. In the supporting cast, Vijay Raaz repeatedly steals the show with his superb act and Manoj Pahwa also leaves a mark along with Salman Shahid.Talking about the real ISHQ of DEDH ISHQIYA, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, the lady literally makes the younger generation believe that why she did rule the industry in those past decades so strongly. In fact her delightful act of Begum Para, is surely one of the finest come backs ever seen in the Hindi Film Industry till date and she simply lives this rather irregular character like a perfectionist. For instance just try to catch the style she chews her paan with sheer elegance of a royal lady without any visible effort or discomfort. And the way she dances both within the film and in the last end credits track totally blows you over with nothing but sheer admiration for the blessed talent she has. Turning back to the film, it honestly won an extra star, the moment I saw the credits showing the name of Dr. Bashir Badr, for the entire recited poetry used in the film. And for all young friends reading this (interested in Urdu poetry), you actually haven't read a lot, if you still have not read the living legend Dr. Bashir Badr, putting it straight. So I was quite thrilled reading my favourite 'Shaayar's' name in the credits and then the reference of a fictitious poet, Noor Mohd. Itaalvi simply did the trick as it was quite hilarious to use "Itaalvi" as Takhallus in the name (as if coming from Italy). However, personally I missed three things in this worth praising sequel. One, that despite having some quality songs (perfect for the mood of the film), its soundtrack didn't have any catchy enjoyable tracks as 'Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji' or 'Ibn-e-Batuta', suiting the requirement of its two main witty characters. Secondly with such crackling chemistry between Naseer & Arshad there should have been few more fun moments in the film to make it a great joy ride. And lastly I truly missed the voice of Late Jagjit Singh in the mushaira sequence, wherein in Naseeruddin Shah recites an unplugged ghazal in tarannum. And remembering the inimitable maestro, it really would have been 'a rare get-together' of three blessed visionaries once again after almost three decades i.e. of Gulzar, Naseeruddin Shah and Jagjit Singh post their "Mirza Ghalib" days in the late 80s.In commercial terms, no doubt few hit tracks could have made this fabulous film reach much wider audience as it seems. And many may also not find it as entertaining as expected reading the great reviews. Yet the film indeed remains a must watch for all quality movie lovers who were desperately waiting for a well directed Hindi film backed up with some great writing and dazzling performances, from pretty long. To sum it all, DEDH ISHQIYA can easily be called a delicious Nawaabi feast served gracefully by all talented hosts, so be their guest for sure, at the earliest. But as they say, the possibility remains that the Nawaabi feast might not suit many having a routine appetite.

I saw this movie 2 days back and I am still shocked why is this movie becoming the talk of the town. the critics loved it, and so did the audience (as per the IMDb rating). But I am perplexed. I have always relied on IMDb for an indicator of a good bollywood movie but this one seems to be an exception, as per me.The movie starts very pregnant with a rustic feel with that 'batman' punch, and from there on I was looking forward to meet that character again (some solid vocals there!), only to be disappointed. The movie never picks up, actually. It starts with an interesting contest, a modern day weird swayamvar based on poetic skills (mixed with shooting..??). From there on it becomes a slow train that keeps on giving black smoke. Vijay Raz is good but his character is ambiguous. Madhuri is terrific though. Shah looks pale, Huma is decent, but the show-stealer is Warsi.Anyhow, the story is too laboriously over-stretched. The movie expands over 152 minutes when the plot becomes a bit too obvious just after interval. The twist was too weak to be called so as it was visible from miles away. The explanations and the motives behind the so-called twist , as explained in the denouement, are too weak and poorly crafted. To top all this crass, the climax is so harrowingly weak and Tarantino style that it takes away all the "real-feel" of the movie (which anyhow one never experiences).Even a 6 rating is a tad bit generous on my part.