Ishaqzaade
wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list (?) - That too only for the actors and treatment, don't expect anything from the story
A love story we've gotten too used to over the decades to be interesting despite fresh performances and a slick, rustic treatment.
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Love stories with characters belonging to rival families have something intrinsically tragic about them. Sometimes the pathos is overwhelming enough to make you ignore everything else that's wrong with the story. At other times though, it could be an Ishaqzaade which isn't sure about how it wants the audience to react to its characters and thus comes across as confused. Add to that a stretched out, predictable climax and you have an uneasy, restless audience.
The first scene introduces Parmar (Arjun Kapoor) as a ruthless, uncouth brat who the audience will very unwillingly call an anti-hero, let alone hero. And no, right to the end, you cannot warm up to his character; empathizing or rooting for his cause is a distant thought. But that also says two things complimentary about the content - Parmar does nothing out of character and is consistent; Arjun Kapoor plays Parmar to perfection because the feeling of disgust towards the character never leaves you.
Exactly the same things can be said about Zoya and Parineeti Chopra the actor who plays Zoya. Zoya is consistently immature and ironically feminine as far as emotion goes, behind all the macho bravado. In fact, Zoya is likable despite this inconsistency because life is a thrill ride for her and death is equally adventurous too. This charm seeps through and that has a lot to do with Parineeti Chopra's refreshing attitude towards being a lead lady in a Hindi film.
Unfortunate as it is, none of this translates into a story that can sustain your interest for over two hours. Ishaqzaade reminded me that "predicable" doesn't just mean the audience guessing exactly what will happen. A story is predicable and a tad more frustratingly so, when the audience guesses two (or more) possible outcomes of a particular situation and both (or all) seem equally done to death.
You could do all of this in style have good camera work and sense of aesthetics but the lack of content is transparent. The dialogues lack the charm of Habib Faisal's debut Do Dooni Chaar. The references - to a woman's place in Indian society, be it a strong-headed girl or a righteous widow, and similar impotence of a man who does whatever it takes because he seeks approval of his role model - are very interesting but do little to how lame the plot is as it culminates. Social message at the end, notwithstanding.
A love story is a love story is a love story. And actually, we expect very little from it, in terms of being different. What we want is to engage with our Romeos and Juliets, we want to feel that a Majnu should unite with his Laila, in this world or beyond. But in Ishaqzaade, you aren't even sure Ranjha deserves Heer. Amidst the endless gun shots, you are hoping for a gun or two to go with the cliche and run out of bullets, so there is some sight of 'The End'.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Naresh Kumar Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice : ...If anything, you must watch Ishaqzaade for its young guns: Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor.... full review
Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...This broadly engaging love story has a winsome pair who deliver dexterous performances, besides popular music and several poignant moments, which should appeal to fans of mainstream films. Go for it! ... full review
Thumbs up, Daily Bhaskar : ...Brilliant performance by the lead cast... full review
Thumbs up, by Khalid Mohamed, Deccan Chronicle : ...Ishaqzaade kicks off weakly and has its share of the deja pooh. Gradually, though, it gets under your skin..and rocks. Absolutely See-grade.... full review
Thumbs up, by Smita, Desi Martini : ...It has the kind of passion and energy that leaves you feeling a bit weak in the knees.... full review
Thumbs up, by Rachit Gupta, Filmfare : ...A fantastic Indian adaptation of Romeo And Juliet... full review
Thumbs up, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Arjun has the screen presence to carry off a film on his shoulders. With Parineeti for company, he rocks the house.... full review
Thumbs up, by Divya Solgama, Gomolo.in : ...The movie breaks the mould of conventional love stories at many points with its abrupt twist and turns, though some might seem unconvincing, but as the movie progress they stop bothering you and go with the flow.... full review
Thumbs up, by Fatema H.Kagalwala, India Entertainment : ...The film has so many little things to offer, ambiance, body language, language, cultural nuances and more. Amit Trivedi’s score has the small-town, slightly brazen energy and so does the action.... full review
Thumbs up, by Mrigank Dhaniwala, koimoi : ...On the whole, Ishaqzaade is an entertaining fare which works on the strength of its first half and the performances.... full review
Thumbs up, by Udita Jhunjhunwala, Live Mint : ...The director captures small-town India perfectly and builds up his characters with requisite vigour. In spite of the choppy second hour, Ishaqzaade is still worth a watch.... full review
Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...Their palpable, volatile chemistry, shooting at each other one second, passionately kissing the next, is already half a reason to go watch the film, while the obvious talent they have in common makes for the other half.... full review
Thumbs up, Roochster : ...I really liked it and totally recommend it.... full review
Thumbs up, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...Watch Ishaqzaade for Parineeti Chopra's spectacularly stellar performance. Watch it for Arjun Kapoor, an unquestionable star-in-the-making.... full review
Thumbs up, by K N Gupta, SmasHits.com : ...A must watch and not worth missing!! ... full review
Thumbs up, by Shomini Sen, Zee News : ...The film keeps you engaged in the first half and the important twist right before the break is truly mind blowing. The second half unfortunately loses pace and the predictability creeps in by the end of it.... full review
So-So, by Anna M.M.Vetticad , annavetticadgoes2themovies : ...the film’s fun and seemingly feminist first half is marred by its anti-women second half.... full review
So-So, by Anupama Chopra, Anupama Chopra : ...Ishaqzaade does provide half a good time.... full review
So-So, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...In all ISHAQZAADEY becomes watchable mainly because of Parineeti and some good music alone.... full review
So-So, by Charu A Mahesh, Buzz in Town : ...It might not be a zalzala of a film but offers quite some fireworks of entertainment.... full review
So-So, Desi Martini : ...The film kicks off well and easily manages to entertain the audiences till the interval. The second half is predictable but Parineeti Chopra and her mind-boggling performance save the film. A decent watch!... full review
So-So, by Rony Dcosta, Desi Martini : ...Ishaqzaade is predictable yet engaging to an extent. Parineeti Chopra makes up for all the flaws to assure a good one time watch.... full review
So-So, by Kshitij, Desi Martini : ...Ishaqzaade is an average fare.... full review
So-So, by Ameetbhuvan, Desi Martini : ...The freshness of the lead pair, the fresh music and some crisp editing make for a decently entertaining two and half hours.... full review
So-So, by Samrat Sharma, fullhyd.com : ...if you have any patience with the stale second half, the first half or so is going to enthrall you. ... full review
So-So, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...Overall, it feels stale, this business of using religious differences to divide true love in just this way.... full review
So-So, by Shaheen Parkar, MiD DAY : ...If only the second half had not meandered into a redlight area, this film would have been a great watch, but still it is worth a viewing.... full review
So-So, by Shilpa Jamkhandika, Reuters : ...“Ishaqzaade” isn’t as good a film as it could have been, but there are still enough reasons to watch it.... full review
So-So, by Karishma Upadhyay, The Telegraph : ...Ishaqzaade isn’t as good a film as it could have been but it is worth a watch.... full review
So-So, by on on on on on on on on Madhureeta Mukherjee, Times of India : ...Ishaqzaade starts with a bang-bang, but ends up firing blanks. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Blessy Chettiar, DNA : ...The love story drags on till a point you stop caring. After the very slow start, things start picking up towards the interval. The second half is repulsive, length wise.... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepa Deosthalee, Film Impressions : ...He has a knack for creating atmosphere through authentic backdrop and dialogue. But by trodding the beaten track, he shows himself lacking in imagination and foresight.... full review
Thumbs down, Free Press Journal : ...There is entertainment to be had in the many moments of manufactured antagonism between the lead families but it doesn't sustain.... full review
Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...It’s all in there, and yet the result is mixed : some of ‘Ishqzaade’ hits the spot, the rest is a drag.... full review
Thumbs down, by on on on on on on on on on on Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...Sadly, Ishaqzaade isn't quite as pulsating as the plot line might suggest.... full review
Thumbs down, by Mansha Rastogi, Now Running.com : ...Maybe, it's the built-up of lack of focus on the emotional quotient; you don't feel for the yearning of the lead characters one bit neither relates to their issues.... full review
Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ...There is much craft on display, and some lovely moments, but the immense promise shown by the first half turns out as hollow as a politician's.... full review
Thumbs down, by Swati Rohatgi, STARDUST : ...This saga of star-crossed lovers doesn’t quite win your heart. Could’ve worked best if for better writing.... full review
Thumbs down, by Sudhish Kamath, The Hindu : ...Writer-Director Habib Faisal succeeds to a great extent in crafting an unpredictable first half full of spunk and spirit, but plays it boringly safe in the second, offering no new solutions or fresh perspectives in a story that has been done to death.... full review
Thumbs down, by Karan Bali, Upper Stall : ...the script, barring some clever dialogue writing, is a big let down. None of the plot points and characters' change overs.... full review
YYSRT1311996: yesterday saw ishaqzaade movie ws nice...first 20 mins of the movie ws nt intersting.....after 20 mins movie went really nice..
vinaypatnaik: Hawt.. Hawt she is :D Parineeti Chopra converts #Ishaqzaade from an ok film 2 a fab film! Go watch nw :-)
venkymarg: Ishaqzaade was quite nice actually. I didn't find it all too predictable at all. Quite enjoyed it. Amit Trivedi is epic as usual.
Veeer_r: #Ishaqzaade reaches winning post ... #DangerousIshhq is a dud
TalkBollywood: Arjun and Parineeti impressive in Ishaqzaade! - The Bottomline-Reviews RoundUp http://bit.ly/Jt3kvq @ArjunKapoorFC
Sriramonline: Watched Ishaqzaade the second time, i fell in love with this movie..
sorryaintenough: #Ishaqzaade was actually so good :')
SomaMdas: watched ishaqzaade by chance, u can see both d leads running,shooting and kissing all over in d movi..bt still outstanding performnce :p
ShruthiShetty12: #Ishaqzaade - Such a brilliant movie!
sharmadhruv91: So ishaqzaade! Good movie. Parineeti couldve done better, dislike!
shaileysharma: ISHAQZAADE.........AWESOMEEE MOVIE................UP WAALO #MUSTWATCH !!!!!!!!!!!!
shadabxp: #Ishaqzaade @ParineetiChopra atcing was too good. :) Good Entertainer movie.
sanampervaiz: #Ishaqzaade, super debut by Arjun kapoor! I'm super impressed! @ParineetiChopra & him make a damn good pair! Music is fab too @anshulakapoor
samarthtailor: Ishaqzaade is awesome
sabali12: Anshula loved Ishaqzaade ... Arjun wax brilliant and so was parineeti ... I m sure it's wit Mona maams blessings ... Love and god bless ...
RoomanaKhan: Chal kar le shadi - #ishaqzaade #ArjunHotKapoor as Parma was a prick but still i loved his nasty behaviour.Cool too Cool
Rockingoutam: sorry the mistake its ishaqzaade.y the w it is very good film must to watch.
RGIn4matics: ISHAQZAADE ROCKZ http://fb.me/1vLAuULz9
raj2908: #ishaqzaade brave film...@ArjunBKapoor really good debut!tough script and an even tougher character!@ParineetiChopra will you marry me?
Prashant3432: Watched ishaqzaade this friday awesum movie.in love with Parineeti
pavelrajani: #ishaqzaade must watch...aafaton k parindey...
parth_bolu_chu: #ishaqzaade nice movie....
parimalrohit: Arjun Chopra, Parineeti Chopra Wildly Impressive in #Ishaqzaade http://www.buzzinebollywood.com/reviews/film-review-ishaqzaade-parineeti-chopra-arjun-chopra-05112012 #Bollywood @YashRajFims @YRFmovies @ParineetiChopra
pal_vikas: #Ishaqzaade Rowdy dialogues but in sync with the not-so-common love story. Brilliant performance by Arjun & @ParineetiChopra Worth a dekho!
Nehaagg8: Good movie ishaqzaade.......hats off to parineeti chopra...real good actor she is...brilliant performance...
myy_precious: Ishaqzaade ~ loved the newcomers. Very entertaining!
muzikfreakjain: Ishaqzaade (y) thumb's up....great movie..
MuthappaKT: Ishaqzaade n it's charecters so called "Joya" & "Parma" are nuts..an insanely nice movie.. :-)
mehrotraa3010: Watched Ishaqzaade....kudos to the story n concept...great performance by Parineeti n Arjun :-)
Manishita16: im falling for #Arjunkapoor..... awesome work... loved it..!!!! #IshaqzAAde :)
maitysourav46: Ishaqzaade is good..
KedarJoshi77: Ishaqzaade review: Watch it for Parineeti Chopra
jmcdelhi: Ishaqzaade...(Y) arjun kapoor and @ParineetiChopra. You guys are more than brilliant..!!!! Awesome...
ishitabhojwani: Ishaqzaade! Whattey fab movie. Way to go @ParineetiChopra love you babes! X I'm a huge fan now. ;) You loook sooo pretty! Muahh
irtazachauhan: Awesome movie Ishaqzaade gud work guys hats off..
inalini: saw ISHAQZAADE, WOW!! Best love story came across these days... Must watch movie.. Parma zoya just one word SUPERB!!
iamrpdaw: Extreme romance and extremism in romance on the silver screen....no one does it better than @yashrajfilms......just loved #Ishaqzaade!!
hellmkrish: #ishaqzaade ...loved it too v muchh...reminded me of ma fav serial #loveStory-byAnuragBasu
h_tejas: Thank God the movie did not have the typical Bollywood ending. The new breed of directors are taking the industry forward. #Ishaqzaade
FloralArtIndia: Ishaqzaade... A must watch... A passionate love story...
farikavina: Ishaqzaade....go watch!!! Remembering you Mona:(
faizanpatel: 2.5/5 Ratings... Watch it for the Parineeta's Acting... also the guy did a decent job.. @devils_disciple Is Ishaqzaade any good?
es_qureshi: ishaqzaade nice movie.........arjun n pranitee kukng gud...:)
editorbharathi: Catchy dialogues in Ishaqzaade provide d comic relief in ths high-intensity drama. 3 star rating review @ http://bit.ly/KVMzGu @ArjunBKapoor
dutcheswilson: hey ISHAQZAADE is dam awsm movie u must c it.......:-)
dubsabhi: Nearly same as Jannat 2? I thought it would fare better. RT @ShyFyy Ishaqzaade - First weekend - 15.5cr
dramatickanvi: #Ishaqzaade what an amazing script. By the time the 1st half got over...i was in a state of WTF,did that just really happen. Overall Baap.
divyatweetsthat: okay so I watched #ishaqzaade ....and am in all awww...and wow....and love wid arjun ....mera chhokra....and PC was just...bravo !
DhargaweAkshay: Ishaqzaade, hell of a movie !!!
DevNakshi: #Ishaqzaade is a good love story. Simply loved Parineeti Chopra. Arjun Kapoor fails to impress. Great music. Very tragic ending.
devinamaini: Ishaqzaade :) .... @ParineetiChopra ... Amazing movie !!
Deeksha_RKfan: If u havnt seen #Ishaqzaade..i wud suggest u to go n watch it NOW!! Nothing will disapoint u..story,music,cast evrything is juz perfect!! :)
DaDivineSoul: #ishaqzaade #ishaqzaade #ishaqzaade what a movie <3 @ArjunBKapoor rocks in his performance .
ch_titas: Watched @Ishaqzaade yesterday. The music's great. @ParineetiChopra is superb. There are some lovely moments. Kudos to Habib Faisal.
BOND_AJ: Dil pe lagne wali movie hai.. #Ishaqzaade
Bollywoodoholic: I think @ParineetiChopra in ishaqzaade beats Vidya balan in kahani. Kudos to the new PC in B'WOOD
BadmashFarooq: vicky donor. ishaqzaade. got to watch asap.
anushaatennyson: ishaqzaade was a superb mooovieeee.... i just watched it Arjun kapoor and Parineeti are soo good in it..
ankit_sdipa: Ishaqzaade is a fabbbb movie !! @GAUAHAR_KHAN u were amazing !!!
AmShawn_69: Oh i forgot to tweet #ishaqzaade is real India brought in the movie! Secular! Lovely movie! :-) Go for it!
aksrane: #Ishaqzaade Finally a film which defies the Bollywood stereotype... Loved it a lot.... Go for it!!!!!!!!
AkashPramancik: Ishaqzaade,loved it :D awesome movie
AdityaAnAuricle: So watched #Ishaqzaade today nice work by @yashrajfilms and @parineetichopra acted so well super movies it is..
abhilash9870: Ishaqzaade - Overall a good flick!!!!!
abhi1ash: Mixed rvews abt #ishaqzaade, my add to tht i loved it
RaOne31: #ishaqzaade....just like agneepath, brilliant 1st half but tragic ending.pretty predictable 2nd half.
liLMiss_hAtke: Rowdy cocky parma and fiercy bold zoya made my day :) , although ending was predictable #ishaqzaade
idrrajdeep: In Ishaqzaade the taste couldn't reach there inspite of mixing all the right ingredients.The premise,music & Parineeti saved the show.
dipsikha: ishaqzaade was okay types....
abhishek: Ishaqzaade short review - movie no good - acting too good - music awesome - director - #fail shld go to jail :D #fb
zenmotherhood: All the reviews say it gets worse in the second half. How much worse can it possibly get? #Ishaqzaade #alreadystinks
YearOfRat: I just 'watched' the unintentionally funny, Ishaqzaade: http://www.thevigilidiot.com/2012/05/14/ishaqzaade/ thanks to @SahilRiz
TheSlumDawg: Ishaqzaade was boring.
thebongbabe: I still can't get over how random Ishaqzaade was. Have rarely come across a love story where it's so difficult to believe they're in love.
sunilbhardwaj5: with the entry of Arjun kapoor in Ishaqzaade u get to knw this GUY can't ACT,Another NON-Actor's entry in Bollywood
SujiLampard: My Friend : kya faltu movie thi #ishaqzaade ... teen ghante counter strike chaalu tha !! :D
sagar_sondhi: Just watched #ishaqzaade there couldn't be a lamer movie than this... *thumbs down* ... #arjunkapoor good performance!
redditindia: Ishaqzaade is Junk. But I am disappointed by the Indian Movie critics who fail in their duty to be honest and fa... http://bit.ly/L09RBd
Radhikachamedia: 200 bucks for #ishaqzaade ! Not worth :/
Quicksilwr: Second half doused the fire "@AniGuha: #Ishaqzaade. So much potential. Fuck."
Peachious: Ok. I cant believe the director of do dooni chaar also directed a dimwitted movie like ishaqzaade!! :x
omar1618: Never knew Ishaqzaade was this stupid and cliched- http://www.thevigilidiot.com/2012/05/14/ishaqzaade/
NeetikaNath: so he's a complete DOUCHE but you forgive him anyway...did the writers forget its the 21st century?..*facepalm* #Ishaqzaade
MinorityReview: #Ishaqzaade is a raw and fresh take on honour killings but it gets you yawning sooner than you expected. http://bit.ly/JzcMgj
maarhidaaloge: Went in thinking Ishaqzaade would be a good story, came out thinking I was a tomato.
KrutikaMody: #Ishaqzaade is so bad. All the style and layers in the film can't make up for the sheer shallowness of the screenplay.
kavya_nath: #Ishaqzaade big disappointment... where have good script writers in Bollywood gone???
kakulgautam: Dear Director of Ishaqzaade, Thank you. For a while there it felt like we were actually moving forward with our movies #youbroughtidiocyback
JigarCChauhan: Ishaqzaade - 20 year old story and dangerous ishq. 200 years old w waste of time & money
filmindia_indo: Ishaqzaade a kind of disappointment and more… - International Reporter: International ReporterIshaqzaade a kind ... http://bit.ly/Jti3Xv
DeepSea_KRK: Fend says that ishaqzaade , is QSQT badly remade , accompanied by a splendid soundtrack
chinkynai: Was compelled to sing 'Pareshaan... Pareshaan'..during the 2nd of the movie ishaqzaade...
BombilSurmai: They will set love on fire, NO. They will copy qayamat se qayamat tak. Yes. #ishaqzaade.
AniGuha: Surprised at clarifications given by Habib Faisal in defence of Ishaqzaade; all too obvious. Truth is: Zoya's character *was* a letdown.
Ameya1986: ishaqzaade my rating - 1/5 Its just a smoochathon .. with Gauhar Khan's figure making a guest appearance...
alex_prabu: #Ishaqzaade Cudnt agree more.2nd half n other casts wr a big let dwn dat I doubted if all ws worth it,n i misd 30mins:( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUBGSltNAfA
Ab5inthe_Minded: Ishaqzaade..latter half of d muvi...Mein pareshaan..pareshaan..iss muvi ki story hai kahaan..watch it for "Parineeti n Ek tha Tiger teaser".
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: loads and loads of gun and fist fights
- Language: a decent amount of abuses
- Nudity & Sexual content: two love-making scenes, a couple of kisses, an item number, talk of prostitution and one of the main side- characters is a prostitute.
- Concept: unconditional love and how it defies all that comes it's way.
- General Look and Feel: rustic and slick
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Comments (10)
Nice review meetu , i had a feeling that might ave great as the director gave a middle class comdey flick earlier :D
@Guddu thanks. yeah i know...but doesn't work this time.
I think your reviews are far more interesting then the movie itself :)
@nitin ha ha ha.
@Jjj oh wow! it's great that you enjoyed!
@@nkit I was waiting for you to come back on this one after our discussion about Hrishikesh Mukherjee on Vicky Donor's review. I agree with you on this one!
Is it because we have a stereotypical image of a love story and also fairy tailish expectations that one cant appreciate a good ,different and refreshing love story? The movie stumped me and I simply loved it for the message of love and peace which was the central theme of the movie conveyed through the most powerful character of the movie , Param's mother and through her influence later through zoya and param. I was wondering when intermission came how was the director planning to redeem the character of param and make us appreciate and like him and I wasnt disspointed one bit by the choices param makes at the crutial points in his life , which are the tipping points in our lives changing us for better or for worse.
[Rest of the comment is deleted because it gives the movie away]
@Shruti Stereotypical and a dark fairy tale is exactly what I thought Ishaqzaade was and thus didn't think it was a refreshing love story. I'm glad you loved it the way you did.
Meetu - I might have come across as strong because i saw the movie today and it moved me a lot. Just wanted to share when I say steroetypical and fairy tailish is when I say we expect the guy to be the perfect prince charming , to be besotted with the girl from the beginning and madly in love , goes beyond himself for love and then its justified if the girl returns it.But Ifeel love is more than that and its very powerful.
@Shruti I'm all for anti-heros. But Ishaqzaade's Parma just didn't work for me. But hey, it worked for some of us and that's worth celebrating in itself.
This film had the potential to be a great one....but the second half haevily disappoints. Character of Zoya was bascially murdered in the second half......but overall, Parineeti Chopra is the main attraction but Arjun is also very good. If only the characters were a little more developed...
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