'Ishq' is an out and out masala film and the producer as well as the director have ensured that no stone is left unturned to make this film a box office smash - foreign locations, popular music, popular stars, comedy, melodrama - it's all there in 'How to make a successful Hindi movie' oops sorry I mean 'Ishq'.
The story is fairly simple. Two wealthy blokes Harbanslal (Dalip Tahil) and Ranjit Rai (Sadashiv Amrapurkar) are
dead against the poor and to avoid going through the agony of having a poor 'bahu' or a poor 'jamai', they decide to get their
children, Ajay (Ajay Devgan) and Madhu (Juhi Chawla) married to each other. But if it were so simple then how would the
film be stretched to the three hour mark?
Instead Ajay falls for a not so wealthy Kajal (Kajol) while Madhu, after a bag full of gags and tricks falls for a garage mechanic Raja (Aamir Khan). What follows
is an entertaining ride of tricks and teeny bopping until the scheming parents hatch a plot to separate the lovers for their selfish
needs. After lots of drama, heartbreak and confusion true love prevails and conquers all...
After reading the storyline you're probably thinking is it worth it?
As a matter of fact it is especially if you enjoyed Indra Kumar's previous flicks - 'Dil' Beta' and 'Raja'. This film has all that the previous three films had (except off course Madhuri) and more. The main stars have the names Raja and Madhu ('Dil', 'Raja'), the ever so familiar rape scene ('Dil','Raja'), the presence of having a barn somewhere in the movie ('Dil', 'Beta', 'Raja'), the familiar tree in Ooty. But despite the repetitiveness, the performances of the stars, the above average music and the fact that you want to chill out just for three hours, make it worth the price of the ticket in the first place.
Indra Kumar extracts great performances from all his artistes. Topping the list is off course Aamir Khan - who's perfect in every department - comedy, emotions - Aamir is one hell of a performer. Juhi Chawla is superb especially in the first half. Her sense of timing and mannerisms make this movie a must-see. The scenes between Aamir and Juhi are in fact one of the major highlights of the movie. Ajay Devgan must perhaps be the most under rated actor in tinsel town. He is quite comfortable in comedy but truly excels in the emoting department in the second half. Kajol is her reliable old self - another great performance in her kitty. In fact Kajol steals the show in the second half. What I really liked about 'Ishq' was the fact that all the stars have been given equal prominence in the movie. Not once do you sit there and think - 'Hey - he/she got a raw deal.' Whats more not once do you feel that the stars are competing with each other, but rather they are working together to bring out the mood of the film as best as they can.
Despite all the masala there is there is in the movie it does bring out the message that in an orthodox society a gal and a guy can be friends - they don't have to necessarily be sleeping together as such. Despite an almost non existant script I still recommend that you watch this film for the chemistry between the stars, excessive drama (if you like it) and comedy this film has it all.
Rating:
