Ishq is unsettling. The fine print of its subtitle – ‘not a love
story’ warns the audience to get rid of their preconceptions about
the title – Ishq (means love or passion), at the opening credits.
Even with that ominous heads-up the movie starts off pretty tame with
two young lovers – Sachi (Shane Nigam) and Vasudha (Ann Sheetal) sneaking texts and phone calls
as they carry on their semi-long distance relationship.
The
film makers have boldly attempted to address the issue of moral
policing prevalent in every-town, India. In a society and culture still squirming
and yearning to be free from under years of traditions, patriarchy
and conventions, Ishq is a young couple’s encounter with this
formidable wall and its aftershocks.
Shane
Nigam has been getting a lot of tortured young hero roles – from
Kismath and Eeda, to Kumbalangi Nights and Ishq. He is inching closer
to being typecast with every new movie. Maybe it is his vulnerable,
barely legal looks with a hint of rebellion, that leads to these type of roles land on his plate. This is wishing him he
choose wisely as he goes forward.
Ann
Sheetal, Shine Tom Chacko and Leona Lishoy have essayed their roles
brilliantly. It was harrowing to watch the incident which became the
crux of the movie without reaching for the remote. The torture the
lead couple was undergoing was palpable. Good work director - Anuraj
Manohar, script writer (Ratheesh Ravi) and editor (Kiran Das)! These
central moments along with the ending left me a bit disturbed. The
creeps-in-the-car scenes unsettled me with their sheer terror that
was so subtly executed. The climax was upsetting because this was not the
triumph of feminism I had wished to see. But then again had the hero
turned into a feminist instead of the heroine, where is the shock
factor, right?
BTW
Anuraj Manohar, why the name Ishq? This is the third movie by the
name of Ishq that I have seen in the last 25 years albeit they were
all in different languages. Love/Ishq transcends languages, eh?
0 comments:
Post a Comment