The hugely-anticipated Ishqiya by newbie Abhishek Chaubey top- lining the very talented Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah mercifully did not disappoint, unlike its predecessors that were about a lot of hype and little substance. Ishqiya is a film set in the far-flung Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) but that is hardly a remarkable feature... What is, is the fact that Chaubey brings alive the texture and tonality of a mofussil town. In a sweeping way, the narrative touches upon the existential complexities of this town -Naxalite struggle, the caste factor, cross-border arms trade and other such. And true to its story, Ishqiya is not a candy-floss romance set in a designer village. Instead, it creates a landscape occupied with real people. Vidya Balan, who won the Screen award for Best Actor (Female) goes the length attired in printed nylon sarees and very little makeup-dignified, scheming, merciless and yet sensitive at different times. The characters around her – the missing husband, the young recruit, who informs Warsi about tamancha (country-made pistol) training in the village and the industrialist lend a gritty realism to the canvas – the kind that we have not seen in a while. It sets the stage for interesting stories - socio-political thrillers and real life stories are so abundant and ripe for plucking and being turned into films. Prakash Jha and a few of his generation have explored that terrain in the past with varying degrees of success. Chaubey’s narrative, however, is fresh in its approach. It spans and skims over the surroundings before finally resting on the protagonist.
Not too long ago, in this column I had mentioned that small towns though gaining grounds as consumers of myriad products appeared to be falling off the Bollywood mindspace. Films like Ishqiya, if it also succeeds at the box-office, could change some of that.
Global terrorism, as is evident in the last couple of years, has been a recurring theme in Bollywood movies. Crime - indigenous and country-style, quite like the tamancha - as a strong link in the global terror chain could be the next.
There is also news from Sundance Festival that Aamir Khan’s Peepli Live, a satire about village life in India,is garnering rave reviews. Just about illustrates the earlier point -global attention for the entertainment industry can only come with local stories.
Speaking of festivals, the eagerly -waited My Name Is Khan will premiere at the prestigious Berlin Festival. Those who have had a chance to have a sneak preview have had the most flattering things to say about the film and King Khan’s fans in Germany – he has a sizable number, I am told – are eagerly looking forward to the film.
In times where nationalities are fast coalescing it would be interesting to see how the film fares. Its performance outside of India could provide clues to whether Bollywood movies from India can draw the numbers that Hollywood films do.
We live in interesting times indeed.
