Friday 26 July 2013

ISSAQ: Leave this unintentionally funny love-story of epic fail alone! [1.5/5]

When, in the very first half, people of all ages sitting around you in a multiplex auditorium start giggling, chattering, commenting, questioning and mocking on the relativity of the film & the sensibility of the filmmaker, one must learn that there is something that has gone wrong while trying to create something impressive.

Manish Tiwary’s ISSAQ- a modern day adaptation of Shakespearean love-story Romeo & Juliet, is one such shameful effort that scrawls and struggles to be ambitiously epic romantic thriller set in Banaras. But thanks to the brigade of most horrible performers in the cast, tacky screenplay and the immature-uncontrolled-abandoned direction that submerges all the potentials and promises to make it an unintentionally funny outing for cinema-lovers.

First of all, the Banaras shown here is not the likeable-lovable-pleasingly colourful Banaras of ‘Raanjhanaa’ but more of a bloody violent-fiercely infuriated & uncivilized rustic one that breathes into an air filled with the smell of gunpowder & explosives of all kind. Rahul & Bachchi [played by Prateik & Amyra] falls in love despite all the warnings to stay away from each other as they belong to families of blood-thirsty rivals. And, they only look at it as just another reason to keep the war alive to establish one’s supremacy.

Unexpectedly ISSAQ has some of the best talents in its ensemble supporting cast like Prashant Narayanan as menacing naxal leader, Neena Gupta as the old confidante & caretaker, Rajeshwari Sachdev as manipulative young wife to Sudhir Pandey- another respected name and Makrand Deshpande as witty babaji with chillum…but for one or another reasons, they all look wasted and quite out of the place in their acting skills probably because of the bumpy- patchy messy plot-subplot labyrinth. Pratiek needs serious lessons in acting including voice modulations. Amyra impresses especially in a scene where she had to recite excerpts from Jayshankar Prasad’s Kamayani in the classroom. Ravi Kishan knows his limits and decides better not to break them. Vineet Singh sure had a longer canvas to milk his potential but not the better one.

In a scene when Makrand sees his devotees getting bored and feeling drowsy over his divine gyaan, he immediately switches to perform a miraculous gimmick to keep them attentive. Unfortunately, Manish Tiwari didn’t have even such gimmicks to make viewers indulged and devoted to the film.  Language being too colloquial-too slangish, editing being weirdly abrupt at places and the uncleaned visual effects are just a few put-offs to name. Only positives are the cinematography and detailing in the art & setting department. You can look out for the real Banaras but only in corners of the frame and in the backdrop, mostly out of focus!

All in all, this mocking love-story that doesn't even spare itself to laugh at, is nothing but a complete waste of nearly 2 & half hours and your hard earned money! Leave it alone…and better look out for other options of entertainment, this weekend! [1.5/5]

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