Ever since DDLJ happened and the man-boy Shahrukh bleated out "Bade bade deshon mein aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain", bollywood has gone into a sort of adolescence mode. The leading men, all 50 plus, continue to play young men. The leading women continue to play perfect divas, with not a speck of makeup out of place, not a step misplaced in their catwalk. I'm not saying wonderful movies are not made. But the focus is primarily on adolescence and youth, getting your point across in the most direct manner,with the greatest hullabaloo possible.
So it gives me great delight when a movie like (the first) Saheb Biwi aur Gangster comes along. You have actors playing real men, actresses playing women (not girls) and emotions being put across subtly without a 100 extras bursting into song and dance in the background. A movie which makes the mature amongst us think.
Dedh Ishqiya, after a long time, is that kind of movie. The uncle-nephew pair of Babban and Iftikaar from Ishqiya are back. This time they are paired with (or against, depending on how the story turns) two femme fatales played by Huma Qureshi and the evergreen Madhuri Dixit. 4 very capable actors, playing characters cut out for them, and a storyline which is funny and thrilling at the same time.
In the plot, Babban and Iftikaar split up at the beginning when a robbery goes wrong. Babban goes out looking for his beloved khalujan, and with some effort, finds him resurfaced as Nawab of a fictitious Chandpur. Iftikaar is out to woo the widowed begum of Mehmudabad (Madhuri), taking part in a mushaira organized by her with a view to find her future husband. His strongest competitor is Jaan Mohammad (Vijay Raaj), the local MLA and Ganglord who's life's ambition is to become Nawab. Love blossoms between Iftikaar and the Begum. Things get complicated when Babban joins the fray, and falls head over heels in love with Muniya (Huma) the begum's aide. A riot of laughter, conspiracies and shayari follows.
As said earlier, the characters were cut out for the actors. I will mention Madhuri first, who looks every inch the begum, aged like fine wine and a lot of mysteries up her sleeve. She is a delight to watch throughout - when she laughs, she cries, she displays the little facets of adakaari, and of course when she dances. Oh, her dance, her dance. If I had my way, I'd line up all the modern day Divas and make them go through dance classes conducted by Madhuri. She moves with silken grace, and every little muscle on that beautiful face seems to have a different ada. One scene in the first half, when she picks up the ghunghroo after a long hiatus and dances her heart out inside a closed room, is worth watching a 100 times alone.
The institution called Naseeruddin Shah seems to have enjoyed playing Iftikaar. An aged bandit, young and romantic at heart. He is as much at ease delivering his lines in chust Urdu, as he is picking up a gun or running from the law. In the mushaira scenes, one always cherishes the moment when its Iftikaar's turn to deliver his sher. A commendable performance.
Arshad Warsi, the most underrated actor in Bollywood, is of course the other half of the sizzling chemistry. The young, rustic ruffian with good aim and a natural instinct to avoid death. The only thing that confuses him is love, and the way he tries to bluff his way out of a romantic situation, by covering lust with anger, provokes a good laugh.
Huma Qureshi does a good job at playing Muniya. On one hand she is an aide and a lifeline to the Begum. On the other she is a scheming woman with plans of her own, who doesn't mind using her charms to trap men into doing her bidding. Huma is one of 2 women among modern bollywood actresses (Mahie Gill the other), who I think is suited to playing mature woman roles. My only complaint about her presence in Dedh Ishqiya is when she is pitted into a dance number with Madhuri. In presence of that goddess, she looks out of place and quite like a blimp.
The plot of the movie is tightly wound and very enjoyable. You enjoy the turns in the storyline, as you enjoy Vijay Raaj's commendable performance in making things uncomfortable for everyone else. The dialogues are well thought out. More than anything, the movie makes you think, to delve deep into the psyches of the actors and find out what they are scheming. Overall, a must watch for lovers of good cinema.
8 out of 10 stars.
