Entertainment / Dedh Ishqiya: The Queen Returns

Dedh Ishqiya: The Queen Returns

Entertainment Jan 21, 2014

by Matthew Currie

The luminous Madhuri Dixit returns to the big-screen with a winning action-comedy

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Writers: Vishal Bhardwaj (dialogue), Abhishek Chaubey(screenplay),

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi, Huma Qureshi and Vijay Raaz
Stars: 3.5/5

Four years after their first bumbling caper in Ishqiya, endearingly hapless thieves Khalujan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) are back, once again wrapped up in a get-rich-quick con and once again at the mercy of a dangerously alluring woman. This time around, that woman is played by Bollywood legend Madhuri Dixit, in her first starring role since 2007. And indeed, with Dedh Ishqiya she found a worthy comeback vehicle.

On one level, director Abhishek Chaubey’s crime comedy is an exemplary popcorn flick — slick, funny, action-packed and briskly paced despite a two-and-a-half hour run time; but it’s in the refreshingly unconventional relationship between its four lead characters that the film truly distinguishes itself.

The action picks back up with Khalujan and Babban up to their old tricks, posing as a nawab and his assistant respectively, and vying, along with many other suitors, to win the heart of Para (Dixit), the widowed Begum of Mahmudabad. Per her deceased husband’s instructions, she’s holding a poetry contest, and the victor will win her hand in marriage, plus all the apparent money and power that goes with it. But in order to strike it rich, our heroes will have to go through ruthless gangster Jaan (Vijay Raaz) who’ll stop at nothing to climb the social ladder.

But, then, the beautiful Begum and her devoted assistant Muniya (Huma Qureshi) are much more than meets the eye.

What ensues is an energetic con game filled with reversals, reveals and snappy dialogue, as the three parties (Khalujan and Babban; Janna and his gang; and Para and Muniya) dance around each other in pursuit of their own agendas.

Throughout, director Chaubey manages to strike an appealing balance between stylish action and madcap comedy, often in the same sequence. A tense standoff between Khalujan, Babban, and Team Jaan, for instance, suddenly turns on a dime to become the film’s biggest laugh-out-loud moment.

Naturally, much of the film’s appeal lies in the chemistry and interplay between its four leads. Shah and Warsi make for an immediately charming odd couple. Whether bickering or pulling one over on a mark, Warsi’s outgoing energy bounces amusingly off the sly demeanour of his weathered partner in crime.

Dixit, meanwhile, turns in a multi-faceted performance, nimbly flitting from screwball comedy to genuinely harrowing personal sorrow to craft a very full portrait of a damaged woman who’s stronger for the trauma she’s endured. She shows an easy, lived-in chemistry with the fierce, authentic Qureshi.

Indeed, their bond is Dedh Ishqiya’s most intriguing quality.

The only time the film veers away from its mostly breezy tone is when it’s exploring relationships. Khalujan is completely in love with Para, and fairly quickly, Babban comes to feel the same about Muniya. The women, however, are hopelessly devoted to one another.

Over the course of the film, we learn Para’s husband had secretly preferred the company of young men to that of his wife, leaving her trapped in a miserable marriage until she found comfort in the form of Muniya. Chaubey and co-writer Vishal Bhardwaj that subtly hint that their relationship goes beyond simple friendship.

But one thing that’s perfectly clear: they’re more devoted to one another than they could ever be to the lovestruck Khalujan and Babban, even when their interactions with the men turn intimate. This disconnect brings about the film’s most unsettling moment, as Muniya drives her recently bedded suitor to violence by soberly dismissing the night that they shared together.

She’s not being cruel or playing him or afraid of her own feelings; she simply has no interest in a happily ever after with Babban.

The moment lends a surprisingly raw core to an otherwise breezy con-man comedy. Moreover, it makes Para and Muniya stand out among heroines in this genre, who so often register as little more than mere prizes for the plucky heroes to collect after vanquishing the bad guys. These women don’t need to be saved or swept off their feet; they have their own endgame in mind and, after all, they’re much more capable than their would-be knights in shining armour.
It’s not hard to see why Madhuri Dixit chose this character to usher her back to the silver screen.

_{Images courtesy of Dedh Isqiya Facebook page}

Matthew Currie

Author

A long-standing entertainment journalist, Currie is a graduate of the Professional Writing program at Toronto’s York University. He has spent the past number of years working as a freelancer for ANOKHI and for diverse publications such as Sharp, TV Week, CAA’s Westworld and BC Business. Currie ...

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Dedh Ishqiya: The Queen Returns

by Matthew Currie

The luminous Madhuri Dixit returns to the big-screen with a winning action-comedy

Matthew Currie

COMMENTS

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