Ishaqzaade

Ishaqzaade

Theatrical release poster

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Habib Faisal
Produced by Aditya Chopra
Written by Aditya Chopra
Habib Faisal
Screenplay by Habib Faisal
Starring Arjun Kapoor
Parineeti Chopra
Gauhar Khan
Music by Amit Trivedi
Background Score:
Ranjit Barot
Cinematography Hemant Chaturvedi
Edited by Aarti Bajaj
Production
company
Distributed by Yash Raj Films
Release dates
  • 11 May 2012
Running time
 132 mins
Country India
Language Hindi / English
Budget INR120 million (US$1.9 million)
Box office INR649 million (US$10 million)

Ishaqzaade (also known as Born to Hate...Destined to Love) is a 2012 Indian romantic political drama film written by Rahul Roy Anand Kotkapura and directed by Habib Faisal, and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars debutant Arjun Kapoor, and Parineeti Chopra in their first lead film.[1] The official trailer was unveiled on 15 March 2012, whilst the film was released on 11 May 2012.[2] It received positive response from critics, and managed to do very well at the box office, turning out to be a worldwide hit.

Title

The title of the film is modeled on common Hindi slangs ending in zaade (meaning "son of" in Persian influenced languages such as Hindi and Urdu) for example, haraamzaade (meaning "rascal" or "bastard" modelled on shahzaade "son of a king" or "prince") with the first part of the name Ishaq being a vulgar pronunciation of Ishq (meaning "passionate romantic love"). The title may be loosely translated as "Rebel Lovers" (literally "Children of Love").

Plot

Ishaqzaade depicts the passionate love story of two defiant, rebellious individuals. The Chauhans and the Qureshis are two political families whose rivalry and mutual hatred for one another goes back generations. Parma (Arjun Kapoor) is a good-for-nothing local enforcer, grandson of the patriarch chauvinist, Grandfather Chauhan, who often takes digs at Parma for being the useless son of his widowed daughter-in-law. This makes Parma try to prove himself worthy. Zoya (Parineeti Chopra) a Muslim who offers Namaz five times a day, is the trigger-happy, hot-tempered only daughter in a traditional Muslim house full of brothers, along with her parents. She desires to go into politics like her father, but this dream is constantly laughed at by her family.

When the local elections take place, Parma and Zoya's canvassing efforts lead to a clash between them, which ends up with Parma being slapped across the face by Zoya. While Parma is enamored by Zoya's fearlessness, Zoya is intrigued by his raw charm (including his inability to properly pronounce her name, instead calling her "joya" instead of the proper "Zoya"). They fall in love after an incident when parma enters female bathroom to find zoya and elope; Parma converts to Islam and changes his name to Pervez. After marriage, Parma and Zoya have sex in train, and Parma reveals that he tricked her into marrying him. He defiled her to take revenge against her clan and the humiliation she caused him by slapping him when he misbehaved with her. Zoya is left heartbroken and devastated as Parma joins his family in a celebration of "becoming a man". Zoya invades to shoot Parma but is intercepted by his mother, Parvati, who urges her to calm down. In the heat of the moment, Grandfather Chauhan shoots Parma's mother when she tries to defend her son and daughter-in-law from the bloodthirsty families. Parma realizes his mistake and protects Zoya from being murdered by his family.

Parma and Zoya go on the run from their murderous families and take refuge in a brothel. At first, Zoya is still furious with Parma for his deception and even believes that he was trying to sell her to the brothel. She attacks him with a piece of broken glass, cutting his arms badly. The brothel Madame allows them to stay while Parma recovers and Zoya begrudgingly nurses him. He asks her for forgiveness and though she refuses to grant it, showing that she still loves him through little actions of affection. However, their mutual grief soon brings them together, giving their love a second chance. The two renew their marriage vows in a proper ceremony at the brothel. Zoya decides to try reconciling with her family, and takes Parma to her home to win over her father. They are instead met with hostility and gunshots when Zoya's father puts a gun to her head, threatening to kill his own daughter.

The couple flee as Zoya's father sends his men after them. Zoya and Parma prepare to run away to Jaipur, but when Parma leaves the safety of the bus to get water, their pursuers spot him and seize Zoya. She breaks free as Parma furiously fights to save her. They are reunited briefly, but quickly are found by Parma's former friends and run to the college, closed for Eid. The two rival families decide that Parma and Zoya's marriage is a stab to their respective religious communities and political careers; they decide to kill the lovebirds by joining forces.

Parma and Zoya take refuge on a terrace, engaging in a gunfire battle. With only a few bullets left, Zoya realises that they are outnumbered. She asks Parma to shoot her so that their love can win and they can die in the victory of their love, rather than be riddled with bullets by their own families, and allow hatred to win. The two shoot each other in the abdomen willingly and die in each other's arms, smiling. The goons check if they are dead and go inform the two families, who leave satisfied. The movie ends with Parma and Zoya's bodies lying on the terrace, and an on-screen message that explains how thousands of lovers like them are killed every year only because of falling in love outside their caste and/or religion.

Cast

Themes and political Issues

The film itself was both praised and drew some anger for its blunt confrontation of current issues in India regarding things such as premarital sex, marriage outside an individual's religion, caste, or other community, as well as the very real issue of honor killing. It also addresses and somewhat criticizes the hypocrisy of men who engage in premarital sex (they are celebrated and considered men in the eyes of the community), versus women who do the same (they are considered a disgrace and a source of shame). In addition, the film is notable for presenting the struggles of Indian widows and prostitutes in a sympathetic light.

Production

Casting

It was announced that newcomer Arjun Kapoor had joined the cast of Ishaqzaade in late 2011. Earlier, Arjun Kapoor was to debut in another Yash Raj production, Virus Diwan. However, the film got delayed and therefore Yash Raj Films designed Ishaqzaade for Arjun Kapoor.[3] Rekha and Chinni Prakash, National Award winners for Jodhaa Akbar were chosen as the choreographers, while Sham Kaushal is the Action Director.[4]

Filming

Filming began on 15 October 2011.[2] A big part of the movie was shot in Lucknow, Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh and at other sites near Lucknow.[5]

Soundtrack

Ishaqzaade
Soundtrack album by Amit Trivedi
Released 12 April 2012
Recorded YRF Studios
Genre Film soundtrack, Filmi, Dubstep, Electronic dance
Label Sony Music Entertainment[6]
Producer Amit Trivedi
Amit Trivedi chronology

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
(2012)		 Ishaqzaade
(2012)		 English Vinglish
(2012)

The music of the film is composed by the music director Amit Trivedi and lyrics were penned by Kausar Munir except where noted, though the background score was composed by Ranjit Barot.[7]

Track listing

No. TitleArtist(s) Length
1. "Ishaqzaade"  Javed Ali, Shreya Ghoshal 5:18
2. "Chokra Jawaan" (Lyric Habib Faisal)Vishal Dadlani, Sunidhi Chauhan 5:11
3. "Pareshaan"  Shalmali Kholgade 4:53
4. "Jhallah Wallah"  Shreya Ghoshal 5:53
5. "Aafaton Ke Parindey"  Suraj Jagan, Divya Kumar 3:24
6. "Pareshaan" (Remix by Abhijit Vaghani)Shalmali Kholgade 4:31
7. "Jhallah Wallah" (Remix by Abhijit Vaghani))Shreya Ghoshal 4:00

Reception

The album received positive responsewith major praise for Pareshan song.Music Aloud rated the album 9/10, saying that "Amit Trivedi brushes off that relative low phase of 2011 with a stunner for Ishaqzaade."[8] Bolly Spice gave the album 9/10, explaining that "Amit Trivedi is definitely one of the best composers around and he proves his detractors wrong with this soundtrack that stays true to his style and shows his versatility. It is easily the best soundtrack of this year so far."[9] Glam Sham gave the album 8/10, noting that "Overall the album delivers a satisfying listening experience and should add one more success to both the producer and composer's credits."[10] Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave the album 7/10, saying that "With Kausar Munir's lyrics further setting the stage for him, Amit Trivedi comes up with a soundtrack which may surprise listeners to begin with (due to its unusual flavour) but should eventually find acceptance in due course of time."[11] Times of India gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, commenting that Ishaqzaade "may not have too much on the platter with just five original tracks but it still manages to strike a chord with the listener. The album is definitely worth a shot."[12] Richa Bhatia of Times of India praised the soundtrack's use of dubstep, a genre of electronic dance music, along with the "punchy" lyrics, "chutney and dash." Film composer Anu Malik also praised the soundtrack, stating that "it is the first time I have observed dubstep in a film and it's incredible."[13]

Reception

Critical reception

Ishaqzaade received positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, saying that "On the whole, ISHAQZAADE, a volatile and intense story with ample doses of fanatical romance, should appeal to a pan-India audience. This broadly engaging love story has a winsome pair who deliver dexterous performances, besides popular music and several poignant moments, which should appeal to fans of mainstream films. Go for it!"[14] Mrigank Dhaniwala of Koimoi gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, commenting that "On the whole, Ishaqzaade is an entertaining fare which works on the strength of its first half and the performances."[15] Khalid Mohamed of Deccan Chronicle gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, concluding that "Ishaqzaade kicks off weakly and has its share of the deja pooh. Gradually, though, it gets under your skin..and rocks. Absolutely See-grade."[16]

Rachit Gupta of Filmfare gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, quoting that "On the face of it, this is a fantastic Indian adaptation of Romeo And Juliet. But if you've ever loved someone without a sense of inhibition, then deeper in the recesses of its story Ishaqzaade is a saga of love being more important than life and death."[17] Daily Bhaskar gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, writing that "Brilliant performance by the lead cast, an ecstatic climax which breaks the typical 'happily ever after' ending, is surely one of the top reasons to visit your nearest theatre. People from metros might find it difficult to relate to the culture or political drama that involves frequent gun-firing. Arjun and Parineeti's chemistry will remind one of the Ek-Duje Ke Liye genre of love stories from Bollywood."[18] Shomini Sen of Zee News gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, noting that "Habib Faisal's earlier film Do Dooni Chaar had captured the Delhi and Punjabi culture well. In Ishaqzaade, he captures a small town in northern India and its typical nuances well."[19]

Box office

India

Ishaqzaade had a good opening, with an occupancy of 70–90% in theatersand went on to collect INR45.4 million (US$720,000) nett in its first day,INR51.5 million (US$820,000) on its 2nd day and INR62.2 million (US$990,000) on its third day. The movie collected INR159 million (US$2.5 million) nett in its first weekend and INR257 million (US$4.1 million) nett in its first week.[20] It broke the record of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na for the highest first weekend and first week collections for a Hindi non-starcast film in India. The movie had a good second weekend and collected INR73.8 million (US$1.2 million) nett. The movie had a good second week, collecting INR125 million (US$2.0 million) nett. The movie had a strong third weekend and went on to collect INR43.4 million (US$690,000) nett.[21] The movie collected INR75.5 million (US$1.2 million) nett in its third week and thus declared a "hit" grosser. The film had lifetime collections of Rs. 47.50 crore in India.

Overseas

The film was released in the Middle East and smaller markets. It grossed INR25.0 million (US$400,000) at the end of its run. The film was not released theatrically in major markets like North America, Canada, United Kingdom,Nepal, Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia.

Awards

Winners
National Film Awards
Filmfare Awards
Star Screen Awards
Stardust Awards
Star Guild Awards
Zee Cine Awards
TOIFA Awards

References

  1. ↑ "YRF announces Ishaqzaade". Dainik Bhaskar. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "YRF Announce ISHAQZAADE – May 2012 Release". 15 October 2011. Box Office India. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "How Arjun got bigger deal with Ishaqzaade". 18 October 2011. Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "'Ishaqzaade' scheduled to hit screens on May 11th 2012". The Economic Times. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  5. ↑ http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/12/may/03-news-ishaqzaade-trivias-hardois-star-studded-experience-051208.asp
  6. ↑ http://www.bollywoodtrade.com/trade-news/sony-music-acquires-rights-of-ishaqzaade/index.htm
  7. ↑ "FIRST LOOK: Yash Raj Films' Ishaqzaade". Hindustan Times. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Music Review: Ishaqzaade – Music Aloud
  9. ↑ Music Review: Ishaqzaade – Bolly Spice
  10. ↑ Music Review: Ishaqzaade – Glam Sham
  11. ↑ Music Review: Ishaqzaade – Bollywood Hungama
  12. ↑ Music Review: Ishaqzaade – Times Of India
  13. ↑ Bhatia, Richa (2 July 2012). "B-wood's new brigade of musicians set to rock music". Times of India. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  14. ↑ Taran Adarsh (11 May 2012). "Ishaqzaade Review Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama.
  15. ↑ Mrigank Dhaniwala (11 May 2012). "Ishaqzaade Review Koimoi". Koimoi.
  16. ↑ Khalid Mohamed (11 May 2012). "Ishaqzaade review: Absolutely See-grade". Deccan Chronicle.
  17. ↑ Rachit Gupta (11 May 2012). "Ishaqzaade Review Filmfare". Filmfare.
  18. ↑ "Ishaqzaade Review Daily Bhaskar". Daily Bhaskar. 11 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Shomini Sen (11 May 2012). "Review: Almor haramzaade shine in ‘Ishaqzaade’!". Zee News.
  20. ↑ "Ishaqzaade Has Good First Week". Box Office India. 18 May 2012.
  21. ↑ "Ishaqzaade Has Strong Third Weekend". Box Office India. 28 May 2012.

External links

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