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List of Ishqiya Reviews
Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Rajeev Masand Site:IBNLive
Ishqiya, directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubey, is a delicious little film that teeters dangerously between saucy comedy and suspenseful noir. Unapologetically adult in its relationships, its language and its humor, the film sparkles for its inspired writing and uncompromised direction. Ishqiya is a film that has wheels within wheels, a film that's constantly unraveling itself, surprising you as every new layer is peeled. If the film falters, it's in the third act where a key twist comes off as unconvincing, and a climax too convoluted. But these are small nitpickings in an immensely enjoyable journey that deserves to be relished more than once. I'm going with three-and-a-half out of five and a thumbs-up for director Abhishek Chaubey's Ishqiya, It's an assured, confident debut and one hell of a rollicking ride. A textured, compelling drama that's unlike anything you've seen lately.Visit Site or More
Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Nikhat Kazmi Site:TimesOfIndia
Ishqiya is a zany little black comedy that may be completely desi in its idiom, its lingo, its landscape. Yet, when it comes to drama, it is totally Hollywood. Debutant director Abhishek Chaubey tells his story with a panache that falters only in the end. Ironically, if he hadn't faltered in winding up this delectable little tale of a wicked trio, with nothing to lose not even their morals -- he would have created a masterpiece. But the last few reels are so much of a rumble-tumble, they leave you both confused and somewhat dissatisfied. In Ishqiya lingo, the film is a sutli bomb (firecracker) that tickles and explodes. But for the hurried and harried end. Go, have a blast.Visit Site or More
Ratings:4/5 Reviewer:Taran Adarsh Site:BollywoodHungama
Get ready for tangy, pungent, sizzling and spicy stuff. Be forewarned, ISHQIYA isn't the fluffy, candyfloss, saccharine sweet story of lovers breaking into songs in mustard fields. In ISHQIYA, you just don't know what turn the story may take next. Not just the story, even the characters here are so impulsive and unpredictable.You need to have a strong stomach to absorb ISHQIYA. It's high on drama, it's wild, it's real. But it's not dark, it's not sleazy, it's not crass. Set in Gorakhpur in North India, the film has a rustic feel, depicts characters that may make you uncomfortable and is laced with saucy lingo. On the whole, ISHQIYA is definitely worth a watch. The film has a riveting plot, great performances, soulful music, an absorbing story and skilful direction to make the viewer fall in ishq with it. It should appeal to the hardcore masses as also the multiplex junta.Visit Site or More
Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Sukanya Verma Site:Rediff
Comfortable in its capricious skin, Ishqiya -- a tricky and moody tale of a whimsical trio caught in twisted circumstances -- gets even more complicated owing to the impulsiveness of heart. Regardless of its colourful language, simmering sexuality, ribald humour and unabashed reverence for the offensive, the drama has enough lyricism, layers and eccentricity to stereotype it as grim or gawky. While Ishqiya is a terrific first-time effort from Chaubey, there were a couple of things that strike a jarring note. Firstly, the pace could have been tauter and done away with all the excessive ambiguity surrounding characters, sub-plots and their objectives. If the idea is to keep them enigmatic, it is tediously conveyed.Visit Site or More
Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Gaurav Malani Site:Indiatimes
Ishqiya excels in narrating a saucy story and, unlike Kaminey, doesn’t gets complicated or convoluted in its storytelling. Director Abhishek Chaubey has a fresh, flirty and frivolous approach to filmmaking. The spellbinding screenplay written by Abhishek Chaubey, Vishal Bhardwaj and Sabrina Dhawan, despite being multidimensional, touches the subplots only peripherally and doesn’t delve into the past beyond the needful. Regardless of the rugged-and-rustic ‘City of God’ kinda setting, the flavour of the film is predominantly light-hearted, as instinctive comedy oozes out from almost every sequence. Ishqiya certainly is a film you will fall in love with.Visit Site or More
Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Anupama Chopra Site:NDTV
I know its only January but I think its safe to say that Ishqiya is the most crackling film you’ll see this year. It’s feisty and sly and very, very sexy.Written by Vishal Bharadwaj, Chaubey and Sabrina Dhawan, Ishqiya gives us a love triangle unlike any we’ve seen before. In the second half, there are stretches in which the plot starts to blur and the end-twist is less than convincing. But if you have the patience and the willingness to savor an edgier, less populist popular Hindi cinema, you will be amply rewarded. I strongly recommend that you see it.Visit Site or More
Ratings:4/5 Reviewer:Martin D Souza Site:Glamsham
The dialogues are witty, corny and peppy and at times even bounce over your head. This because the film has stayed true to its rustic setting in the interiors of Uttar Pradesh. The screenplay is just perfect with every object positioned in the right place. What's interesting is that the camera never misses even one expression from the characters in the frame to any given situation. Every actor delivers and everyone involved in the making of this movie deserves credit.Visit Site or More
Ratings:3.5/5 Reviewer:Aniruddha Guha Site:DNA
In Ishqiya, director Abhishek Chaubey combines elements of his guru Vishal Bharadwaj (the rawness of the script) with that of Quentin Tarantino (the background score and wild characters), which results in an edgy, stylised comic thriller.Ishqiya, among other things, is a great start for director Abhishek Chaubey. The film — with its great music, superior performances, and memorable dialogues — cannot be missed, unless you are under 18 years of age. This is pure ‘adult’ fun.Visit Site or More
