Movie Review: Dedh Ishqiya..is a decent one-time watch..

The original always has its own allure. The characters are new. The setting is unknown and the story is inviting and intriguing. While making a sequel the toughest part is that the characters are now familiar and expectations are set. The sequel needs to now go one-better with new additional characters, possibly a different setting and story. In this respect, Dedh Ishqiya certainly succeeds – all the way. That said, it isn’t really the through n through dark, comic thrill ride it promises to be

The movie starts off almost old worldly romantic, the time of the nawabs and their opulence – so much so that you aren’t sure if this is period drama or a new age caper. Be prepared to read a lot of subtitles because most of the dialogues are in Urdu rather than Hindi and if you choose to watch this one without subtitles then I am not sure how much of the movie you can follow altogether

I don’t plan to give much away and in a thriller with twists and turns its always a dilemma how much to share. I will say though that much like the original – the story development keeps you interested. You might get bored in parts and wish that the story develops at a brisker pace, but it does just enough to keep you interested. There are some directorial gems too with a group at gunpoint and others which are almost inspirational in their presentation - much like the Hollywood stalwarts would do it  - otherwise ordinary scenes leading to guffaws and laughs. However, the movie could have definitely had an overall tighter presentation – a song or two less and perhaps a few lesser brooding moments. Add to that the second half, wherein after a point things become somewhat predictable and the movie tends to lose its charm. The script in itself doesn’t suffice in this case – it’s the wonderful performances that really lift the movie to greater heights

With the star studded cast it boasts – stalwarts like Madhuri Dixit and Naseeruddin Shah leading the way, the dependable Arshad Warsi at his most comfortable sidekick role and the striking Huma Qureshi as well – performances weren’t really a matter of question. What is suprising though is that the biggest scene stealer is the unlikely Vijay Raaz. While his character seems to pick up from that in Delhi Belly – look included – his timing and delivery clearly stands out. The others do a great job too -  Madhuri looks enchanting with a wonderful, restrained performance, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi are more than comfortable in now familiar roles and Huma Qureshi does justice to her part as well

With the rave reception it got on opening, I probably went in with high expectations for this one. I wouldn’t recommend that. Don’t go expecting too much. Go expecting half the fun you had with your first outing (Ishqiya) and you might end up having more than your share of it.