Different stories are told- few fresh few stale but there are few stories which have universal appeal over age and time. Ishaqzaade is such a story of passionate lovers over creed, religion, cast,greed and Indian hypocrisy. While Aamir Khan debut in TV unmasking the "glorious" culture of India with Satyameve Jayate, Habib Faisal throws light on real India and its raw crude reality. India at its root level is as harsh as the film itself, toned down to make it suitable for family viewing. Ishaaqzaade is age-old story about a hindu boy falling for a Muslim girl. Within this simple structure Faisal injected good amount of twist and turns to keep one glued to screen. Set up in fictional town Almore Faisal reflected reality of states like UP & Bihar. The film begins with Qureshis & Chauhans fighting for MLA seat. Even though both are full of hatred for each other ironically they are same at ideological level. The success of narration lies in the fact that it is not about superficial rivalry between two families. The film goes deeper into mindset of Indian societies. However modern we claim to be at the root level we are caught in webs of hypocrisy and false esteem whereby an elder male member of the family is respected irrespective of the person he is. Over the years this false respect which we have bestowed upon undeserving men has laid to the deceleration of India as a whole. Coming back to the film, personally I have no inclination to love stories specially the once made by Yashraj film but it is the authenticity of Faisal's work which struck me. Hardly interiors of rustic crude India has been explored to churn out love stories and characterization of Parma-Zoya is just marvelous. Both young, rough, foul mouthed who can go all the way to see their family members winning the election. Through the interaction with their family, hypocrisy has been shown. Initially it seemed that Zoya's family will go all the way to save her from any adversities but to her shocking revelation even her dearest father turns out to be those power hungry men who can go to any extent for his own benefit. Same goes with Parma's grandfather for whom career and reputation is more important than family. In fact these people are more dangerous than big gangsters as they play with emotions of people creating a hindu-Muslim rift amongst masses to win vote, when needed they are ready to shed their religious inhibitions and flock together to create havoc. As expected the mothers' are relegated to backseat but they are shown as strong characters. The courage which Parma's mother exhibits to save his son's Muslim bride should be applauded and we hope more mothers garner that courage to stand against cruelty. The film's second half is more clichéd and few even complained it being sexist and misogynist as Zoya is tortured to an extent she loses her true self, but then that is the plight of women in interior parts of our country. Without making it look like a fairy tale Faisal dared to show the raw reality and thanks to Aditya Chopra as producer for showing the "real" India which is rare in Yashraj films. As mentioned earlier the typical story has been elevated due to the execution. Faisal showed competency with screenplay in his earlier films (Brilliant Do Dooni Char & different Band Baja Baraat) and Ishaqzaade is no exception. Such old themes wouldn't have made any impact if not tight narrative added with dialogs which are real to the core. The way the duo's passion gets ignited through violence amidst a violent setting is commendable. Hemant Chaturbedi's cinematography gels with the director's vision. The violence lurking in the alleys of small town cocooned by supposed mirage of peacefulness has been well captured. A little shaky camera-work uplifts the mood from the first sequence. And then there is Amit Trivedi , probably the best musician in tinsel town who creates melodies that suits the mood of the film rather than a sequence in isolation. Since Dev D he proved himself again and again. The song "Aafaton ki parinde" immediately takes audience to the rustic land of lawlessness to fast edited sequences by Aarti Bajaj and brings in the tension. "Pareshan" is another song that demands mention for its hatke treatment. Ishaqzaade marks the debut of producer Boney Kapoor's son Arjun Kapoor and he looked comfortable as a brat without a conscience. One thing he needs to work on is his dialog delivery which was not clear in few scenes. On the other hand Pareeniti Chopra is a treat to watch. With a confident debut in forgettable Ladies Vs Ricky Behl,Chopra displayed tremendous confidence with a variety of expressions in Ishaqzaade. She instilled soul to Zoya's character with whom one could empathize. She played the confident Zoya who stood tall in a patriarchal society with high self esteem with precision and executed the vulnerable side of Zoya with equal conviction in the second half.Even though it is too early but still I feel if she gets the right opportunity she would leave a mark as one of the finest actress of Hindi cinema. The lady playing Parma's mother was exceptional in her portrayal of the character and even after the end credit rolls you will feel for her and mothers like her in rural India who are subdued and crashed breaking their self esteem. Gauhar Khan as Chand Baby was decent in her bromide portrayal of a gold hearted hooker saving Parma-Zoya's life. Anil Rastogi as Parma's grandfather brings hatred thanks to his violent on screen characterization. The unknown supporting cast was adequate and filled in the gaps. The ending (which many might not approve) was plain brilliant which was appropriate for the story in a rustic setting. The end leaves a lot of question to the conscience of our great cultured society but is anyone listening??

Set amidst raw gunshots, zingy atmosphere and a zany town, Ishaqzaade is an interesting film, to be judged solely on its creativity rather than the tons of loopholes in its plot. Habib Faisal proves his mettle once again after his tremendous Do Dooni Chaar. In a fictitious town of Almore in Northern India, two die-hard rival families, Qureshi and Chauhan, compete each other in politics. Zoya is the zestful daughter of the Qureshis who has some fiercely over- protective brothers. She is hot-tempered, pampered and ambitious. In the backdrop of the family tussles, she meets Parma of the Chauhan family and is attracted to his raw charm. They elope and marry but there is a twist in the tale. Why does a Chauhan marry a Qureshi?Ishaqzaade heavily relies of the performances of the lead and they do not disappoint. Parineeti Chopra is not my favorite for being the typical loud, brainless Punjabi girl in Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl. This time around, she is given a similar character but she is better this time. Her dressing is unique and inspiring. Arjun Kapoor is the best debut this year. He gets under the skin of his character with ease and not once does he deviate. The script is filled with many loopholes in the second half where the characterizations go haywire with the story. Some nonsensical comedy is inserted between the truly engaging and serious scenes. But Habib Faisal's direction deserves praise. This is a unique romance set in the rural background and rugged characters but still emerges out to be lovable. Accompanied by technical excellence, Amit Trivedi's terrific score, Ishaqzaade is a decent watch. 7/10 for being different.

Overacting by everyone. No genuineness in characters. Story aisi jaise Raita bikhar gaya ho. A person who watches Hollywood will find it unbearable to sit throughout the movie. I made tea 3 times throughout this movie. Why I completed it because Its my habit to complete a thing if I starts it. 3 hours wasted. Now why I am writing such a lengthy review is because IMDb is asking me to write minimum 10 lines otherwise I have already described this movie in 1 word OVERACTING. There is one more thing to add, my girlfriend liked this movie a lot and she talked to me for like half day about this movie. I will be true here, I didn't contradict whatever she was saying after all she is my Girl friend.

A story that has been repeated many times is given a fresh look with new comers Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor. Both definitely will have promising careers in Bollywood. Arjun's role, as a brat, fit like a glove. No one would have guessed this was his first movie. He has charisma and flawlessly delivered his lines. Parineeti has a fresh look, playing a bold girl. She also played her character with ease. Both had amazing chemistry, which made it entertaining to watch. The direction was amazing and the story moved really fast. However there were some parts which seemed a little unnecessary. Editing and cinematography really helped carry the movie forward. The songs were good, especially the item songs. This movie is definitely a must-see especially for the lead pair.