Before 2007, we all knew better than to expect a
stunner cinema experience at the hands of Lollywood filmmakers. We knew no
Waheed Murad, Muhammad Ali or Shabnam could possibly come back and save the day
and hence what abysmal Pakistani cinema we did have was completely at the
disposal of the self-centred lot, too proud to borrow an opinion or two from
across-the-border cinematographers (just their films’ title and music seemed to
be stolen and we’re talking about serious copyright issues here). And then, a
saviour of sorts was hyped over and rumoured about at length. Some claimed he
could be the saviour of Pakistani cinema and others just wished him luck with
their fingers crossed. And the other lot? Well, they simply had seemed to lose
their trust and interest in Lollywood, altogether.
However, with Shoaib Mansoor’s ‘Khuda Kay Liye’
and ‘Bol’ striking a chord with the masses and not just the ‘Allah Badshah’
rooters, Pakistani cinema could take a breather and had finally climbed its
ladder to the top with the first two steps. And the much-ignored efforts of
filmmaker Shehzad Rafique to provide “healthy entertainment” to all the masses
and not just a niche of it, were once again brought to surface as the healthy
cinema team strengthened.
And this year, with Meera announcing her last
Lollywood project and Ahsan Khan as his first in the lead, Shaan not that
enthusiastic about it, a new face from Dubai and Saima? Well, Saima with her
usual silent self, Shehzad announced his mega Lollywood project with all the stellar
cast early in 2012. With a bunch of delays and pre- and post-production halts
and madness up to the final inevitable hiccups, ‘Ishq Khuda’ managed to hit the
movie screens both nationally and internationally, much to the delight of all
its anticipators.
The story of the film is based upon characters
that are destined to cross each other’s paths while either visiting or dwelling
completely in a Pakistani village. Ahsan (Ahsan Khan) who lives in Karachi
decides to pay a visit to his village to take care of family industry matters.
He meets Iqra (Meera) while journeying in a train and happens to
co-incidentally be a part of her extended family, who like him is also visiting
the same village. They fall madly in love with each other due to passage of time
and decide to marry. Kalsoom (Wiam Ammar Dahmani) is Iqra’s cousin who plays
the role of an innocent backward village girl, who’s entirely at the disposal
of her father, doing house chores and tending to him. It’s love at first sight
for her as soon as she sees Ahsan and innocently believes he loves her too,
though the matter is otherwise. When she learns of her dear cousin marrying the
love of her life, her world comes crashing down and is bereaved for life. On
the other hand Ruliya (Shaan) is a terror of the village, snatching away
hard-earned properties of landlords, indulging in alcohol and prostitutes,
killing away the opponents of his activities and hence creating a menace
throughout. Malka (Saima) plays the role of a prostitute who is in love with Ruliya
despite all his obvious flaws. Ruliya in turn is cursed by a much-revered and
respected wali of the village with softening of the heart while he’s on his
another terror spree, only to find himself haplessly in love with Kalsoom who
turns him down. Ruliya experiences a change in demeanour and transits from
being a terror to a forgiveness-seeker malang.
How the story unfolds from there is for you to
see as Shaan and Saima, who are one of the most seasoned actors we have,
deliver in a way, which is effortless, engage the audience immensely with their
spot-on dialogue delivery and are believable throughout. Meera delivers well
too, but looks mis-cast a little playing Ahsan Khan’s love interest.
Dubai-based Moroccan actress Wiam looks stunning and dances superbly, however
she does need to brush up on her acting skills a bit more. The star of the film
is undoubtedly Ahsan Khan who looks fresh, energetic and very much in tune. He
is a treat to the eyes and makes one sure we have the Ranbir Kapoor of Bollywood
right here on our soil.
Wajahat Attre’s song compositiong is excellent
with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sanam Marvi and Shazia Manzoor as playback singers,
however the forced song sequence is sure to make one wince with monotony. We
loved how the scenic beauty of the north is captured beautifully with a
screenplay sometimes dwindling but otherwise highly engaging.
“I have high hopes for the film, this one being
my last Lollywood project. I’ve given it my best and am sure audiences will
love it,” said Meera while talking to Daily Times.
“My love for experimentation made me sign the
film and God willing, this one would strike a chord with the masses,” added
Ahsan.
Shehzad Rafique adds touch of Sufism, what goes
around comes around karma, love-struck youth and the manifestations of true
affection. All in all, ‘Ishq Khuda’ remains a masterpiece with all its
imperfections. Lollywood revival begins in cinemas today (Friday).
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