'Dedh Ishqiya' defies censor's rule

Within a week of its release, 'Dedh Ishqiya' runs into trouble with the Censor Board

Huma Qureshi and Arshad Warsi in 'Dedh Ishqiya'

When Dedh Ishqiya was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification, the board had instructed the makers to blur out a scene where actor Arshad Warsi visits a brothel.
But when one of the members of the board watched the film at a screening on Saturday, it was observed that the scene had not been cut. Says a source, “After one of our members informed the board, the assistant regional officer was sent to watch the film. This time, even the producers of the film were called to the theatre.”
It seems that the producers initially blamed the cinema hall’s faulty lighting, only to agree later that it was their fault. They have now agreed to delete the scene in subsequent screenings. Adds another member of the board who was asked to watch the film after the scene’s deletion, “We know that the scene has been removed from screenings across Mumbai but we still have to ensure that other centres follow suit.”
When contacted, CBFC CEO Rakesh Kumar said that they have issued a showcause notice to the filmmakers seeking an explanation for not following the board’s directive.
“They have accepted their fault claiming that it happened due to a technical hitch. Within the next 24 to 48 hours, they will delete the scenes from the film in cinema halls across the country.” Meanwhile, producer Raman Maru of Shemaroo clarifies that the error is being rectified. “This 20-second film wasn’t blurred out in some theatres due to bad lighting, but that problem is now being checked,” he says.
The film, that released last week, stars Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi in lead roles. Acoording to sources, previous instances of films that have defied CBFC cuts include Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, where a lovemaking scene — that was deleted by the Board — was retained in some prints shown in south India. Similarly, an item song from the film Mumbai Mirror was asked to be deleted and yet it made its way to cinema halls.

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By: Karan Anshuman

Film: Dedh Ishqiya
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi, Huma Qureshi, Vijay Raaz, Manoj Pahwa
Director Abhishek Choubey
Certification: U/A
Rating: ***

Dedh Ishiqya has very little to do with the first part. It is a lot more fantasy, a lot less real; a lot more about poetry, a lot less about ubiquitous gas cylinders; a lot more love, without diluting the fellowship established in Ishqiya. A melange of genres, the genesis of Dedh Ishqiya's moods might've roots in the works of a cross-section of cinema - from Vishal Bhardwaj himself to Robert Rodriguez (what with the inventive Mexican standoffs), but it stays consistent to the form it chooses and creates an atmosphere that only comes when hearing good poetry. Oh yes, the sequel, the film significantly better than Part I.

Set in made-up Mehmudabad, Begum Para (Madhuri Dixit) is auditioning for a husband who must be a poet. From her past appears Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) masquerading as a nawab, facing off for her hand with another counterfeit royal Jaan Mohammad (Vijay Raaz). Key events in her life shape her decisions as an elaborate ruse of courtship plays out between the pretenders. Babban (Arshad Warsi) tricked into separating from his Mamu, tracks him down with revenge on his mind. But Khalujaan has words at his service, words that fly from his tongue that influence with ease those who hear them and soon they're friends again, playing games of deceit. Only, are their victims smarter?

The highlight of the writing is the dialogue. Vishal Bhardwaj writes songs, poetry, insults, and ideas in Urdu with unrestrained enthusiasm. His lines often act as the honey to help let slide the bitter pill that is an essentially humdrum screenplay with logic loopholes. Dedh Ishqiya also relies on its moments: a hand tremor cured by love, Dixit dancing under the tutelage of Pt Birju Maharaj, Shah singing a song sans music. Treat the film as a light dramedy, and it's hard to be disappointed.

Abhishek Chaubey's direction is sure footed and - like he did with the first film - he pays attention craft, striving for an uncompromised end product. He succeeds by and large. From single frames to entire set pieces, there's deliciousness in their originality. And then there's Kunal Sharma's sound design - one of the best in a long time. What joy it must be for him to work with a voice like Naseer's. His deep intonation of Urdu goes from baritone to bass, and literally makes the floor of the theater quaver. I don't know if you will get a chance to experience this, but it sure was a first for me.

What a relief it so to see good actors choose a script with gravitas. Good writing can only inspire harder work and better performances. Look what it did with Arshad Warsi, coming right out of the shadow of last week's Joe B Carvalho! And, Naseeruddin Shah... thank you. It's delightful to have you back. For a moment it looks like Madhuri Dixit is struggling but then is it possible that in our minds do not allow us to see her as anyone else but Madhuri Dixit? Huma Qureshi keeps her chin up with her deception in the mayhem and gifted Vijay Raaz also gets his due.

Dedh Ishqiya - it's texture, dialogue, and performances - make it good enough to hold up in a repeat viewing. And that's a lot more than you can say about the majority of other films.

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Madhuri Dixit: Enjoyed playing Begum Para in 'Dedh Ishqiya'

Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit says playing Begum Para, the new femme fatale in Abhishek Chaubey's 'Dedh Ishqiya', was challenging but fun.

"It was a challenging role because I could not go overboard with the character or underplay it. The more complex a character, the more taut a performance needs to be. Playing Begum Para was like a tightrope walk. It had to be just right and I had to constantly keep that in mind," Madhuri told PTI.

The 46-year-old actress, however, did not find it difficult to master the nuances or the Urdu diction of her character.

"The diction was not a problem as I have done a little bit of Urdu as Chandramukhi in 'Devdas'. My priority was getting the performance right."

The film, a sequel to 2010 'Ishqiya', is slated to release tomorrow. Both Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi are reprising their roles as Khalujaan and Babban while Huma Qureshi is the other new face in the movie.

Madhuri agreed to be a part of the sequel because she loved the "unapologetic way" Abhishek presented Vidya Balan's character of a beautiful, willful woman in 'Ishqiya'.

"I had seen 'Ishqiya' and was very impressed with the way a woman's character was etched out in it. Vidya was very well presented. There was no apology for the way she was which I found very interesting. So, I was already impressed with Abhishek and Vishalji's (Bhardwaj) work," she says.

It is her first lead role after 'Aaja Nachle' in 2007 but Madhuri does not consider it her comeback as she has been busy doing television, shooting for 'Dedh Ishqiya' and 'Gulaab Gang', her next release in March.

"It is not a comeback because I have been doing work. If a hero does a film after four years, they don't say it's a comeback but if a heroine does a film in three years, it becomes a comeback. This is the way things work here but that's fine. I just hope that people like my two films," Madhuri said. The actress says it was an honour to work with Shah again after films like 'Tridev', 'Rajkumar' and 'Gaj Gamini'.

"We did not have any scenes in 'Tridev' while in 'Rajkumar', he played a negative role. We were also together in 'Gaj Gamini'. It is an honour to work with him every time. He is very natural, you forget that you are doing a scene with him. Our whole chemistry was very beautiful in the film," Madhuri said.

The film also gave her a chance to work to Pandit Birju Maharaj for a song 'Jagaave saari raina'.

"I have two songs 'jagaawe saari raina' which is choreographed by Maharaj ji. This song does not have lip-sync so everything had to be done through acting and body language. The song comes at a very important moment in the film. I had worked with Maharajji in 'Devdas'.

"The other song is 'hamri atariyaa' which I think was more challenging to Remo D'Souza than me because he has never choreographed a classical number."

Her second film 'Gulab Gang' is coming after a gap of just two months. Madhuri, however, is happy that her fans will get a chance to see her in two completely different roles.

"I spent the last two years working on these two films. I think two months is quite a good gap for another film to release. Both the films are poles apart in terms of character and story."

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