BOTTOM LINE
A Terrible Remake
OUR RATING
2/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’, 1h 55m
What Is the Film About?
Siddhu (Teja Sajja) and Anu (Priyanka Prakash Varrier) are lovers and soon to be married. On the occasion of the birthday of Anu, Siddhu plans a night out road trip and make it memorable just before making the engagement official.
The pleasant road trip turns into a nightmare when a random guy breaks Siddhu and Anu’s privacy. Who is the person? What did Siddhu do to him in return? It constitutes the basic plot of the movie.
How Is Teja Sajja’s Performance?
Teja Sajja, after making an impressive debut with Zombie Reddy is back with a new outing. In Zombie Reddy, he was one of the factors, whereas the unique treatment and genre took care of the proceedings. Here in Ishq, the entire narrative rests on his act. It is a simple yet challenging role. Teja Sajja must be applauded for picking such a role so early. He has done decently shown improvement from his debut. Could it have been better? Yes, for sure! But, the attempt suggests that he is on the right path.
Direction by SS Raju ?
SS Raju directs Ishq Not A Love Story. It is a remake of Malayalam movie with the same name. The tagline says it is not a love story but rather about a nightmarish time a couple goes through one night.
The film begins on a wrong note, and one gets an idea of how things might turn out. A movie like Ishq, which has a wafer-thin line, can’t afford weak direction and artificiality. The signs of these wrong going are evident within the first few minutes via a mother and son conversation. Everything looks stagey and acted out instead of coming across as natural. The same is continued at the crucial restaurant sequence.
When simple sequences aren’t handled well, it only is easy to infer how things would turn out when the real drama kicks in. The direction has to be taut, and a gripping and tense atmosphere is needed to be built. Without it, the movie can never work.
Unfortunately, the director fails in delivering the needed. The eerie creepiness is missing, and instead, what we get is a routine drama. It is the kind which we usually see in a block in a commercial cinema. And when it’s in that space, we expect the hero to hit back immediately. But, that is not the story we have at hand. It takes time to get used to this whole misdirected affair.
The result is a tiring and irritating narrative, even when the first half is less (or around) an hour only. The interval bang is pretty standard, too.
It is in the second half that the hero gets the ‘heroic’ moments. However, it is again designed uniquely with a single block. It needs to be carefully executed to get the right impact and the ‘heroism’ feel. The direction once again lets things down.
Instead of a hero out to show a medicine of his own to the antagonist, the narrative turns him into a psychotic person. It is not intended that way, but it comes across like that. When it happens, you know where things might have gone wrong.
The ending is perfect for the story, but again the impact is missing. Still, it is something different from the usual, and that alone is good work done (from a story perspective).
Overall, Ishq is not a love story. It has a unique theme that is identifiable on a personal level. Unfortunately, the direction lets the team down.
Priya Prakash and Others?
Priya Prakash Varrier playing the heroine, has got a decent role. It is nothing unusual and well within a girl-next-door vicinity. But, the simple moments and the climax allow it to stand out. She is fine in getting that right. The rest of the cast consists of very few faces. The characters of Ravindra Vijay and Nagaraju are well designed. They are also acted well, but the dubbing plays soil sport.
Music and Other Departments?
The music by Mahati Swara Saagar is alright. A song has become a chartbuster, and it’s placed and executed well in the movie. The background score is also pretty good. Mahati has given his all. The cinematography Sam K Naidu could have been better. The editing by A Vara Prasad is oaky. The writing is consistently weak.
Highlights?
Story
Message
Short Length
BGM
Drawbacks?
Drama Doesn’t Work
Antagonist’s Dubbing
Drags In Parts
Alternative Take
All Ishq movie needed was a better and gripping direction. It would have changed the whole texture and feel of the film.
Did I Enjoy It?
Very Few Parts
Will You Recommend It?
No
Ishq: Not A Love Story Review by Siddartha