In fact a closer study of her filmography pretty much confirms that after Katrina Kaif, she easily has the best success rate amongst leading ladies today with at least one hit a year ever since her debut effort Parineeta (2005). No wonder, when Vidya moves from her ‘maa’ performance in Paa to a ‘woman with desires of her own’ (in her own words) in Ishqiya, she makes viewers look forward to what’s new that she has to offer in the New Year. More so because in the film she makes men as diverse as Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi dance to her tune.

“This is the best time to be working in movies”, declares Vidya who now has two back to back successes in her kitty with Ishqiya following Paa, “Earlier when any filmmaker even thought of making a non-formulaic film, it used to be slotted as an art film there and then. Soon after it would be considered as economical unviable and unfortunately there wasn’t much progress that any of such brilliant ideas made. I guess there was an attempt in the late 70s and the early 80s but then ever since NFDC has stopped making films, all doors seemed to be shut. However, in the current decade we are back to making different kind of films. Yes, it’s a slow but a steady journey for sure. At least now with movies like Ishqiya, we have started pushing the envelope a little more.”

At the beginning of 2009, it was Anurag Kashyap directed Dev D that followed a non-conformist approach towards cinema. Circa 2010 and the year has begun well with Ishqiya. It appears like finally there is some trend in the making here with mainstream actors not feeling shy about lending their support to films that break commercial mould. After Abhay Deol, it is nice to see Vidya Balan too joining the fray.

“I think what is actually happening is that even audiences want to see different things today. This is why when a few experiments worked earlier, people just lapped it up. Movies like Bheja Fry pretty much paved the way for quality films in controlled budget to start making an appearance because once these films worked, more and more people from the industry were further encouraged to present different ideas. It was obvious that even unconventional and non-formulaic films can work if packed, marketed, promoted and presented well. Slowly there are steps being taken due to which audiences too are accepting varied subjects with open arms. Thankfully, there are better budgets being offered as well in spite of increase in experimental cinema”, Vidya goes on to share her ‘gyaan’ on the advent of new age cinema.

She can’t be blamed though if she is sounding all excited about the advent of a different kind of cinema. After all, she is one of the rare female actors who has agreed to play the role of a mother in two films (Paa, Heyy Babyy), someone who has psychological disorder (Bhool Bhulaiyaa), a woman suffering from an ailment (Guru, Salaam E Ishq) and now a widow who doesn’t mind getting into an intense romance with love (Naseeruddin Shah) and lust (Arshad Warsi) as the driving force. With the ‘Jessica Lal’ based film already in her kitty and things looking promising with Gulzar’s next seemingly quite close, Vidya sure is getting all her calculations right.

Both movies released Friday and had star-studded red-carpet premieres in the capital Thursday, but “Ishqiya” took the cake with almost 80 percent collections in the opening weekend. “Rann” got only around 30 percent collections.

“‘Ishqiya’ has got a strong opening in both Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in both multiplexes and single-screens. It has got around 80 percent business over the initial weekend,” Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, told IANS.

“The dialogue delivery in the movie is very good and it is a typical masala movie but the drawback is that everyone might not like it because it has its own class. While ‘Rann’ is gripping but has managed only around 30 percent opening. There has been no initial for this one. It has its own class but no mass appeal,” he added.

Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan also echoed the same.

“‘Rann’ has fared very poorly thanks to its subject. ‘Ishqiya’ on the other hand has been average vis-a-vis ‘Rann’. It is an ordinary affair with local appeal. Though the masses are watching it but the film is not for everyone because some are finding it a bit cheap,” said Mahajan.

“Surprisingly, ‘Ishqiya’ is performing better in multiplexes and not in B and C sectors. We are expecting it to earn an average Rs.2 crore overall in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh,” he added.

Distributed in India by Boney and Sridevi Kapoor’s film and television entertainment company BSK Network and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, “Ishqiya” has been co-produced by Shemaroo Entertainment and Vishal Bhardwaj.

The directorial debut of Abhishek Chaubey, the movie has actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Vidya Balan and Arshad Warsi.

“Rann” on the other hand has been made at a budget of Rs.30 crore and is primarily about the conflict between business and conscience in the electronic media. It features megastar Amitabh Bachchan along with Riteish Deshmukh, Gul Panag and Paresh Rawal.

“The failure of ‘Rann’ has again given a dud out of Ram Gopal Varma’s camp. While ‘Ishqiya’ has the rustic and poetic appeal very common to Vishal Bhardwaj. No matter whatever the fate, his movies somehow do manage to leave an effect on the audiences’ minds,” said an industry source.

Expected to stretch for the week, “Ishqiya” now sees competition with Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol’s much-awaited first release of the year “My Name Is Khan” releasing Friday.

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ISHQIYA MOVIE REVIEW

You need to have a strong stomach to absorb ISHQIYA. It’s high on drama, it’s wild, it’s real. But it’s not dark, it’s not sleazy, it’s not crass. Frankly, you don’t expect debutante director Abhishek Chaubey to make a stereotypical fare thanks to the tutelage by his guru Vishal Bhardwaj, who loves to swim against the tide and undertake risks in film after film.

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dil to bacha hai { video }

You could call ISHQIYA a distant cousin of OMKARA. Set in Gorakhpur in North India, the film has a rustic feel, depicts characters that may make you uncomfortable and is laced with saucy lingo. Yet, it’s different than OMKARA.

Two thieves, Khalujaan [Naseeruddin Shah] and Babban [Arshad Warsi], are on the run from their boss, Mushtaq. They seek refuge at a friend’s house, but instead meet his widow, Krishna [Vidya Balan]. The time spent together draws the duo to her, Khalu with his tinted vision of old-fashioned love and Babban with his lustful eye. But the past catches up with all three!

There’s no denying that the promos had prepared me of the journey ahead, yet it took me a good 15-odd minutes to get into the world of Khalujaan, Babban and Krishna. But once you get sucked into their world, the blurred images start getting clearer and clearer and you become an active participant in their journey.

The first hour passes in a jiffy, but the story actually gets dramatic and volatile in its second hour. It’s at this stage that things start getting more and more unpredictable. The story does a somersault every 10 minutes and by the time it reaches its finale, you’re curious to know how the debutante director would conclude this saga. The end, of course, will have its share of advocates and adversaries, but the fact remains that it’s offbeat.

Every actor in ISHQIYA delivers a sparkling performance! Naseeruddin Shah is superb as a romantic. He is matchless in the sequence when he learns the truth about Vidya and Arshad. Arshad packs in a bravura performance yet again. Post MUNNABHAI films, Arshad should be liked in this one the maximum. Vidya continues to surprise. It’s a dynamic performance undoubtedly. PAA and ISHQIYA are two landmarks in her career.

On the whole, ISHQIYA is definitely worth a watch. The film has a riveting plot, great performances, soulful music, an absorbing story and skilful direction to make the viewer fall in ishq with it. It should appeal to the hardcore masses as also the multiplex junta.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He suffers from a progeria like syndrome. Mentally he is 13, very normal, but physically he looks 5 times older. In spite of his condition, Auro is a very happy boy. He lives with his mother Vidya (Vidya Balan), who is a gynaecologist.

Amol Arte (Abhishek Bachchan), is young, progressive and a full of ideals, politician. He is out to prove to the world that ‘politics’ is not a bad word. He is a man with a mission. Auro is Amol’s son.

Paa is a ‘rare’ story about a father-son, son-father relationship.

Not many actress will have the courage to say ‘yes’ to turn mother on screen for the fear of being typecast. And to play the mother of the megastar Amitabh Bachchan is a big challenge in itself. Vidya Balan is daring enough to play the role of a mother in the much-hyped film Paa, of course not without receiving the flaks.

Buzz up!
Yes, Vidya Balan, who has been trashed for her fashion choices in the past, was criticized for putting on weight. But it was inevitable, as she plays Auro’s (Amitabh) mother in Paa. It is yet to be seen if her role in the film will bring her accolades, but one thing is for sure, this kind of role will not come everyday, as the film deals with progeria, a rare disorder that makes a person age at a very young age.

Vidya said that she received lots of bad comments because of her weight though she didn’t like criticism. But she wanted to push herself as a professional. She added that she feels healthier now.

It was a dream-come-true for her to play the mother of Amitabh Bachchan. She said that it was surreal but later became addictive because Amitabh was so convincing as the 13-year-old Auro. She added that she could connect to him as his mother.

Here is an actress who is ready to push the boundaries!

Vidya Balan thinks cricketer Zahir Khan is the hottest! “He is the hottest cricketer on the block, he may be quiet, but he seems to be a strong man from within” is what Vidya quoted to a popular tabloid.

Now considering that Zahir is not single any longer and will tie a knot soon, will this mean that Vidya’s hot property will be taken away? And Vidya has not just taken to cricket but also cricketers. We wonder what Zahir has to tell about his latest fan from the tinsel town.