Issaq Hindi Movie
Starkid Prateik Babbar who was last seen in an incredibly lackluster film Ek Deewana Tha comes back as a lead with yet another lackluster fare Issaq. The promos can be slightly misleading for they are severely cashing in on the only plus of the film - the music, but when you enter the theater within no time of Prateik trying to act; you know you are in for a horrid ride.
A modern day take on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Issaq has added twists and turns and even characters. So apart for the Montagues and Capulets in the name of Mishra and Kashyap respectively you also have a maoist called Madrasi (Prashant Narayanan) who has been playing truant for long in the sand business of both parties. Amidst all this are Bachchi Kashyap (Amyra Dastur) and Rahul Mishra (Prateik Babbar), the star-crossed lovers hailing from the warring families. Now the rest of the story is quite inexplicable for characters keep entering, keep dying etc. For no rhyme or reason so we leave it at that.
Clearly the weakest film of the week or maybe month or maybe year, Issaq is one bizzare adaptation of the Bard's work. The writing is so shoddy that it can easily contest for the worst story of the year award and the screenplay so putrid that you wonder how somebody even thought of it. For samples - you have Neena Gupta sleeping with her specs on and on being woken up she removes her specs to look around. This is one of the smallest nit picking we have done. The least we say about the glaring loopholes the better.
If the assault of bad story isn't enough, you have Prateik to make sure you are left cringing and gritting your teeth by the time the film ends. To complement him almost perfectly you also have the debutant Amyra who apart from delivering some unintentionally hilarious dialogues has nothing much to offer.
Ravi Kissen and Vineet Singh are the only two people who act in the film but their portions are losely held. Rajeshwari Sachdev has been given the role of Mahie Gill from Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster but her character again lacks purpose. Makarand Deshpande as Baba and Prashant Narayanan as Madrasi are royally wasted.
Music Sachin-Jigar, Sachin Gupta and Krsna is the only soothing factor in this torturous affair. Cinematographer is decent at best with some of the elements of Benaras captured beautifully in the film.
Over all, Issaq is an overcooked film with bad screenplay; horrendous acting by the lead cast and hence happens to be devoid of any reason to watch.