''Ishaqzaade'' () is a 2012 Indian

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

-language romantic

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

written and directed by Habib Faisal, and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars debutant

Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor working in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with romance ''Ishaqzaade'' which ...

and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles, with Gauahar Khan,

Natasha Rastogi Natasha Rastogi (born Natasha Khanna; 14 May 1962) is an Indian actress and director. She started her acting career by debuting in '' Monsoon Wedding'' as Sona Verma, directed by Mira Nair, that won the Golden Lion award and received a Golde ...

Anil Rastogi Anil Rastogi is an Indian theatre, television and film actor. He is known for his roles in '' Udaan'', ''Ishaqzaade'' and '' Na Bole Tum Naa Maine Kuch Kaha''. He has over 600 theatre performances and was a former scientist of the Central Drug ...

and

Shashank Khaitan Shashank Khaitan is an Indian film writer, director, actor and producer who works in Hindi films. He is known for his association with Dharma Productions. Khaitan made his directorial debut with '' Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania'' and went on to di ...

in supporting roles. The official trailer was unveiled on 15 March 2012, and the film was released on 11 May 2012. ''Ishaqzaade'' received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise directed towards Chopra's performance, and was a commercial success at the box-office. At the 58th Filmfare Awards, ''Ishaqzaade'' received 3 nominations, including Best Actress (Chopra) and Best Male Debut (Kapoor). Additionally, Chopra received the National Film Award – Special Mention at the 60th National Film Awards for her performance in the film.

Title

The title of the film is modeled on common Hindi slangs ending in ''zaade'' (meaning "child of" in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

n influenced languages such as

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Ishq'' (meaning "passionate romantic love"). The title may be loosely translated as "Rebel Lovers" (literally "Children of Love").

Plot

The Chauhans and the Qureshis are two political families whose rivalry and mutual hatred for one another goes back generations. Parma (

) is a good-for-nothing local thug, grandson of the patriarch Surya Chauhan. Surya often takes digs at Parma for being the useless son of his widowed daughter-in-law Parvati, and this makes Parma try to prove himself worthy. Zoya ( Parineeti Chopra), a practising

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

who offers Salat five times a day, is the trigger-happy, hot-tempered, only daughter in a traditional Muslim house full of brothers, along with her

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males ...

chauvinistic parents. She desires to go into politics like her father Aftab, but this dream is constantly laughed at by her family since she is a woman. When the local elections take place, Parma and Zoya's canvassing efforts lead to a clash between them, which results in Parma being slapped across the face by Zoya. While Parma is enamored by Zoya's fearlessness, Zoya is intrigued by his charm, including his inability to properly pronounce her name, calling her "Joya", instead of the proper "Zoya". They fall in love after a series of incidents bring them together, and

elope Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting m ...

; Parma converts to Islam and changes his name to Pervez. After

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, Parma and Zoya consummate the marriage in an empty train carriage. Parma soon reveals that he tricked Zoya - the wedding ceremony was fake, and they are not married. He perpetrated the sham wedding to get her to have sex with him, which would bring shame upon her family. He, therefore, took revenge against her clan, and repaid the humiliation of her slapping him earlier on. Zoya is left heartbroken and devastated, as Parma joins his family in a celebration of "becoming a man". Zoya attempts to invade the celebration in order to shoot Parma, but is intercepted by Parvati, who urges her to calm down. Parvati tells Parma that he must honour his marriage vows regardless of whether he meant them, and stand right by Zoya. Despite Parvati's attempts to conceal her, the Chauhans come to know of Zoya's presence in their home, and in the heat of the moment, Surya shoots Parvati when she tries to defend her son and daughter-in-law from the bloodthirsty gang. Parma realizes his mistake and protects Zoya from being murdered by his family. Parma and Zoya go on the run from their families and take refuge in a brothel. At first, Zoya is still furious with Parma for his deception and even believes that he was trying to sell her to the brothel. She attacks him with a shard of broken glass, cutting his arm badly. The brothel madame, Chand Bibi ( Gauahar Khan), who knows Parma from early on, allows them to stay while Parma recovers and Zoya begrudgingly nurses him. He asks her for forgiveness, and though she refuses to grant it, she shows that she still loves him through little actions of affection. However, their mutual grief soon brings them together, giving their love a second chance. The two exchange wedding vows in a legitimate ceremony at the brothel without any religious conversion. Zoya decides to try reconciling with her family, and takes Parma to her home to win over Aftab. They are instead met with hostility and gunshots when Aftab puts a gun to her head, threatening to kill his own daughter. The couple flees as Aftab sends his men after them. Zoya and Parma prepare to run away to

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known a ...

, but when Parma leaves the safety of the bus to get water, their pursuers spot him and apprehend Zoya. She breaks free as Parma furiously fights to save her. They are reunited briefly, but quickly are found by Parma's former friends and run to the local college, which is closed for

Eid Eid as a name may refer to: Islamic holidays An Eid is a Muslim religious festival: * ''Eid Milad un Nabi'', alternate name for Mawlid (, "Birth of the Prophet"), the date of observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad * Eid al-F ...

. The two rival families decide that Parma and Zoya's marriage is a stain on their respective religious communities and political careers, and they try to kill the couple by joining forces. Parma and Zoya take refuge on a terrace, engaging in a gunfire battle. With only a few bullets left, Zoya realises that they are outnumbered. She asks Parma to shoot her so that their love can win and they can die in the victory of their love, rather than be riddled with bullets by their own families, and allow hatred to win. The two shoot each other in the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

willingly and die in each other's arms, smiling. The goons check if they are dead and go inform the two families, who leave satisfied. The film ends with Parma and Zoya's bodies lying on the terrace, and an on-screen message that explains how thousands of lovers like them are killed every year only because of falling in love outside their caste and/or religion.

Cast

as Parma Chauhan, who falsely converts under the name Pervez * Parineeti Chopra as Zoya "Joya" Qureshi * Gauahar Khan as Chand Bibi * Ratan Singh Rathore as Aftab Qureshi *

as Surya Chauhan *

as Parvati Chauhan * Charu Rastogi as Zoya's Mother * Pravin Chandra as Chauhan's Goon * Aradhana Dhawan as Rakshan * Akash Bathija as Bikram * Abdullah Osman as Chandu *

as Dharma Chauhan * Ankit Kakkar as Karma Chauhan * Aftab Khan as Shadaab Qureshi * Jafarpal Dhillon as Sohraab Qureshi * Faisal Husain as Mehtab * Romil Saraswat as Javed * Meeta Bandhu as Archana Nahak * Jay Shanker Pandey ' Jay ' as Chauhan's flunky

Themes & Political Issues

The film itself was both praised and drew some anger for its blunt confrontation of current issues in India regarding things such as premarital sex, marriage outside an individual's religion,

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultur ...

, or other community, as well as the very real issue of

honor killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of ...

. It also addressed and somewhat criticized the hypocrisy of men who engage in premarital sex (they are celebrated and considered men in the eyes of the community) versus women who do the same (they are considered a disgrace and a source of shame). In addition, the film was notable for presenting the struggles of Indian widows and prostitutes in a sympathetic light.

Production

Casting

It was announced that newcomer

had joined the cast of ''Ishaqzaade'' in late 2011. Earlier, Arjun Kapoor was to debut in another Yash Raj production, ''Virus Diwan''. However, the film got shelved and therefore Yash Raj Films designed ''Ishaqzaade'' for Arjun Kapoor. Rekha and Chinni Prakash, National Award winners for ''

Jodhaa Akbar ''Jodhaa Akbar'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language epic historical romantic drama film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the titular roles. Set in the 16th century, the film shows the life and ...

'' (2008) were chosen as the choreographers, while Sham Kaushal is the action director.

Filming

Filming began on 15 October 2011. A major part of the film was shot in Lucknow, Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh and at other sites near

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

Soundtrack

The music of the film is composed by Amit Trivedi, who has worked the first time with Yash Raj Films, and lyrics were penned by Kausar Munir, except "Chokra Jawaan" which was written by Habib Faisal. The tracks "Pareshaan" and "Jhallah Wallah" were remixed by Abhijit Vaghani. The soundtrack album was released on 20 April 2012. The background score was composed by Ranjit Barot.

Track listing

Reception

The album received positive reviews, with major praise for the "Pareshaan" song, which also topped the charts for a long period of time. ''Music Aloud'' rated the album 9/10, saying that "Amit Trivedi brushes off that relative low phase of 2011 with a stunner for ''Ishaqzaade''." ''Bolly Spice'' gave the album 9/10, explaining that "Amit Trivedi is definitely one of the best composers around and he proves his detractors wrong with this soundtrack that stays true to his style and shows his versatility. It is easily the best soundtrack of this year so far." ''GlamSham'' gave the album 8/10, noting that "Overall the album delivers a satisfying listening experience and should add one more success to both the producer and composer's credits." Joginder Tuteja of ''Bollywood Hungama'' gave the album 7/10, saying that "With Kausar Munir's lyrics further setting the stage for him, Amit Trivedi comes up with a soundtrack which may surprise listeners to begin with (due to its unusual flavour) but should eventually find acceptance in due course of time." ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...

'' gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, commenting that ''Ishaqzaade'' "may not have too much on the platter with just 5 original tracks but it still manages to strike a chord with the listener. The album is definitely worth a shot." Richa Bhatia of ''Times of India'' praised the soundtrack's use of dubstep, a

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

of electronic dance music, along with the "punchy" lyrics, "

chutney A chutney is a spread in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sauce ...

and dash." Film composer Anu Malik also praised the soundtrack, stating that "it is the first time I have observed dubstep in a film and it's incredible."

Reception

Critical Reception

''Ishaqzaade'' received positive reviews from critics.

Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...

of '' Bollywood Hungama'' gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, saying that "On the whole, ''ISHAQZAADE'', a volatile and intense story with ample doses of fanatical romance, should appeal to a pan-India audience. This broadly engaging love story has a winsome pair who deliver dexterous performances, besides popular music and several poignant moments, which should appeal to fans of mainstream films. Go for it!" Mrigank Dhaniwala of ''Koimoi'' gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, commenting that "On the whole, ''Ishaqzaade'' is an entertaining fare which works on the strength of its first half and the performances." Khalid Mohamed of ''Deccan Chronicle'' gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, concluding that "''Ishaqzaade'' kicks off weakly and has its share of the deja pooh. Gradually, though, it gets under your skin..and rocks. Absolutely See-Grade." Rachit Gupta of ''Filmfare'' gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, quoting that "On the face of it, this is a fantastic Indian adaptation of '' Romeo and Juliet''. But if you've ever loved someone without a sense of inhibition, then deeper in the recesses of its story, ''Ishaqzaade'' is a saga of love being more important than life and death." ''Daily Bhaskar'' gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, writing that "Brilliant performance by the lead cast, an ecstatic climax which breaks the typical 'happily-ever-after' ending, is surely one of the top reasons to visit your nearest theatre. People from metros might find it difficult to relate to the culture or political drama that involves frequent gun-firing. Parineeti and Arjun's chemistry will remind one of the ''

Ek Duuje Ke Liye ''Ek Duuje Ke Liye'' () is a 1981 Indian Hindi romantic tragedy film directed by K. Balachander. A remake of Balachander's Telugu film '' Maro Charitra'', it stars Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri as a pair of lovers from different families who ...

'' genre of love stories from Bollywood." Shomini Sen of ''Zee News'' gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, noting that "Habib Faisal's earlier film ''

Do Dooni Chaar ''Do Dooni Chaar'' () is a 2010 Indian Hindi family comedy-drama film produced by Arindam Chaudhuri (Planman Motion Pictures), written and directed by debutant director Habib Faisal, and starring Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Aditi Vasudev and A ...

'' (2010) had captured the Delhi and Punjabi culture well. In ''Ishaqzaade'', he captures a small town in northern India and its typical nuances well."

Box-Office

''Ishaqzaade'' grossed worldwide. India ''Ishaqzaade'' had a good opening, with an occupancy of 70–90% in theaters and went on to collect nett in its first day, on its second day and on its third day. The movie collected nett in its first weekend and nett in its first week. It broke the record of '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (2008) for the highest first weekend and first week collections for a Hindi non-starcast film in India. The movie had a good second weekend and collected nett. The movie had a good second week, collecting nett. The movie had a strong third weekend and went on to collect nett. The movie collected nett in its third week and thus declared a "hit". The film's lifetime collections in India were Rs. 47.50 crore. Overseas ''Ishaqzaade'' was released in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and smaller markets. It grossed at the end of its run. The film was not released theatrically in major markets like North America, Canada, United Kingdom, Nepal, Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia.

Awards

;; National Film Awards * National Film Award – Special Mention – Parineeti Chopra ;; 58th Filmfare Awards * Best Female Playback Singer – Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") * Nominated - Best Actress - Parineeti Chopra * Nominated -

Best Music Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

- Amit Trivedi * Nominated - Best Male Debut -

;; Star Screen Awards * Best Playback Singer - Female – Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") * Best Playback Singer - Male - Javed Ali ("Ishaqzaade") ;; Stardust Awards Superstar of Tomorrow – Male * Superstar of Tomorrow - Female - Parineeti Chopra * Superstar of Tomorrow - Male -

* Best Lyrics - Habib Faisal and Kausar Munir ("Ishaqzaade") * Best New Musical Sensation - Female – Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") ;; Star Guild Awards * Best Playback Singer - Female - Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") ;; Zee Cine Awards * Best Male Debut -

Best Lyrics Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

- Kausar Munir ("Pareshaan") * Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Fresh Singing Talent - Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") ;;TOIFA Awards * Best Playback Singer - Female - Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") ;;

5th Mirchi Music Awards The 5th Mirchi Music Awards, presented by the Radio Mirchi, honoured the best of Hindi music from the year 2012. The ceremony was held on 7 February 2013 and was hosted by Ayushmann Khurana and Meiyang Chang. '' Agneepath'' won a leading seven aw ...

* Nominated -

Album of The Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

- Amit Trivedi, Kausar Munir * Nominated - Female Vocalist of The Year - Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") * Nominated - Upcoming Female Vocalist of The Year - Shalmali Kholgade ("Pareshaan") * Nominated - Upcoming Lyricist of The Year - Habib Faisal ("Chokra Jawaan") * Nominated - Song Recording / Sound Engineering of the Year - Dipesh Sharma, Vijay Dayal, Karan Kulkarni & Alok Punjani ("Pareshaan")

Home Media

The film is available on Amazon Prime Video and

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control 2012 films 2012 action drama films 2012 romantic drama films Indian romantic drama films Indian romantic action films Indian action drama films Films shot in Lucknow Yash Raj Films films 2010s Hindi-language films Indian interfaith romance films 2010s romantic action films