Ishaqzaade

Woven with shades of Romeo and Juliet, there's something eerie and unsettling in this tale of enemies to lovers. The cinematography, devoid of over the top CGI enhancement, felt raw and real, bringing in a weight of truth to the story.

The characters came absolutely alive, full of malice, anger, hate, interest, and rage. I love ghat neither was wholly good, wholly bad. Also, their chemistry was off the charts - superbly played by the actors.

The second half and the path to forgiveness felt slightly rushed. But their decent into madness and idealism, hoping their love meant something, had some impact on their families, left my chest hollow. The ending, albeit abrupt and cruel, felt perfect. It was realistic.

And so the hate between different religions and cultures persists, unless us, the viewers, decide to reflect and stop the cycle.

A story that has been repeated many times is given a fresh look with new comers Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor. Both definitely will have promising careers in Bollywood. Arjun's role, as a brat, fit like a glove. No one would have guessed this was his first movie. He has charisma and flawlessly delivered his lines. Parineeti has a fresh look, playing a bold girl. She also played her character with ease. Both had amazing chemistry, which made it entertaining to watch.

The direction was amazing and the story moved really fast. However there were some parts which seemed a little unnecessary. Editing and cinematography really helped carry the movie forward. The songs were good, especially the item songs.

This movie is definitely a must-see especially for the lead pair.

Habib Faisal's Box-Office Super-Hit 'Ishaqzaade' is a terrific film, that works due to a strong script & excellent performances by its lead cast. Here's a love-story, that's brutal, wild & completely out-of-control.

'Ishaqzaade' depicts the love story of two defiant, rebellious individuals. A passionate love story ignited by extreme dislike. A love-story that's brutal, wild & brash.

Faisal's Screenplay is super-strong, each sequence unfolds superbly & the pacing is absolutely perfect. The only flaw lies in its culmination, which comes across as hurried. But overall, 'Ishaqzaade' is a winner! Faisal's Direction is top-notch, as well. Cinematography & Editing are good. Music by Amit Trivedi is masterful.

Performance-Wise: Debutant Arjun Kapoor & Parineeti Chopra are excellent in lead roles. Arjun plays the raw, rustic, unlikely hero to perfection, while Parineeti is simply impeccable in her part. Their On-Screen Chemistry is marvelous, as well. Gauhar Khan does her bit well. Ratan Singh Rathore deserves a special mention.

On the whole, 'Ishaqzaade' is a terrific film, that needs to be viewed!

There is a fine line between hate and love. If you hate someone, that really only means you truly love them. How far will go to be with then one you love? Would you sacrifice your family, betray your faith, dishonor your name. In Born to Hate… Destined to Love, you follow Parma and Zoya who seem like an unexpected pair. Both come from rival political families and belief, she was Muslim, he was Hindi . They first disliked each other then the attraction over came their mutual passion for each other. This film is beautifully made and the story is believable full of twist and turns. It keeps you intrigue and on the edge of your seat until you discover that when soul mates connect, it's hard to divide the union of when two become one. I saw this film as part of the Atlanta Film Festival

I can fully understand why Habib Faisal's Ishaqzaade did well commercially. It's a very different kind of 'love story', though I can in no way see it as a love story, because for the most part there's hardly any love happening between the two main leads and it's all about ego, pride and communal hatred. One of its strengths is its very Indian feel. The movie is devoid of modern sophistication and I loved its rustic sensibility, where it scores big time. The sets, the dialogue, the characters, all match up to this very impressive portrayal. But then it is also overly brutal and violent, and the story is lacking in substance. Ishaqzaade may be quite fast in pace, and it could have been a nice small-town romance, but something is missing. Towards the end, it does get far more interesting and suspenseful, and the ecstatic climax makes it work much more, but I expected something else. Anyway, where Faisal manages to do his best, is in extracting very good performances from its two leads. Arjun Kapoor gives a confident debut performance, playing Parma with a nice touch of cynical ambiguity. It is the rising starlet Parineeti Chopra, however, who dominates the proceedings with her fiery and natural portrayal of the no-nonsense lass Zoya, showing immense strength and maturity. This girl's sure got what it takes to become a leading heroine whether it's screen presence or acting chops and, following her nice act in Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl, this one proves she is a good new find. Hopefully we get better things to see from these two actors and Faisal himself, who is a very good director who just has to work with better scripts.