Madhuri-starrer Dedh Ishqiya Stumbles At Box Office; Yaariyan Romps Past

After a long time, here is a comedy thriller that thrills and entertains. Suspense is intricately woven into the storyline; the brilliant acting of veterans Madhuri and Naseeruddin enthral you; and there is no lack of sparkling wit – Arshad Warsi and Huma Qureshi make sure of that. But in spite of a delectable Bollywood mix of fun & humour, thrill & suspense, romance & deceit, Abhishek Chaubey's Dedh Ishqiya has failed to recreate the crowd-pulling power of the earlier movie Ishqiya (2010). Nor can it repeat Ishqiya's stupendous box office success.

In contrast, Yaariyan, literally a newcomers' movie and made by the debutante director Divya Khosla Kumar, has raced past the critically acclaimed Dedh Ishqiya. Released on January 10, the bubbly tale of adventure and college romance has a first weekend collection of around Rs 16.50 crore nett while its four-day total has climbed to Rs 19 crore nett. Gross collections stand at Rs 22.20 crore at the domestic box office after Day 4 (January 13).

But more on that later. First, let’s have a close look at Dedh Ishqiya and what all it offers. The sequel of the earlier movie has seen one major change in cast, though. It’s the comeback film of Madhuri Dixit-Nene, but she can’t match the spunky ruthlessness of Ishqiya’s Vidya Balan. Just like the real Madhuri, Begum Para is sheer magic throughout the flick because of her ethereal grace. But her on-screen manipulations pale before the earthy Vidya who managed to mesmerise all in her earlier outing. And when those sparks are missing, can the box office catch fire?

Obviously not, going by the numbers. Dedh Ishqiya has also opened on January 10 and grossed around Rs 14.25 crore at the domestic box office after Day 4 (January 13), according to industry estimates. The opening weekend saw collections of around Rs 11.50 crore nett although the screen count stood at 1,000-1,200 at home. But then, the occupancy rate was abysmally low, just 20%, and it faltered even in the state of Uttar Pradesh where a strong support was predicted. Collections in the Mumbai circuit were low as well.

But in spite of a BO slowdown, the flick has earned some glowing accolades from noted critics. According to Anupama Chopra of the Hindustan Times, “Dedh Ishqiya is worth watching just for Abhishek Chaubey’s ambition. He is not constrained by the demands of the box office.”

Termed as genuinely smart and spicy, with many layers of truths and realities, the movie takes you through a semi-realistic poetic journey and a decadent world that you don’t encounter every day. The story of love and deceit intertwines and flows smoothly as Khalujaan (Naseeruddin) and his nephew Babban (Arshad), a thief duo posing as a nawab and his attendant, set their eyes on Begum Para and her assistant Muniya (Huma), respectively. The rest becomes a classic journey of revelation and a rare insight into human nature.

“Dedh Ishqiya is an absolute delight because all its parts fit beautifully. The cinematography, sets and costumes are exquisite. The editing is sharp. Most importantly, Darab Farooqui’s story is plotted wonderfully by Vishal Bharadwaj and Chaubey’s screenplay,” writes film critic Deepanjana Pal.

But at this point, we are not sure whether the average Bollywood fans will give this movie a wide berth or not because of its subtle artistry and multi-layered messages.

Yaariyan, the other release, features an overused youth-centric theme. But it tries to pose as vibrantly young and refreshingly different in approach. Starring Himansh Kohli (Lakshya), Dev Sharma (Neil), Serah Singh (Jenny), Rakul Preet Singh (Saloni) and Nicole Faria (Jia), this one unfolds the story of close-knit college mates on a journey of discovery. But before they can come to terms with different relationships and discover values that will keep them going, you will get tired of the regular dose of Bollywood masala punched into the mixture.

Thematically, it has an uncanny resemblance to Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year. However, the movie is a potpourri of several other things as well – from national sentiments to international violence and tolerance, from dressing scantily to thinking less like a modern individual and a general avoidance of tangible adult themes. But we are eager to accept those as the infallible Indian core values and tend to ignore the under-dressing as part of the modern gear.

Although the production budget of this flick is not too high, some Rs 19 crore according to koimoi.com, the movie has been shot across states and continents – in Mumbai, Australia, Sikkim and Darjeeling. And the music of this movie is simply awesome, which is another reason behind its instant success.

At the end of the day, it will be unfair to compare Dedh Ishqiya and Yaariyan. They belong to different genres and will attract different kinds of audience, to say the least. But it will be interesting to wait and see who wins the money game at the box office. Films, even good films, are made to churn money and losing at that level does not speak well for a movie.

Images: Indiatimes