ISHQ Movie Review: A barely average romantic thriller that comes with a subtext

Title: ISHQ

Cast: Teja Sajja, Priya Prakash Varrier and others

Director: SS Raju 

Rating: 2.5/5

When the Malayalam original 'ISHQ' (2019) came out, the film was panned by many social media users for normalizing obnoxious revenge-seeking and misogyny. The Telugu remake, which is under review here, could well deserve to be critically analyzed on similar grounds. First things first. If you see the shockingly disturbing drama that plays out in the second half as an integral part of a 'legitimate' revenge-seeking endeavour, 'ISHQ' would be a highly problematic film deserving of contempt. But if you see the antics of Siddhu (Teja Sajja) as unacceptable and toxic, the film's subtext makes sense to an extent. 

Siddhu and his girlfriend Anu (Priya Prakash Varrier) plan to make out in a parked car on a night. Madhav (Ravindra Vijay) invades their privacy and starts behaving like an incorrigible crackpot by posing as a cop. He threatens them, tries to touch Anu inappropriately, and utters double entenders. Siddhu and Anu are bullied, intimidated and harassed throughout the night. What consequences does the nightmarish experience have on the couple's lives, on Madhav and his family? That's what defines 'ISHQ', which is admittedly and certainly not a love story.

At one level, the film attempts to create a debate around moral policing and the pathology around the social phenomenon. As the end credits roll, we see news channels pooh-pooing the crimes committed by the moral police. You can have any number of complaints against a film like this, but it's commendable that it has touched upon an evil that is hardly seen as a problem in conservative societies. 

The writing is built around some uneasy questions. The film shows that even seemingly good-natured people can behave like beasts when basal instincts kick in the context of revenge-seeking. And that even noxious men worry about what their family members think about them. 

On the flip side, the screenplay sidelines Priya Varrier's character after giving a peek into her mindset post the night-long ordeal. Her say in the story is saved for the climax, which pans out in a hurried way. The film is not even two hours long and considering the extremely limited backdrops in which its story unfolds, director SS Raju could have completed the shoot in 20 days flat. 

We also don't understand what would have been Siddhu's destiny had he not posed a certain question to a key person in his life. And whether he would have ever atoned for causing trauma to a child and a woman. 

'ISHQ' is the kind of semi-experimental and subject Telugu cinema wouldn't have made by itself. It had to be a remake, much like 'Narappa' and 'Vakeel Saab'. Teja Sajja is able, while Priya Varrier looks the part of a coy girl. Ravindra Vijay is superb in a character with two shades. Mahati Sagar's background music is apt, while Sam K Naidu's cinematography doesn't present noteworthy angles. 

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