Os Sete Estágios do Amor

i was not sure about this movie as most Hindi movie sequels .well suck mostly.. and after loving the first move i thought they would repeat the stuff we loved and make it bad. but the star cast made me watch it. and i was surprised because it overwhelmed me and went over my expectations multiple times. its not many times you see a realistic movie like this in bollywood but only sometimes these guys catch you with surprise and give you a masterpiece like this. naseeudin shah is one of my favourite actors and huma is the new sensation who everyone likes these days . including me. both gave a strong performance and arshad was as usually good but not great.

so this is movie which people have to love as it makes you laugh, makes you screem and all that other stuff that good movies are supposed to do. so what are you doing reading this review. go out and WATCH IT NOW.

Like Khulujaan I am also a patient of love, in love with Good cinema & was thirsting to see a good Hindi cinema for the last four months. Finally my thirst got quenched by Dedh Ishqiya.

What was expected from this sequel (or predecessor as one of my friend rightly pointed) – the likable camaraderie between Khalujan & Babban; impeccable comic timing of Nasseruddin Shah & (under-rated as always) Arshad Warsi; dark quirky humor; shayerana Ada; katilana femme-fa tale; crime amidst rustic old-world romance; manipulative characters... You will get to see all of these, probably dedh goona zyada (1 n ½ times more)...

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This stylishly written twisted comic thriller scores with its absorbing narrative & well edged characters that keep you hooked to the proceedings & there's rich cinematography to compliment it. With the plot revolving around poets wooing the begum you can blindly expect some captivating sher shayaris & the film scores here as well. Luckily for the ignoramus lot (like me) SUBTITLES were thrown in to grasp the "lufth" of the Urdu mehfil.

The dialog by Vishal Bhardwaj are wacky & intelligent as the Characters wittily play with words; nowadays that's something as rare as searching for logic in a 200cr film. Kudos to Bhardwaj & Abhishek Chaubey for the screenplay; & obviously Gulzar Saab for the lyrics.. The background music is one of the most effective ones in any recent Hindi films.. Prasad' editing & Pande's cinematography worked magically just like Khulujan-baaban (or Para-Muniya) combo that uplifted the mood of the film.

And yes this time you have two Begums with the power to bring out a shayer in every Men with no hormonal infirmity... Madhuri Dixit - Nene & Huma Qureshi, ufffffff!!!!!! (And Madhuri mesmerizes in two dance sequences)... Both of them did justice to finely written strong female characters that's also an aberration to usual stuff served to us off-late. The lesbian angle depicted through shadows was a masterstroke... Mr Chaubey, looking forward to see more films from you...

Naseeruddin & Warsi are rock solid as usual. Manoj Pahwa & Salman Shahid gave commendable support in their respective cameos.

And then there's Vijay Raaz , one of the finest & under-utilized actors of Indian cinema who seemingly lighten up in every scene as Wannabe Nawab Jaan Mohd.. If he would have been in the west then Coen brothers would have surely lapped him...& academy would have been waiting for him..

And talking about Coen brothers, the film does seem to be heavily inspired from their films specially the one where Jaan's henchmen & Khalujan-Babban points guns at each other for the whole night in the middle of a road till dawn breaks in. The two parties parted off only when they heard an assembly prayer coming from a primary school near-by. And the brilliant action sequence in the climax, where we get to hear a haunting classical song playing in the background & things happening in a slow motion. The sequence was a tribute to Coens as well as Tarantino at the same time..

To sum it up I would quote a line from one of the leading Indian critic's review - "Like heady wine, it delivers a welcome kick."..

To all those who complains of dearth of Good Hindi films give Dedh Ishqiya a shot, u might not regret it....This is called "Intelligent Entertainment"...

P. S : The 6th stage of Love is Junoon which is similar to "chutiyapa" as it's followed by Maut..well suicide as some wise guy said...

Vishal Bharadwaj's Dedh Ishqiya offers legendary Maduri Dixit the perfect platform for a comeback. Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah as Babban and Khaalu are entertaining as they were in Ishqiya. Their chemistry is cracking, sizzling, an absolute delight to watch. Madhuri Dixit-Nene is ethereal and absolutely ageless as Begum Para. When you watch her on screen dancing and singing, it's almost like you are savoring a glass of good wine that lingers delightfully on your palate.

Huma Qureshi holds her own amidst a set of great actors. Director, Abhishek Chaubey creates a grander plot this time as the story, plot, look, feel, characters and music are interwoven intricately.

Possibly the best Bollywood sequel ever made.

Look at the star-cast.. the ever beautiful Madhuri and ever green Nasiruddin Shah and you'll be drawn to the cinema halls itself. Add supporting comedy of Arshad Warsi and the new Bollywood beauty Huma Qureshi and you've got the perfect star cast for an entertaining film. Movie is full of comedy, romance and quick-witted dialogs. There's some abusive language which is expected in a Vishal Bharadwaj film to give that so-called realistic touch. Script is good, and each actor has given his/her best. Film has good music with Madhuri's dance... :) Overall it's a perfect entertainer with all the drama, music, comedy, action and romance! A good start of the year for Bollywood. Do watch ishq ke saat makaam! :D

I have always been a great fan of how Vishal Bharadwaj can make dark comedy with such ease and beauty. After watching Kaminey, Omkara and Ishqiya, I went to the theater with great expectations and I was not at all disappointed, rather amazed and more than satisfied... The dialogues and the delivery are fantastic and not just that, The movie takes on some very subtle issues like ego, love, misconceptions, personality ethic and a lot more and that too with sense of humor that is subtle yet so powerful that every line that the actors say have some deep meaning in them... Naseer sahab has always been one of my favorites and praising his acting would mean critiquing a monalisa, however the pick of the actors for me were Arshad Warsi with his bhopali humor, Madhuri Dixit beautiful yet so powerful and of course Vijay Raj ,the villain, who although has a big ego fails to earn the respects he yearns for so much.... All in all it is a 9* experience according to me, with the drawback that there are no famous songs, as in ishqiya, which i so much expected from Vishal bharadwaj... Its intelligent cinema, with a mix of humor and darkness... It tries to rip of the character behind the faces that we tend to wear... I think this is one installment of bollywood this year that would be hard to beat... You should take a walk into the dark humorous world of dedh ishqiya..