Movie Name: Ishq Positive
Release Date: July 22, 2016
Director: Noor Bukhari
Review by: Momin Ali Munshi
‘Ishq Positive’ is a film! Whether it is a good film or a bad film is another debate but the fact remains that Noor Bukhari has succeeded in delivering a cinematic experience with her directorial debut. And given what has come out of Pakistani cinema in recent times ‘Ishq Positive’ definitely deserves a mention for the cinematic shots and filmi-ness it brought with itself. However while it succeeded on one end, a lousy script accompanied with not that great acting and a weak screenplay dampened the entire appeal of the film.
Plot
The film opens with runaway bride Rajjo ( Noor Bukhari) who escapes her impending marriage with Chaudhary ( Saud) because she does not want her marriage to be a business deal. While on the run, she quite literally runs into Wali ( Wali Hamid Khan) who for reasons unknown decides to accompany her thus giving everyone the impression that the two have eloped. Three songs and a few scenes later they both madly fall in love with each other .Oh and did I mention that Wali is engaged to the character played by Faria Bukhari who happens to be Chaudhary’s sister! What happens next well watch the film for that.
To say that the story offered nothing new and was full of cliches would be an understatement. Yes, most Pakistani films that have come out in recent times have been rehash of Bollywood flicks but they do have some sense of script and screenplay which sadly seems to be missing completely from the film.The screenplay is rather absurd , specially in the pre-interval portions where most of the script comes across as improvisation. The second half is better in terms of pacing but the ending is very predictable and the entire script is a miss.
The film is a musical and has some really well shot songs but at times even the songs come across as forced and don’t serve the story well. Coming to the dialogues well the film has a plethora of great actors on board but owing to weak dialogues the actors seem to be wasted. The only saving grace are the comic scenes which may come across as vulgar but are genuinely funny and succeed in making you laugh out loud.
Direction
While the entire film may not be that great one needs to give Noor credit for bringing back the filmi-ness that was missing from cinema. The constant debate that films look like television serials cut short, is something that you cannot use for this film. The cinematography is top notch, the angles used are great and on the whole Noor’s direction when it comes to the songs is on point. The songs have been picturized really well, and the interesting thing is that there are no foreign locations and its all Pakistan!
Acting
Noor is no newcomer to acting and she proved this with her effortless acting in the film where she played the bubbly Rajjo character to perfection. However debutants Wali and Faria need to learn quite a lot before they cement their status as actors in Lollywood. When it comes to supporting actors everyone did a fine job and this department has two stars Saud and Durdana Butt who probably had the most interesting roles and stole the show.
Music
The music of the film, as the title suggests, is definitely the highlight and is probably the best album to have come out of Pakistan in recent times. The film has something for everyone! Be it the the soulful Rab Diyaa Rab Janay or the peppy Tera Nika Jiya, the film has a super strong music album. Moreover even the background score of the film is great and finally it looks like someone gave the background score its due importance.
