Ishaqzaade

The Qureshis and the Chauhans in a UP town hate each other. When the Chauhan grandson Parma (Arjun Kapoor) meets the Qureshi firebrand Zoya (Parineeti Chopra), sparks fly. The two soon fall in love with each other, and must flee from their families.

I root for Habib Faisal. His Do Dooni Chaar was full of character, and was an excellent study of a middle class family, and part of the success of Band Baaja Baraat were the dialogues dripping with flavour that Faisal wrote. To top it all, he brought Neetu Singh back in one of her most enjoyable roles ever, and for that, I give him major props.

Ishaqzaade doesn't stop me from rooting for the dude who gets local flavour, but it gives me pause. It gives my unabashed recommendation a falter, and I sigh when I think of the film as a whole. Faisal takes a crackerjack first half, an utter....