Ishq
- Director
- Indra Kumar
- Studio
- Baba Films
- Release Date
- 28 November 1997
- Language
- Hindi
- Budget
- ₹11.00 Cr
- Box Office
- ₹45.61 Cr
Review
Naseeruddin Shah's *Ishq* is a peculiar beast—a film that swings wildly between sparkling romantic comedy and melodramatic soap opera, rarely finding solid ground in between. The premise itself is delightful: two wealthy fathers forge marriage certificates, only to have their children fall for the "wrong" people, a setup that recalls the spirit of earlier Hindi comedies like *Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro* in its subversion of upper-class pretension. Ajay Devgn and Kajol share genuine chemistry in their scenes together, with a playful ease that makes their romance feel earned rather than imposed. However, the film's tonal whiplash becomes increasingly difficult to navigate—one moment we're laughing at the absurdity of the situation, the next we're watching Kajol's character contemplating suicide because of doctored photographs. Shah's direction doesn't quite have the finesse to balance these extremes; where a Yash Raj or even a lighter Rohit Shetty might have kept things buoyant, *Ishq* drowns its comedy in unnecessary pathos.
What's most frustrating is that the core idea—that love transcends social class and parental decree—deserves better execution. The recycled plot point of fake incriminating photos feels lazy, and the film's resolution, while technically satisfying, doesn't earn its emotional payoff. Kajol carries much of the film's charm through sheer screen presence, and there's genuine warmth in the ensemble cast, but the writing underserves them. The film wants to be both a li
Storyline
Ajay and Madhu are destined to marry each other—at least that's what their snobbish, wealthy fathers have decided by forging their signatures on a marriage certificate! But when Ajay reconnects with his old pal Raja, a blue-collar mechanic, and Madhu bonds with Raja's friend Kajal, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. The two couples head to Ooty expecting one thing and find something completely different, and suddenly Ajay's chasing Kajal while Raja's fallen hard for Madhu—and the dads are absolutely furious about it!
When bribes and threats don't work, the fathers pull out their nuclear option: they stage a fake intimate moment between Kajal and Raja, snap some incriminating photos, and parade them around as evidence of betrayal. Kajal's own uncle gets paid off to back up the lie, and Ajay and Madhu completely buy it—they abandon their true loves and agree to marry each other instead! Kajal's so devastated she nearly takes her own life, but Raja's got a brilliant plan brewing to expose the whole twisted scheme.
Raja brilliantly recreates the fake scenario with Madhu to prove the photos are meaningless, and when Lambodar reveals what really happened at the wedding, the truth explodes like a bomb! The confession comes tumbling out, the couples rush to the docks just in time to stop Kajal and Raja from leaving forever, and the fathers finally see the damage their snobbery has caused—realizing that true wealth isn't money but the love of your children. These four get their happily ever after, and the old men actually learn something for once!
