Ishaqzaade

About the film

Ishaqzaade (transl. Lovers) is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic action film written and directed by Habib Faisal, and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. A remake of Bengali film Dujone (2009), the film stars Arjun Kapoor in his debut and Parineeti Chopra in lead roles, alongside Gauahar Khan, Natasha Rastogi, Anil Rastogi, and Shashank Khaitan in supporting roles. Set in the fictional town of Almor in Uttar Pradesh, the narrative follows Parma Chauhan and Zoya Qureshi, members of rival political families, whose passionate romance challenges deeply rooted religious and societal divides.

The film marked Kapoor’s first appearance in a leading role, and Chopra’s second following Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011). Principal photography took place in various locations across Uttar Pradesh, with cinematography by Hemant Chaturvedi and music composed by Amit Trivedi. The soundtrack features lyrics by Kausar Munir and includes the popular track "Pareshaan," sung by Shalmali Kholgade. The official trailer was released on 15 March 2012, followed by the film’s theatrical release on 11 May 2012.

Plot

In the town of Almor, the Chauhans and the Qureshis are rival political families with a history of hostility. Parma Chauhan, the wayward grandson of political patriarch Surya Chauhan, struggles for validation in his family due to his reputation as a troublemaker. Zoya Qureshi, the spirited and assertive daughter of Aftab Qureshi, aspires to enter politics but is discouraged by her conservative Muslim family.

During a heated election campaign, Parma and Zoya clash repeatedly but gradually develop mutual attraction. They fall in love and elope, with Parma converting to Islam and assuming the name Parvez. After a staged marriage ceremony, the two consummate their relationship. Parma later reveals that the wedding was a ruse designed to dishonor Zoya and avenge an earlier humiliation. Heartbroken, Zoya attempts to retaliate but is stopped by Parma's mother, Parvati, who urges her son to honor his actions. When Parvati tries to protect the couple, Surya fatally shoots her, prompting Parma to turn against his family and protect Zoya.

Forced to flee, the couple seeks refuge in a brothel managed by Chand Bibi. Although Zoya initially suspects Parma of betrayal, she begins to forgive him as he expresses remorse. They eventually reconcile and marry in a legitimate ceremony. Hoping for reconciliation, Zoya brings Parma to her home, but her father threatens to kill her. The couple escapes once again, planning to flee to Jaipur. However, their families join forces to track them down, viewing their union as a threat to both political legacies and religious boundaries.

Production

In late 2011, it was announced that Arjun Kapoor would make his acting debut in Ishaqzaade. Initially slated to debut in Virus Diwan, another Yash Raj Films project, Kapoor’s launch was realigned after that film was shelved. Ishaqzaade was developed specifically to introduce him under the Yash Raj banner. Parineeti Chopra, who had made her screen debut the previous year in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011), was cast opposite Kapoor. National Film Award-winning choreographers Rekha and Chinni Prakash, known for their work in Jodhaa Akbar (2008), were brought on to choreograph the film's musical sequences. Veteran action director Sham Kaushal was responsible for staging the action scenes.

Filming began on 15 October 2011. A major part of the film was shot in Lucknow, Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh and at other sites near Lucknow.

Principal photography for Ishaqzaade commenced on 15 October 2011. A significant portion of the film was shot on location in and around Lucknow and Hardoi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Soundtrack

The music for Ishaqzaade was composed by Amit Trivedi, marking his first collaboration with Yash Raj Films. The lyrics were written by Kausar Munir, with the exception of the track "Chokra Jawaan," which was penned by the film’s writer-director, Habib Faisal. The soundtrack album, which includes remixes of "Pareshaan" and "Jhallah Wallah" by Abhijit Vaghani, was released on 13 April 2012 under the YRF Music label. The film's background score was composed by Ranjit Barot.

Reception

Ishaqzaade opened to strong box office performance across India, with theatre occupancy ranging between 70% and 90% on its first day. The film collected ₹4.54 crore (US$540,000) nett on its opening day, followed by ₹5.15 crore (US$610,000) and ₹6.22 crore (US$740,000) on its second and third days, respectively. It earned ₹15.9 crore (US$1.9 million) nett over its first weekend and ₹25.7 crore (US$3.0 million) by the end of its first week.

The film broke the record for the highest first-week collections for a Hindi non-star cast film, previously held by Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008). It continued to perform well in subsequent weeks, collecting ₹7.38 crore (US$870,000) in its second weekend and ₹12.5 crore (US$1.5 million) in its second week. The film earned an additional ₹4.34 crore (US$510,000) during its third weekend, solidifying its status as a commercial success. It concluded its theatrical run with a domestic net total of approximately ₹45.39 crore (US$5.5 million) and a worldwide gross of ₹61.3 crore (US$7.5 million) against a budget of ₹16 crore (US$2 million).

Key details