Ishq

About the film

Ishq (transl. Love) is an Indian 1997 Hindi-language masala film directed by Indra Kumar. It stars Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Juhi Chawla and Kajol along with Dalip Tahil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Johnny Lever and Mohan Joshi in supporting roles. The music was composed by Anu Malik.

Ishq released on 28 November 1997 and emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, grossing over ₹500 million (US$5.2 million) worldwide, ranking as the third highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its humor, soundtrack, costumes and performances of the cast, but criticism for its story and screenplay.

Plot

Ranjit Rai and Harbans Lal Saxena are wealthy businessmen who harbor a strong disdain for the poor. Ranjit's son, Ajay, reconnects with his childhood friend Raja, a working-class mechanic, while Harbans's daughter, Madhu, is close friends with Kajal, who also comes from a modest background. Hoping to unite their families, Ranjit and Harbans deceitfully obtain Ajay and Madhu's signatures on a marriage certificate and send Ajay to meet Madhu at Harbans's estate in Ooty.

Kajal and Raja travel there as well, leading to Ajay falling in love with Kajal and Raja with Madhu. Upset by this development, the fathers attempt to bribe Raja and Kajal to step away from the relationships. When unsuccessful, they arrange to have them harmed. Once the children learn of this, they refuse to separate.

The fathers then pretend to approve of the couples’ choices. During preparations for Raja and Madhu’s engagement, Kajal is abducted. Raja rescues her, but their private interaction is secretly photographed. These images are later used to falsely suggest an intimate relationship between the two. During the engagement, the photos are presented, and Kajal’s uncle falsely testifies to their authenticity. Ajay and Madhu, convinced by the evidence, end their relationships with Kajal and Raja.

Production

Director Indra Kumar initially planned Ishq in 1991 with Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt, but the project was shelved due to personal issues between the actors. Boney Kapoor later suggested Sanjay Kapoor and Vivek Mushran, but Kumar was not keen and instead made Raja (1995). He revived Ishq in 1996 with Khan, Ajay Devgn, Juhi Chawla, and Kajol in the lead roles.

Karisma Kapoor declined the film as she did not wish to work opposite Ajay Devgn, while Madhuri Dixit opted out due to scheduling conflicts. Amitabh Bachchan was signed for a role uniting the couples post-intermission but left due to creative differences; the character was later dropped. Ishq was Kumar’s first film without Madhuri Dixit and marked his second collaboration with Aamir Khan after Dil (1990), and his first with Devgn. It also remains the only film to star both Kajol and Juhi Chawla.

Principal photography for Ishq commenced in 1996, with shooting locations including Mumbai and Nashik, Maharashtra.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Ishq was composed by Anu Malik, with lyrics by Rahat Indori and Javed Akhtar. The album emerged as a commercial success, selling approximately 3 million units and becoming the sixth highest-selling Bollywood soundtrack of 1997. The song "Neend Churai Meri" later inspired the track "Maine Tujhko Dekha" in Golmaal Again (2017), composed by Malik's nephew Amaal Mallik.

Reception

Ishq emerged as a commercial success at the box office. According to Box Office India, the film earned a net collection of ₹24.93 crore in India, making it the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 1997, behind Dil To Pagal Hai and Border. The worldwide gross amounted to approximately ₹45.61 crore.

Anupama Chopra, writing for India Today, described the film as "a relentless assault on the senses," yet acknowledged that "the director's conviction in his patently absurd tale glues you to your seat, wide-eyed and grinning."

Key details