Daawat-e-Ishq (2014)

Better Late Then Never

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

The way to a woman's heart is also through her stomach - this twisty idea is enlivened by director Habib Faisal in his collaboration with Yash Raj banner flick, Daawat-E-Ishq which provides a spicy and eclectic romantic affair blending the cuisine culture of Hyderabad and Lucknow. Faisal is known for his penchant to craft authentic middle-class milieu with his rooted characters under the context of relevant social topics,and this time he examines the stigma of dowry practices which has maligned the institution of marriage, but in a lighter vein.Disillusioned with love and tired of matrimonial encounters with over-demanding prospective bridegrooms, Gulrez aka Gullu (Parineeti Chopra),an shoe-sales girl, hatches a con-plan to avenge her humiliations by duping them into fake marriage and imposing charges under section 498A of anti-dowry act. In that way, she can also get hefty sum of money to fulfill her long-nurtured 'American' dreams. She cajoles her resistant father, Bujji(Anupam Kher) an ordinary high court clerk who succumbs to her emotional blackmail. This leads them to Lucknow, where they stumble upon one of their 'bakras',Tariq Hyderi aka Taru(Aditya Roy Kapur) who happens to be an extraordinary cook. Taru is bowled by the feisty girl's charms ,and while Gullu gets gradually swooned by the aroma emanating from the Biryanis and Kababs of Taru's kitchen, their plan is thrashed sweetly by the blossoming love.It's a richly textured premise which offers us an irresistible array of starters , a somewhat delicious main course but the dessert spread turns out to be rather bland.Cutting through the colorful nuances of the city of Nizams, Hyderabad, the narrative also presents a warmth-filled camaraderie between the father and her daughter. The film's latter half dwells in the revelry of Lucknow and its rich culinary traditions which forms a canvas for the romance between its protagonists. The Blemishes - it suffers from logic issues. The climax looks hurried and doesn't convince us about Taru's sudden change of heart for Gullu.These lacunae are however washed off by the spirited performances of the film's central characters. Parineeti Chopra imbues Gullu with full radiance, sparkles and confidence. Its a comfort zone for her to be in her 'feisty' self, but the actress takes an extra leap to get her Hyderabadi diction impeccably right, a trait that was grossly goofed-up by the ace star Vidhya Balan in Bobby Jasoos. Anupam Kher's comical nervousness reminds us of his superbly staged act in Special 26, and he shines in all sequences requiring emotional gravitas. And most importantly, Aditya Roy Kapur makes a revelation, playing the revered restaurateur with a cocky delight. Dawat-E-Ishq has a fresh and exotic aroma to appetize you, but that doesn't last too long to tingle your taste buds.

Gulrez (parineeti) hails from Hyderabad and is a topper in sports and academics. But her marriage plans get spoiled as the prospective in-laws demand dowry. She decides to teach a lesson to dowry seeking grooms using the law. She along with her father (anupam kher) shift to Lucknow with new identity as rich people from Dubai. There Gulrez meets Taariq (aditya) a restaurant owner and also a rich man. Both get married and Gulrez uses the law and takes money from him and returns to Hyderabad. What happens from there forms the rest.The director has come up with an interesting storyline and while the presentation was rich, the narrative was just okay. The dialogues were well written. The script was above average but the screenplay was average. The background score was melodious and songs were worth watching. Cinematography was efficient. Editing good. Costumes were well designed to suit the backdrop while the art department was colorful. Aditya Roy Kapur was excellent and he scores the brownie points. Parineeti Chopra looks sensuous and she did her bit as required. Anupam Kher was great as usual. Others had no scope.Coming up with an interesting idea is very hard in the this day in age where in bollywood masala films are raking in all the moolah. It is here where Dir.Habib Fasial should be applauded for making a film on dowry even though it is light hearted and there is scope for a even better film on this subject.The first half revolves around elements of comedy, some romance and interesting moments. The interval bang was neat but the second half gets into a con drama which was not excepted and it needed to be more convincing. Overall, the film is very enjoyable, its entertaining and it tackles a serious subject in a light manner, barring a of couple unexpected not so convincing twists its a enjoyable watch for the whole family.6.5/10

Its quite a good movie worth watching. The story is a sort of love story but not exactly. Gullu/Gulrez(Parineeti) is a girl with lot of dreams about starting her own business and moving to United states. Her dad also was in support of her. They wanted to find some money to fulfill their dream. That's how they come across the IPC 498- Dowry law, which provides a huge compensation to the bride if she complained. So they decide to move from Hyderabad to Lucknow to con a rich man and earn some money. That's how they found Taru(Aditya Roy Kapoor) and rest of the story happens in Lucknow. It wont disappoint you. But do not expect too much. Overall verdict: Good(7/10)

Habib Faisal's directorial venture under Yash raj's banner was supposed to be a colourful and yummy treat for the viewers, with.a formidable star cast of aditya,Parineeti and Anupam kher. But what a disappointment it was,If someone saved the day;then it was the star cast who acted excellent in this story less and poorly directed flick. Director tried to bring the Dowry system into limelight through a chirpy and light hearted story, but he failed. The Story started with Bap-Beti's conversation which was good, dailouges were nice and was carrying a message.Karan Wahi debuted in a nice way and did justice to his part. The story revolved round a girl, who tired of getting rejected due to Dowry, tried to turn the things around by taking money from rich guys in name of Dowry assault. Her course led her to a Bright colored Chef,Aditya roy Kapur, whose definition of love was different and surprising...How she conned him and how they fall in love is what Dawat-E-Ishq all about.Parineeti again turned out to be a power house performer, with perfect timing and expressions.Aditya was the only fun element in the movie, he was Desi, Lover, chef and a carefree persona.Anupam kher's role was very okayish.Direction and Script are very poor; music was inappropriate except the Title track Dawat-e0ishq by Javed and Sunidhi.Set and costumes were good as was expected from a Yash Raj movie. What could be a mouth watering spicy Golgappa, turned out to be a tasteless Cucumber soup.Can watch it for Aditya and Parineeti's performance...