Daawat-e-Ishq Movie Review

By Goher Iqbal Punn, Film Critic & Entertainment Analyst, Showbiz Bites

daawateishq-pic-showbizbites-01Producer: Yash Raj Films

Director: Habib Faisal

Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Parineeti Chopra and Anupam Kher

Music: Sajid-Wajid

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

Movies on the social evil ‘dowry’ have been made many a time in Bollywood and the latest one is ‘Daawat-e-Ishq’ that released today. Undoubtedly the title of the movie is very attractive and attention-fetching, but when we watch the film, it appears to be misfit, since the film is more about dowry issue than invitation to love. Anyway, the title does grab the attention and this is what the makers of the film must have thought of while deciding the movie’s title.

Daawat-e-Ishq is about the dowry, which is given by the brides’’ parents to grooms’ parents or to grooms during or on wedding day. This sensitive issue is quite high in our society. Often voices are raised and even legislations are made, but it still prevails with oomph. The movie even goes a step ahead and talks about how a frustrated girl decides to con the groom’s wealth using law. Well, this is today’s girl – Internet age girl who can think beyond and go ahead using law since she is well aware of everything.

Well, Daawat-e-Ishq though carries the same old story that we have grown up watching on big screen, but the best thing about it is that the story has been told in today’s manner where the girls have awareness and they cannot keep silent if highhandedness is done to them.

Gulrez Gullu Qadir (Parineeti Chopra) is a Hyderabad based girl who is an academic topper and enjoys sports. Whenever any proposal arrives for her, the demand of dowry comes up from the groom’s parents, which her simpleton father (Anupam Kher) cannot fulfill being a clerk in High Court. Amjad Baig (Karan Wahi) enters into her life. He is an affluent guy who is going to USA for higher studies. Both start loving each other. By the time, the parents of Amjad come for the proposal, they demand money, which shocks Gulrez. Worse is that Amjad too goes with their parents’ demand. The heartbroken Gulrez then decides to settle the scores with the ones who ask for dowry. Now she schemes a plan to con a rich guy using Section 498 (A) of the Indian Law to get the alimony money from the groom’s family. Both Gulrez and her father now are on way to get their plan done. They change their identities and land in Lucknow pretending to be affluent business family from Dubai. A room is set in a hotel to interview the guys for marriage with Gulrez. The selected guys are invited from a matrimonial website. Prior to a night before the meetings, both Gulrez and her father meet a dashing guy Taariq Haider (Aditya Roy Kapur) at Hydari Kabab restaurant, who is the owner of this eatery. Interestingly, he too is among the ones who are to be interviewed for marriage with Gulrez. Seeing Gulrez, he gets impressed by her beauty and charms. He is now on his way to impress the girl with his cookery skills. Now both the families meet up and while the dowry discussions are going on, they are recorded on a hidden camera by Gulrez. The marriage takes place and her plan gets successful. After getting the money, Gulrez leaves for Hyderabad. Now the problem is that she has fallen for Taariq.

As mentioned earlier, the story is old, but some novelty has been inserted into the narrative that makes the movie interesting and as per the taste of today’s viewers. Habib Faisal, the director of this film, has written the story. The script carries flaws – first half invokes interest quotient, but the second half turns out to be slower and lethargic at places. Habid is a good storyteller, as his last flicks – Do Dooni Chaar and Ishaqzaade have excelled brilliantly at the BO. But this time he fails to ignite those sparks for which he is famed. Editing is fine. Cinematography is crispy. Music is strictly below average – only the title track works.

Aditya Roy Kapur impresses with his part. He is a fine actor and the same he shows with every film he works in. Parineeti Chopra is a class to watch every time she comes on screen. She luminously does this role and carries it flawlessly. Anupam Kher is just about okay. Rest of the cast is average.

daawateishq-pic-showbizbitesFinal Verdict:

On the whole, Daawat-e-Ishq is interesting to watch and the subject is what we all face in today’s time. But the lethargic pace and fewer flaws in the script spoil this dish of ‘Daawat-e-Ishq’ otherwise go and watch.

Also read other posts such as Daawat-e-Ishq opening occupancy report, Khoobsurat opening occupancy report, Khoobsurat Movie Review and Ranbir Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez spotted in Malaysia.

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About Goher Iqbal Punn

Goher Iqbal Punn is a famed Hindi Film Critic, Hindi Music Reviewer, Entertainment Columnist and Bollywood Analyst. His creative and analytical writings are well-received and liked. Mr. Punn is a film trade expert as well and his Box Office Reports are always loved to read and appreciated. His other expertise includes analyzing the small screen of India (Indian television soaps & its celebrities). He has worked with the media giants like BBC (London), Screen (Indian Express, Delhi/Mumbai), Bollywood Hungama (Mumbai), Indiainfo (Mumbai/Bangalore) Daily Times (Lahore) and The Post (Lahore) respectively. In addition to these big wheels of the media industry, Mr. Punn has also been associated with plenty of other coveted online entertainment publications such as Nowrunning (New York), Galmsham (Mumbai), Radio Sargam (Leeds), One India (Bangalore/Mumbai), Bollygraph (Katmandu), Sulekha (Aston), Planet Bollywood (New York) and to name a few. Goher also shares a good rapport with Bollywood and Indian television fraternities. He is often approached for his expert views on Hindi cinema and its celebrities. Media tycoons like The Times (Sunday Times, London), The Christian Science Monitor (Boston), Newsweek of USA and to name a few have interviewed him. Goher also helps the students researching on Bollywood, the most notable being the one he did with a student of Spanish University. Mr. Punn is the most experienced writer with more than 25 years of journalistic experience to his credit. He is contactable at goher.punn@gmail.com Read Goher Iqbal Punn’s write-ups for Showbiz Bites by visiting this link https://www.showbizbites.com/author/goheriqbalpunn/