Dawat-e-Ishq: Dawat-e-Rushed

DAAWAT-E-ISHQ: The story of a shoe-sales girl disillusioned with  marriage  because of her encounters with dowry-seeking (jehez) men and a cook extraordinaire, coming face to face in the clash of diametrically opposite but equally spicy cultures of Hyderabad and Lucknow.

A story line with a sea of potential however gone to waste! Imagine going to a lazeez restaurant and being served an 18 course meal that slowly loses its flavour as it becomes cold and by the time you get to the dessert you just need to get out! That’s what this movie is. What started off as a ”˜Dhaakad Tau’ movie lost the plot towards the end! Another ”˜dhatt tereki’ feeling movie!

What really turned me off was the sloppy handling of the very issue it claims to address and making a mockery of a law that protects victims of dowry harassment. Secondly, the romance between the two leads feels hurried and unconvincing, established quickly over a bunch of songs. The music in general is lack lustre missing the X-Factor. The lyrics are better than the music itself. And a stickler for language, I found a little Punjabi Hindi sneaking into a Hyderabadi accent which was a bit off putting!

But what the film lacks the actors more than make up for it! Parineeti Chopra is becoming better at her stereotypical role of the spirited, emancipated and new-age woman! Aditya Roy Kapur, in a part more flamboyant than he’s tackled previously, gets the body language just right and builds from there. I think I have fallen in love with his versatility! Portraying a devilishly handsome, supremely confident of his looks yet uneducated, uncouth and bloody damn good at his job ”“ cooking, he makes the character superbly believable! Anupam Kher, proves once again that he is the undisputed king of character acting, striking the right balance between comical and vulnerable, constructing a character that feels immediately recognizable.

The other thing I liked was the way they have successfully woven food into their narratives befitting the title of the film. Kababs, biryanis, jalebis and phirnis all get their close-ups and I love how realistic Pareeniti’s love for good cuisine is! I haven’t seen it done quite so well, not even in Cheeni Kum! Ironically, in spite of this food fiesta the film is unmistakably bland.

So I am going with 4/10! Watch on DVD or better still “Colours” and you won’t feel like you could have spent the money on a new shoe  😉