Daawat-e-Ishq

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.

Didn't expected much while moving in to watch. However,I loved the whole movie.Didn't felt bored even for a minute.It was entertaining throughly.a light-hearted comedy.good casting and acting.Both parineeti and Aditya were charming,they did well with their Hyderabadi-lucknowi accent and looked completely into the character.I mostly liked because of the story,which was quite different from the usual regular movies.It's not that it has just delicious food but it also has a binding story with a message.direction was good didn't stretched the movie,songs were not forced,after a long time watched a good Bollywood movie.A good one to watch with family

There is nothing new in this story, many people even can predict the movie, But still its worth watching. Acting of Pariniti and Aditya's are superb. Small small elements and dialogs are very nice. Movie is realistic and if you are still enjoying your lively love life, this is the movie you should watch. There is nothing new in story but it still holds you till the end. Thanks Bollywood for giving such nice movie. Its a nice play with very nice message, lot of fun and superb dialog delivery. Watch it with family, as there are very few movies now a day coming out from Bollywood for family. Direction and locations do not have anything special but they makes the realistic scenes and perfectly suites the movie.

This movie starts beautifully, and draws you in. Wonderful heartfelt performances, soulful and energetic music that fits with the Hyderabadi / Lucknavi cultures - this movie had a lot going for it.

So what was missing? A heroine that one could root for, characters that were consistent. The father is an intelligent, poor, kind hearted typical Indian middle class soul who has spend decades walking the path of honesty and yet he suddenly flips and enthusiastically joins his daughter in her plan of crime because of an accident. This was not believable.

The heroine was obnoxious - a poster child for everything that is wrong with the so-called new feminism. She is ill mannered, rude to guests, downright unethical, selfish, bordering on psychopath, the way she steals money from the hero without any compunction. It is only when she goes down the path a while, that she feels any repentance, which is too little, too faint and too late.

And yet, just for the wonderful performance by all concerned, the beautiful direction, editing and cinematography, watch it. Movies like this should be supported - we have too little of these movies in the industry. Note to the team - next time, strengthen the script!

Amazing acting, story and direction. Definitely one of the top 10 Bollywood films to watch if your a Bollywood lover. Its not the usual dragged love story. Aditya Roy Kapur is a complete delight to watch, if you loved him in Aashiqui 2 you'll love him even more in Dawat e Ishq. Parineeti and Anupam Kher were very good too (their Hyderabadi accents were very good). Karan Wahi makes a sweet guy entry with his first film. If your a foodie it will be even better for you. It is a sweet film with love, comedy, a good message, and its fun filled. You will definitely be smiling walking out of the theater. It wont harm you but definitely amuse you.