Daawat-e-Ishq is yummilicious

Pic Source: Wikipedia

Even if you didn’t skip dinner like I did , and even if you were a vegetarian like I am, this movie is still delicious. It was delightful to watch a movie with a powerful social message delivered without any melodrama, rather used a humorous and romantic (including the romance with food) storyline that keeps you engaged. The story highlights the issues of dowry and the plight of the middle class that struggles with these issues, as well as educates the masses on article 498- A.

The story is about Tez Gulrez/ Gullu (Parineeti Chopra) who is an outgoing, intelligent girl who wants to pursue her dreams to study shoe designing and marry an equal suited boy, perhaps also fluent in English. Unfortunately, she has to serve as a shoe sales girl since her monetary situation is scrawny. Her father who is a single parent ( Anupam Kher), a clerk at the high court thinks its best that his daughter settles in holy matrimony. Both father and daughter meet families and are faced with exorbitant dowry demands until one day when Gullu has her heart broken in the process. She decides to take vengeance from dowry hungry families and  bilk money from them to pursue her higher studies in the US. She convinces her anguished father to join her on this mission and they change identities and move to Lucknow with an interesting plan that includes exploiting online matrimonial service besides the article 498-A. They shortlist their candidate, Tariq a rich and rustic restaurateur, who is not even fluent in English or educated. As their mission progresses Gullu falls for Tariq’s goodness, yet continues with her plans. Only for her to later realize her mistake,  she tries to set things right.

The background of the plot is based in two gastronomic cites-Hyderabad (Biryani) & Lucknow ( kebabs)and the cinematographer has captured it well. Parineeti has played her part really well, the role of a confident young girl who shuns convention, not a variation from similar roles that she has been playing though. While Aditya Roy Kapoor has you going aww!! with his goodie character,  and his mannerisms of an expert chef, Anupam  Kher too has you going aww! to his role of a doting father who is willing to reason with his radical daughter.

I personally liked this feast of love, it had the right ingredients including the masala. I recommend you try this one !