CT Review: A bland hotchpotch

Talk about wasted opportunities. One of the country’s biggest film banners ropes in some of the most promising talent in the Hindi film industry to produce a film that we were told will be a romance set against the backdrop of Hyderabadi and Lucknowi culinary legacies.

There is Hyderabad in the movie for sure, there is Lucknow too. There are shots of street vendors assembling their delectable spreads. There are shots of people biting into their kebabs. There is even a scene where the tourist asks for a ‘Julab Gamon.’ And yes, there is romance too.

But Habib Faisal’s Daawat-e-Ishq sorely lacks the soul of a good ‘food film,’ if you may. Even the sweet-and- syrupy Chef by Jon Favreau had that unmistakable sincerity connecting you to the protagonist’s passion for food.

Other than the hero, Taru (Aditya Roy Kapur) supposedly a fanastic chef (all we see is him tossing a paratha spread up in the air and handing out food packets that his staff prepare) and the heroine, Gullu (Parineeti Chopra) on and oft reminding us that she loves good food, Daawat-e-Ishq is spread thin.

The core of the story isn’t even about food but about the dowry menace in India. That is fine, of course. Who doesn’t like to take a swipe at the social injustice?

But then, in the infinite wisdom of Habib Faisal, who showed so much promise as one of India’s finest talent before steadily declining in the quality of his output, good girls, silently suffering dowry hassles, can always opt for the easy way out: Dupe people (who out of greed and social convention ask for dowry), file a case, settle out-of-court and escape to America.

How a plot can get more convoluted is beyond belief as you watch Dawaat-e-Ishq, its saving grace being Parineeti’s natural spontaneity – which by the way is getting so over-stretched, she could be the next bubbled out Preity Zinta.

For a movie that must have been true to its milieu, the characters, seriously, have a terrible identity crisis. In one line, you could say that this film is a trek into the land of amorality – where being outright unscrupulous, scheming, indifferent and careless about others’ lives – is okay. And this being Bollywood, all you need is to ensure audiences are convinced that the girl has a heart of gold.

Surprisingly, it is not Parineeti Chopra’s Gullu that comes across as convincing. Aditya Roy Kapur, going over the top often to exude the devil-may-care confidence is more real. While Gullu is out to dupe him, he is smitten by her charms (who wouldn’t anyway) and there are a few tender moments that make you root for their love.

And then there is Anupam Kher as Gullu’s father. Without resorting to his usual histrionics, he brings gravitas, dignity and some semblance of sanity to the movie. His comic timing, and Parineeti, matching him frame on frame, are indeed delightful.

Daawat-e-Ishq is not a bad film. It could make you smile if you overlook the plotholes and implausibility and get into the Bollywood mindset of ‘weekly entertainment.’

But for a film’s premise that had tremendous potential and given the big line-up of talent, Daawat-e-Ishq is a letdown – and another wasted opportunity.

If Habib Faisal did want to make a movie on the dowry menace, this insincere con-act definitely is not the answer. And why, why Faisal, did you have to drag the Indian culinary heritage into this? You squandered the best story-telling prop you could ever have used.