Movie Review:- Daawat-E-Refreshing!

Sometimes in the midst of commercial potboilers and movies made for critical acclaim, comes a Kahaani or Script that takes in the nuances and mixes sensibilities of both worlds. That’s when it stands apart from the routine and leaves an impression on you. You come out refreshed post the movie having seen something new. And Dawat-E-Ishq just does that.

Here the central subject revolves around the unfortunate and grim-Dowry system in India. A well guarded secret in most Indian families.  Mostly observed in arranged marriages amongst families, who themselves are the initiators of the match! This is one evil in our society that has withstood the test of time and is deeply entrenched across all earning classes. Even literacy has done little to eradicate this evil mindset. All it has managed is change it to more ‘polished ’ words like gift or help.

Doesn’t matter what achievements the girl has, what background she comes from. Her personality is too meager a point to even consider. Apparently every girl is priced! Her rate or dowry sometimes becomes a catalyst for marriages to get solemnised or broken . What is sickening in this case is that their own families are a part of it. Feel the one in which she's getting married and her own parents are equally guilty/responsible for this. One for asking and the other for obliging. There are enough and more cases in India of browbeating happening as to how much one has spent in his/her’s daughter’s wedding. at the other side some say "dekha humne kitna vasoola"! Am not saying all do it. At least I know my dad’s family didn’t and a couple of others i know. But then that does not represent the majority here. There are stats that claim that every hour a bride is burned in India on account of this. This is sickening. What gets worst is when a greater evil offshoot from this system results in rampant female infanticides. Looks like we still have a long way to go when it comes to achieving gender equality.

So yes coming back, the movie deals with the above issue but has a lighter take to it. Gullu (Parineeti Chopra) plays a smart middle class Hyderabadi girl. Disillusioned with love, because of constant refusals on account of dowry, she decides to get back at life for treating her like an item on sale.Her dream is to make a career in shoe designing post doing the course in US. Alongwith her dad , Anupam Kher she plots to con any prospective guy & his family under the anti-dowry act and use the money to fuel her ambitions. What starts off then is a complete unexpected turn of events. Tariq ( Aditya Roy Kapur) gatecrashes into her life and turns it upside down. The moments that they spend together make her realise that he is the guy she had been looking for all this while. Caught between possibility of jail for coning/ losing her love and running away with the money to fulfil her dreams, it's anybody guess how the hindi movie would end. However what is refreshing is the treatment of the subject. The entire journey till the climax is kept engaging by the actorsand the storyline. Parineeti plays her part well carrying off an Hyderabadi accent  with ease. Aditya Roy Kapur has shown tremendous growth as an actor and you just can’t miss his mannerisms on-screen. But the one actor who takes the cake is Anupam Kher. He pulls off the middle class-muslim-helpless father act with such elan that leaves you spellbound. This is definitely one of his best performances.

The review would be incomplete without a special mention for the song-Mannat sung by Sonu Nigam. Beautifully composed and solefully sung by the master this song just might just make you trip for a while.

Do catch it before the feast is over, because this Daawat-e-ishq is definitely the flavour of this season. Daawat-E-Refreshing Indeed!