Gustaakh Ishq Movie Review: Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Varma deliver in a gentle drama with missed emotional highs

Fatima Sana Shaikh stars with Vijay Varma in Gustaakh Ishq

‘Gustaakh Ishq,’ directed by Vibhu Puri, released in theatres on 28th November and stars Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sharib Hashmi.

‘Gustaakh Ishq’ arrives in the cinema as a quiet breath in a time dominated by loud, spectacle-driven films, though it often feels hesitant to make a lasting impression. Its strength lies in patience: lingering shots, hushed dialogue, and unhurried pacing that ask the audience to settle into the rhythm of its world.

A promising start that captivates

Every frame feels deliberate, every pause meaningful. Yet the film’s deliberate slowness can verge on tedium, leaving you waiting for moments that never quite arrive. There’s warmth here, a sense that the story and its characters inhabit a space that’s tangible, inviting the viewer to breathe alongside them. Even in its slower stretches, the film carries a gentle weight, though it rarely reaches the emotional heights it seems to aim for.

Varma’s quest and Shah’s resistance

The story follows Nawabuddin (Vijay Varma), a man determined to revive the printing press his late father left behind. In that process, he gets to know about unpublished poetry by Aziz Beg (Naseeruddin Shah), a reclusive poet who has long avoided fame and recognition. Aziz, now aging, lives quietly with his daughter Minni (Fatima Sana Shaikh).

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Nawabuddin approaches Aziz under the pretext of learning poetry, hoping to convince him to allow the verses to be published. With Minni’s gentle encouragement, he attempts to bridge the poet’s stubbornness, but Aziz remains indifferent. When Nawabuddin abruptly leaves for Delhi without informing Minni, the delicate connection they had formed begins to fray. Meanwhile, his brother’s decision to sell the press forces Nawabuddin to return to Aziz in a final attempt to honour his father’s legacy.

Moments that shine amid slowness

Some sequences in the film genuinely sing, though too often they are interrupted by long stretches of inertia. Soft morning light falling on aging houses, letters yellowing with time, and poetry whispered over tea evoke nostalgia and lived-in intimacy. The music and background score underscore these moments with a melancholic presence that rarely overwhelms the narrative, though at times the quietness borders on self-consciousness.

Watching Shah and Varma share the screen produces a rare, grounded mentor-student dynamic, one of the film’s most reliable pleasures. Yet the romance between Nawabuddin and Minni, while tender, is often forgettable. The emotional peaks, which the story clearly wants, never quite land, leaving several pivotal moments feeling polite rather than profound. There’s charm, but it tests the patience of viewers.

Visual polish meet uneven screenplay

Manish Malhotra’s debut as a producer leaves a visible mark on the film’s aesthetic, giving it a polished look and a visual identity that feels carefully curated. The sets, costumes, and cinematography contribute a nostalgic charm that elevates the viewing experience, but even this polish can’t fully compensate for the uneven screenplay.

Characters like Minni are underutilized, and Nawabuddin, played with earnest restraint by Varma, occasionally feels too measured, as if the performance is holding itself back. The camera work, sound, and music do their job in pulling you into the world of the film, but at times they also underline how pretty the film looks compared to how little it makes you feel. The story aims for quiet reflection and emotional depth, yet slow pacing and loosely drawn plot points stop it from feeling fully satisfying.

A whisper of charm but not roar

In the end, ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ remains a quiet film that doesn’t try to impress with grand drama. It leaves you with small, soft moments—a line of poetry, a glance, a tune—that stay in your mind even when the story doesn’t. It never really hits big emotional highs, but the actors are sincere, the visuals are pleasing, and now and then it finds a gentle poetic touch.

The film plays it safe when it could have gone deeper, so what stays with you are pieces rather than a strong whole. If you’re willing to slow down and soak in its calm mood, it offers a few quiet rewards, though the overall effect feels uneven.

Rating: 3.5/5