Feels Like Ishq Review: Your love for the Netflix anthology will slowly fade into emptiness

3/5

Story:

Feels Like Ishq is an anthology series with each episode featuring new characters and storyline. One thing that binds the stories together is the concept of 'almost in love'. While many stories show intimate scenes, there is never any clarity on whether most of the couples actually take a step forward in their relationship.

Review:

If you are expecting an easy-breezy love story from Feels Like Ishq, then you might end up being a little disappointed because the main leads do not always get a happy ending.

Feels Like Ishq begins with the episode of Save The Day(te). It is quite colourful which is a given since there is a wedding setup involved. Some great set of actors like Radhika Madan and Amol Parashar step in to create magic. Even though the two do not exactly have a love story going on, there's no denying they would make for a cute couple. There is, however, no clarity on whether they do end up together or not, since the story has been rushed and left incomplete.

In comparison to that, Quaranteen Crush has an adorable story at the heart of it. It is your ideal feel-good film which has Mihir Ahuja as an adorable teen who has a crush on his neighbour, played by Kajol Chugh. The episode is one of the cutest. The story takes its own sweet time to develop and thanks to some perfect moments, it is sure to tug at your heartstrings. The film, helmed by Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, is relatable not only in the case of the couple but also the parents. The episode should also be lauded for its cinematography. The last scene of the short lingers from a building to the sun, thus hinting that there's hope of a new relationship brewing soon.

Adding to the cuteness, Anand Tiwari presents Star Host, featuring Rohit Saraf in the lead role. It is an absolute delight to watch. Anand beautifully captures the essence of Mahableshwar in a story about a woman who is trying to figure out her life and two men who want to be a part of her life. Rohit is charming as usual while Simraj Jehani manages to leave a lasting impression. While her acting is subpar, it is the locales, cinematography and visuals that take this short to the next level.

After the doze of cuteness, reality comes to bite, which makes Feels Like Ishq appealing. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not is a story every introvert is likely to relate to. As a friend, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya's character supports everybody but ends up either getting bullied or taken for granted, till she meets someone. Sanjeeta is impressive as the introverted yet bold girl. Saba Azad, on the other hand, has her moments.

However, Danish Aslam's She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not gets too real. Many people could feel uncomfortable in certain situations at the club. The episode questions a number of societal norms related to the LGBTQ+ community. The fact that one episode could open up a discussion among people, is what makes it beautiful too.

Sachin Kundalkar's Interview is the next episode, which strikes a perfect balance between cute and real. It is a heart-warming and unconventional story that will move you. This short is sweet and thoughtful. Neeraj Madhav, who played the antagonist Moosa in The Family Man, can be seen in a completely different avatar in the episode. His acting is cute and definitely an icing on the cake for the episode. He talks in Malayalam every now-and-then which takes the episode to new heights. Zayn Marie Khan also fits into her role as a young Muslim girl like glove-in-a-hand.

Even though Interview is cute, it lacks a little spark between the two characters. We usually see a chemistry between two characters who are about to fall in love, which is also the case with most other episodes of Feels Like Ishq. However Interview lags behind a little in that aspect.

While most anthologies leave the best for the last, that doesn't seem to be the case with Feels Like Ishq, for Jaydeep Sarkar's Ishq Mastana is predictable right from the word go. There is nothing new in the story. While the episode tries to tug at your heartstrings, it only makes you wonder what was so new and unpredictable about the story? Tanya Maniktala is not a new face on OTT but she has a long way to go. The same holds true for Skand Thakur who tries to be convincing but does a half-baked job at that.

Verdict:

While the packaging of Feels Like Ishq is good, the few 'rotten apples' spoil the mood. You could watch the first four episodes of the series and probably explore the fifth but do not waste half an hour of your life behind a story you have seen umpteen number of times before, by watching the sixth episode. In either case, Feels Like Ishq is just a one-time watch.