Ishq Actually

Review :-

Ishq Actually is not for those who know what they want from life. It’s for the overtly romantic types, who watch films, read poetry and hope to walk in the clouds. The protagonist Gia ( Neha Ahuja) falls in love with the idea of love, more than anything else, which explains her inability to make up her mind when it comes to the real world. She gets engaged to Kabir ( Rayo Bakhirta) but cannot stop thinking about mystery man Neil (Rajeev Khandelwal), with whom she had a fling. Kabir is practical, while Neil is as dreamy as Gia. Who is she destined to be with?

The non-linear narrative, comprising of mysterious flashbacks, keeps you guessing in spite of the sluggish pace. The film reminded us of Vicky’s dilemma from Woody Allen’s ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’. Of course, Ishq Actually is no VCB but the background score with its instrumental flamenco guitar pieces, tries to ape the latter for sure. Even Khandelwal is seen wearing a fedora and a scarf, looking all arty a la Javier Bardem. He is the lover who prefers to walk with his lady instead of driving her around. Can you feel the love yet?

Bottom-line? It’s not the story but the way its presented, that makes this film the kind you will want to watch on a lazy afternoon. Like most arty foreign films, there’s a lot of nothingness going on in it so stay away if you find this boring. However, if you are as indecisive as the protagonist, it will keep you glued. Rajeev Khandelwal makes his presence felt, while the rest are mediocre.

Ishq Actually is not actually about ishq but our notions of it so don’t expect a great love story.

Story :-

Gia is forever lost in her dreams and thus finds it difficult to make the decisions of real life, especially the one that forces her to choose the man she truly loves.

The Times of India