Feels Like Ishq Review – Bubbly & Shallow, Not Quite India’s Answer To Modern Love

What Is the Story About?

Netflix, in India, has wholeheartedly adopted the anthology style of storytelling. A collection of short stories on a similar theme, put together into one comprehensive whole, almost always proves to be a streaming winner. Feels Like Ishq is Netflix’s latest anthology series, this one centred on the theme of love; of enchanting attractions and romantic connections between young people, forged in the unlikeliest of situations.

Six stories from six filmmakers form the Feels Like Ishq anthology series. There’s “Save The Da(y)te” from Ruchir Arun, written by Monisha Thyagarajan; “Star Host”, from Anand Tiwari, written by Saurabh George Swamy; “Quaranteen Crush”, from Tahira Kashyap Khurana, written by Gazal Dhaliwal; “She Loves Me She Loves Me Not”, from Danish Aslam, written by Sulagna Chatterjee; “The Interview”, from Sachin Kundalkar, written by Arati Raval; and the last of the lot, “Ishq Mastana”, from Jaydeep Sarkar, written by Shubhra Chatterjee and Jaydeep Sarkar, with dialogue by Ira Dubey.

Feels Like Ishq has been produced by Mutant Films, run by Shivani Saran and the late Seher Aly Latif. Devrath Sagar serves as the Creative Producer of the anthology.

Performances?

The performances in Feels Like Ishq are good, across the board. All six shorts feature young actors who’ve done complete justice to their roles. Radhika Madan and Amol Parashar, in Save The Da(y)te, look good together. Rohit Saraf is adorable in Star Host. Simran Jehani, his co-star in the short, looks like a cross between Janhvi Kapoor and Emma Mackey (Sex Education’s Maeve). Kajol Chugh and Mihir Ahuja make a cute pair in Quaranteen Crush.

Neeraj Madhav, seen onscreen after a long while, gives a fine performance as an out-of-work Malayali, ridiculed for his accent. His co-star Zayn Marie Khan delivers what is required of her. Taniya Maniktala is her usual chirpy self in Ishq Mastana, though her performance is getting increasingly one-note in each of her recent outings. Her co-star in the short, Skand Thakur, catches the eye owing to his good looks. He performs well too. Saba Azad is passable in She Loves Me She Loves Me Not. Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, as Muskaan, conveys the vulnerability of her sexual orientation well.

While the performances in Feels Like Ishq are good, it is the casting that is the hero of the anthology. Great job, Kavish Sinha, Yash Nagarkoti and team!

Analysis

Feels Like Ishq is a bit like confetti – shimmery and shiny, but with no real substance to it. The six stories in the anthology are just like that – cheerful, bubbly and exuberant – but with no lasting impact. On the contrary, they seem shallow, superficial and contrived. Radhika Madan-Amol Parashar’s story is the weakest of the lot. Which is not to say that the others are any better. Neeraj Madhav’s episode is a straight lift from the first part of Dev Patel’s segment in Amazon Prime Video’s Modern Love.

The makers of Feels Like Ishq may have intended for the show to be India’s answer to the aforementioned hit show. But alas, it is nowhere close to Modern Love, neither in nuance, nor in the emotions it brings forth. Each story in Feels Like Ishq engages and entertains while it lasts—but is forgotten the minute the next story rolls in. Even if it had a single story that impacted viewers the way Anne Hathaway or Andrew Scott’s segment in Modern Love did, it would have elevated Feels Like Ishq to an above average watch. But not a single story in the anthology is memorable, consequential or impactful – not even the one that depicts same sex love between two women who work in the same office.

The only thing somewhat good about Feels Like Ishq is the sporadic flashes of humour it displays at some places. Other than that, the anthology is run-of-the-mill and predictable.

Music and Other Departments?

The cinematography in Feels Like Ishq is average, considering that most episodes have been shot in lockdown. Pratham Mehta’s shots of Mahabaleshwar in “Star Host” are good, as is Shaz Mohammed’s camerawork in “Save The Da(y)te”. The editing in all the episodes is fine—nothing to write home about.

Ashutosh Phatak’s background score in most episodes of Feels Like Ishq is good. A few numbers from the anthology are pleasing to the ears. “Bebakee” from Star Host and “Haman Hai Ishq” from Ishq Mastana, both by Ashutosh Phatak, are quite good. Ayushmaan Khurrana’s “Kinni Soni” from Quaranteen Crush is good too.

Highlights?

Inspired casting Performances are quite good Musical score

Drawbacks?

Shallow and superficial narratives Unimpressive storytelling

Did I Enjoy It?

I found it strictly OK

Will You Recommend It?

Not so much

Feels Like Ishq Web Series Review by Binged Bureau 

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