Habib Faisal promised us a food film but served up superficiality dressed up in a lesson on society and culture. If you had never heard of it before, after watching Daawat-E-Ishq you may not crave Lucknowi kebabs but you will certainly know what section 498A is – it’s the section that protects women from dowry harassment.

By some 10 minutes into the film, the writers (Faisal and Jyoti Kapoor) have dished out a sermon on the evils and illegality of demanding dowry and the laws that women can lean on to get justice. Gulrez (Parineeti Chopra), a Hyderabadi girl with dreams of becoming a shoe designer, is frustrated with unreasonable demands for dowry on her single parent, court clerk father (Anupam Kher). After her boyfriend of one month breaks her heart, she decides to run a con. The plan is to adopt a false identity, stage a fakenikaah and then frame her ‘husband’ in a dowry harassment case citing 498A.

The hapless suitor turns out to be Taru aka Tariq Haider (Aditya Roy Kapoor) from Lucknow who beguiles her with his unexpected honesty and progressive views hidden under garish shirts and the scent of Lucknowi food. But, following the first rule of a successful con – stick to the plan – Gulu decides to ignore her feelings and take his money and run to USA. Except, this over-smart girl forgets one crucial detail – she doesn’t delete her Facebook account!

From hereon in, things begin to get even more incomprehensible. But the sparkling lead pair brings a likable flavour to this effort. Aditya Roy Kapur is charming as the rough and ready cook while Chopra never misses a beat even though predictability is creeping into her choice of roles and performances. The on-again-off-again Hyderabadi accent isn’t reinvention enough.

The resolution is too easy, preceded by an awkward and embarrassing climax scene at the station, but the film has a blend of several ingredients to make it filling but not distinctive.

Rating: **1/2

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