Feels like Ishq; Radhika,Tanya shine in sensitive tales of love overriding materialism to make world a better place


By Rajesh Ahuja

Love is a sentiment that makes this world a better place , goes a famous saying.

Two strangers brought together by unforeseen circumstances showing a feeling of understanding and empathy despite their contrasting world views and their different outlooks is a perfect example of love dissolving ideological boundaries,  making this world a better place to live in amid a all encompassing materialism.  . The theme forms the crux of the new anthology Feels like ishq streaming on Netflix .

Feels like ishq comprises six short stories by Ruchir Arun,  Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, Anand Tiwari, Danish Aslam, Jaydeep Sarkar and Sachin Kundalkar about individuals with contrasting world views and outlook towards life having a chance encounter and experiencing a feeling of empathy and understanding towards each other.


The anthology tells the stories  of complete strangers meeting in unforeseen circumstances who along the way find the love knocking at their doorsteps .


Save the Da (y) te 

The first story Save the Da(y) te is about an encounter between a bridesmaid and a wedding planner with opposing takes on love. Avani(Radhika Madan), a strong advocate of traditional marriages, has arranged the marriage of her best friend.  However,  on the eve of marriage,  the friend goes missing.  . As she frantically searches for her missing friend,  she meets this wedding planner (Amol Parashar) who views on marriage are in complete contrast to her.  As the two embark on the search for Avani's missing friend,  they begin to understand each other’s points of views.





 After her spirited appearance in the anthology Ray, Radhika Madan again impresses with her portrayal of the Bindaas and ''unconventional ' Avani who believes that marriage is a 'laddoo'(sweet)  which everyone should taste in their lives. Amol Parashar is effective as the wedding planner who initially feels caught in a situation that does not concern him but slowly finds himself developing an understanding towards the predicament of Avani and the reluctant bride.

Quarantine crush 

The second story Quarantine crush, directed by Tahira Kashyap Khurrana,  is about a teenager(Mihir Ahuja) who develops a crush for a Canadian girl(Kajol Chugh) quarantining in his neighbourhood. To meet her he tells her seemingly innocent lies. 

However,  even as he and the girl  find themselves drawn towards each other by their love for music,  the teen finds his  charade  catching up with him.. The sudden realization of his lies leads to a change in his attitude towards the girl.  

A still from Quarantine crush 




Mihir Ahuja comes across as cute as the teen who resorts to seemingly innocent lies to meet the girl but soon realises his mistake.  Kajol Chugh comes across as endearing as the quarantined girl who gets drawn towards this teenage boy because of their common love for music.

Star Host 

Star host , directed by Anand Tiwari,  is story of a teen(Rohit Saraf) who rents out his parents holiday home to a couple. However as it turns out a solo traveler Tara(Simraj Jahani) turns up. The weekend begins on a sour note for the teen and his guest with their first encounter being rather unpleasant. However,  during the course of the weekend,  the teenager  develops a feeling of understanding towards Tara, bordering on love. What starts off as an exercise by the  teenager to ensure money for his pleasure trip by renting the holiday home,  ends as a sweet journey of love for a complete stranger.




Rohit Saraf and Simraj Jahani are impressive as the teen and Tara.  The story is a perfect example of love encompassing materialism in a relationship.

She Loves Me She loves me not 

She loves me she loves me not, directed by Danish Aslam,  is about a  love story between two women working in an advertising agency.  Tarash(Saba Azad), a top advertising professional,  is drawn towards her colleague Muskaan(SanjeetaBhattacharya),  who has just started out in the profession. However,  while Tarasha is aggressive and 'in your face about her sexual inclinations, Muskaan is rather tentative about her inclinations, presenting herself to the world as a bisexual.  The story is about the two women developing an understanding towards each other.




While Saba Azad is effective as the aggressive and 'in your face  kind of woman with a streak of vulnerability,  Sanjeeta Bhattacharya comes across as cute in the role of tentative and coy Muskaan.

Interview 

The fifth film in the anthology Interview,  directed by Sachin Kundalkar,  takes viewers through a  unique bond between a Muslim girl (Zayn Marie Khan) and a Malayali boy (Neeraj Madhav) who are appearing for the same job interview.  As the two appear for the job interview,  the  girl, more experienced among the two, gives the boy useful tips to Crack the interview, displaying a  feeling of support and empathy that overrides all feelings of rivalry between two people competing for the same job.

The story of two claimants to the same post helping each other comes as a breath of fresh air in a 'me first' world where materialism is often seen to define relationships between two individuals.

Zayn Marie Khan and Neeraj Madhav are impressive as the Muslim girl and the malayali boy.


Ishq Mastana 

The last story Ishq Mastana is about the encounter between Kabir (Skand Thakur), nursing a broken heart, and social activist Meher (Tanya Maniktala).

Kabir plans a date with activist Mehr , hoping that the meeting will heal him of his wounds. However,  he finds himself participating in  a students' protest meeting. While kabir frets over being straddled with a  cause that he does not want to be a part of,  Meher feels that one  cannot be aloof while the world around them is burning. Ishq Mastana takes viewers through Kabir's journey towards discovering empathy for the cause.

The story takes inspiration from Kabir's verse Ishq Mastana that stresses the need for a revolution in the present world where materialistic pursuits threaten the cause of Human good .


Tanya Maniktala shines as  Meher, whose innocence and passionate advocacy of the social cause brings about a change in Kabir. Skand Thakur is quite effective as Kabir.

In a nutshell,  Feels Like Ishq is an anthology that features sensitive tales of love overriding materialistic pursuits to make world a better place.

My rating; 4/5 








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