Gustaakh Ishq: 2025 Fatima Sana Shaikh Romantic Drama Film Trailer, Review & Songs

4to40.com December 11, 2025 Movie Reviews 1,139 Views

Movie Name: Gustaakh Ishq
Directed by: Vibhu Puri
Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sharib Hashmi
Genre: Drama, Romance
Running Time: – Minutes
Release Date: November 28, 2025
Language: Hindi
Rating:
Production Companies: Stage 5 Production
Budget: ₹- crore

Gustaakh Ishq: Movie Overview

When a man who defined Bollywood fashion for three decades decides to step into films, curiosity is bound to run high. Manish Malhotra, the fashion designer who dressed generations of stars, is now ready to dress up the silver screen itself. His much-awaited film ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ has just unveiled its first teaser.

The film, earlier titled ‘Ul-Jalool Ishq’, comes with a promise of old-world romance wrapped in golden frames. The teaser dropped introducing ‘Gustaakh Ishq – Kucch Pehle Jaisa’ and its stars.

Scheduled to release in November 2025, the film is Malhotra’s third project under his Stage 5 Production banner, which he launched in September 2023.

‘Gustaakh Ishq’ brings together lyrics by the iconic Gulzar, music composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, and a cast that blends veteran brilliance with contemporary charm.

Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sharib Hashmi lead the story, while Vibhu Puri takes charge as director.

In the teaser, Vijay Varma and Fatima Sana Shaikh appear as lovers completely lost in each other, their chemistry glowing against sepia-toned backdrops.

But no love story is complete without conflict. The teaser teases us with Naseeruddin Shah’s mysterious presence, likely in a grey or villainous role. Sharib Hashmi, though part of the cast, is yet to be revealed in the teaser.

For Manish Malhotra, this is a creative leap. After decades of telling stories through fabric, embroidery, and costumes, he is now shaping them for the big screen.

Movie Trailer:

Movie Review:

Gentle and graceful, yet slightly underwhelming

Story:

Nawabuddin travels to Malerkotla to persuade the reclusive poet Aziz Beg to publish his forgotten verses and rescue his late father’s dying printing press.

Review:

‘Gustaakh Ishq’ arrives with an old-fashioned charm and grace that contemporary Bollywood has largely forgotten, or perhaps simply moved on from. It is not in a hurry to impress. Instead, it asks you to settle into its mood, its silences, and its shayari. The world it creates is soaked in ‘tahzeeb’ and ‘adab,’ values that once came naturally to Hindi cinema. The narrative unfolds at a deliberately unhurried pace, letting the setting and its people reveal themselves slowly. Yet, for all its refinement and sincerity, the film never quite rises to greatness. Even with actors of the calibre of Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Varma, it remains muted. Ironically, for a film that calls itself a drama, it is often short on moments that truly sting or soar.

The story follows Nawabuddin (Vijay Varma), a man desperate to save the printing press left behind by his late father. Hoping to restore its lost prestige, he comes to know about the unpublished work of Aziz Beg, a gifted poet who has always kept his distance from fame and fortune. Now ageing and steadily losing his sight, Aziz lives quietly in Malerkotla with his daughter Minni (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Attachie (Sharib Hashmi), the loyal house help he raised like family. Nawabuddin approaches Aziz under the guise of learning the craft of shayari. With Minni’s help, he tries to convince the poet to allow his work to be published, but Aziz remains stubbornly indifferent. When Nawabuddin abruptly leaves for Delhi to deal with family matters without informing Minni, who has grown close to him by then, it creates a strain between them. Matters grow more complicated when his brother decides to sell the press, pushing Nawabuddin back to Aziz in a last attempt to honour his father’s final wish.

In an era dominated by loud action films and formula-heavy horror comedies, ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ feels like a breath of fresh air. It nudges your attention back to people, conversations, and small emotions. The exchanges between Nawabuddin and Aziz form the quiet backbone of the film, and the shayari recited by Shah—written by Ashok Singh Mizaz—adds to its lingering appeal. There is real pleasure in watching Shah and Varma share the frame as mentor and student. Yet, for a film rooted in both drama and romance, the two never fully bloom. The interval point, meant to be a turning point, passes without leaving much of a mark. The love story between Nawabuddin and Minni unfolds so subtly that it often feels like an afterthought. The film means well and sets the right mood, but the screenplay rarely finds the sharp emotional peaks it so clearly reaches for.

Naseeruddin Shah is the film’s strongest anchor. His Aziz Beg is layered with warmth, dignity, and weariness, and the ease with which he delivers poetry is a joy to watch. Those moments stay with you. Vijay Varma brings honesty to Nawabuddin, though there is a sense that he is holding himself back, where a little messiness might have helped. Fatima Sana Shaikh, despite being present through much of the narrative, remains inconsequential to the plot. The Gulzar–Vishal Bhardwaj collaboration once again works its subtle spell, with Ul Julool, sung by Shilpa Rao and Papon, standing out on the soundtrack. Director Vibhu Puri’s intent is sincere, but the film loses momentum because of its uneven writing. The art direction carries a faint Sanjay Leela Bhansali influence, but the story never quite matches that visual polish.

Designer Manish Malhotra’s debut film as a producer is gentle, though it could have taken a few more emotional risks. It leaves behind traces of beauty in its poetry, music, and performances, even as the larger narrative slips through the cracks. It earns quiet admiration rather than loud applause. You walk away remembering individual moments more than the whole. And perhaps that restrained, slightly unsatisfying aftertaste is exactly what defines ‘Gustaakh Ishq.’