Two “Ishq” films release on November 28
November 28 turned out to be an “ishq” day at the box office with two films carrying the word — Tere Ishk Mein and Gustaakh Ishq — hitting theatres. The buzz around Gustaakh Ishq has been strong, partly because it marks fashion designer-producer Manish Malhotra’s first theatrical release and for its feel-good trailer and promising cast.
CBFC cut list: What changed for Gustaakh Ishq
The Central Board of Film Certification cleared Gustaakh Ishq with a U/A 13+ certificate after asking the makers for a few language changes. No visual cuts were demanded — the board called it a clean family entertainer without explicit sex or violence.
- Replace Hindi expletive “Harami” with “Kameena”/“Kameeni”.
- Change the subtitle word “rascal” to “scoundrel”.
- Replace the word “sex” in dialogue/subtitles with milder terms such as “aiyaashi” and “the art of lovemaking”.
Once these edits were done, the film received its censor certificate on November 11. The certified runtime is 128 minutes 30 seconds — that’s 2 hours, 8 minutes and 30 seconds.
Cast, crew and festival premiere
Gustaakh Ishq is directed by Vibhu Puri (known for Hawaizaada) and stars Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah and Sharib Hashmi. The film had a successful India premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on November 24.
What the leads said at the trailer launch
At the trailer launch, Fatima Sana Shaikh reflected on how expressions of love have changed: “Earlier, people used to think a lot before professing their love… it used to be a tactile experience. Now, people send memes, smileys. Hence, I long for slow, passionate and deep love. Thoda hasna, thoda rona. Waise type ka pyaar mujhe pasand hai!”
Vijay Varma added a thought on modern relationships: “Now, we have a tag for everything. If your partner is silent, he’s accused of ghosting! Agar kisi ne kuch bol diya toh toxic ho gaya. Instead of understanding and accepting something, we tend to immediately tag and move on in life. Earlier, silence ka ek mazaa hota tha. Intezaar ka ek mazaa hota tha.”
Bottom line
Gustaakh Ishq aims to be a warm, family-friendly romance with a notable cast and a soft-pedalled treatment of mature themes. With the CBFC changes now in place and a festival premiere behind it, the film arrives in theatres alongside Tere Ishk Mein to compete for hearts this “ishq” day.
