- Date of Release: 11 July 2025
- Genre: Romance
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan
Introduction
There is something about the template of Before Sunrise (1995) that is instantly charming whilst being adapted in various films. The idea of two strangers bumping into each other only for fate to transform them into lovers is a fairytale template that you just cannot go wrong with. This, ofcourse unless you tend to use your own imagination in the form of a Hindi film titled ‘Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan’. I must still give it to the writing that introduces its audience to an interesting premise, something whose credit doesn’t directly go to them. The cold open in Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan is directly based on the short story of Ruskin Bond called ‘The Eyes Have It’. In the short story, the setup remains similar to the Before Sunrise template wherein two strangers meet on a train, only to strike up a conversation that remains heartfelt and unfiltered, but with a twist – oblivious to each other, both the characters remain blind! Interestingly, some of the best moments in Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan (relatively speaking) transpires in its first act, even as the two characters begin their free-flowing interactions. But as the drama progressed, I vividly hoped that I had carried my blindfold with me!
Story & Screenplay
Skimming through the premise of Ruskin Bond’s The Eyes Have It did make me chuckle – not because the premise was bad, but the borrowed cold open of Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan felt manipulative and laughable in front of it. Unlike the premise wherein both the protagonists are ‘blind’, the creative backruptcy of the Hindi Film Industry borders this drama on silliness, even as you are introduced to Saba (a tonally inconsistent Shanaya Kapoor), a theatre actor and soon-to-be Bollywood actor who decides to blindfold herself for an audition that requires her to play a visually impaired character. It is almost laughable witnessing a nepo-kid go the method acting route, as opposed to enrolling acting classes in reality (how else would you explain such a subpar performance?). The meta-ness of this character trait is itself funny, and a trait that never allows you to take the drama seriously.
On the other hand, you are witness to her fellow passenger Jahaan (Vikrant Massey), a character who is slapped in his introductory shot (a straight up tonal mistake wherein you don’t induce laughter when the payoff remains a heartfelt love story). Jahaan is blind but his condition remains oblivious to Saba, even as the duo engage in heartfelt conversations, that are atleast free-flowing and breezy to begin with. Jahaan remains a character who can view the world through his ‘Mann Ki Aankhein’ while being clear of his surroundings more than a man with eyes on his face. But that plot-point remained least of my issues, even as the drama ventured into an unbearable territory post the train ride. Interestingly, the Ruskin Bond short story had ended with the train ride, so clearly, there was no reference point for the writers to continue the story. And that explains the mess here!
The ideal and logical progression ought to have been the same breezy conversations that the two characters share, while one of them is oblivious of the other person’s reality. But inexplicably, the tone of the movie absolutely goes for a toss! From high-pitched humour during a car ride that didn’t allow my coma-induced face to twitch a muscle, to an inexplicable horror strand that was introduced in the plot out of nowhere. It was clear that the writers had no clue on how to progress beyond the short story, that reflected in their desperate measures. There are some ridiculous moments created that are anything but romantic, yet the tonal aftertaste is designed to be a romantic one. For instance, a fight that breaks out between Jahaan and Saba following a gas leak mishap is anything but romantic, but the aftertaste involves Jahaan transporting Saba in his childhood. It almost felt like Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana) sharing his life whereabouts to Sophie (Radhika Apte) in Andhadhun (2018), but then I digress. Yes, Jahaan is seemingly a f*ckboi too, probably the first visually impaired one?
The tonal lunacy doesn’t end there. In what is designed to be a romantic moment again (you see the trend?), you witness Jahaan standing on a ladder with Saba holding it (the ladder😏), until Jahaan’s pant drops off out of nowhere. I am not even making this up😂. What follows is a flirty banter of visual impaired-ness that results in an intimate moment that will make most viewers cringe! And yet when the romance between the couple gathers steam, the ridiculous interval block arrives, that seems so heavily curated and manipulative, that you just don’t feel the loss or longing for either of the two characters. The conflict that ought to have been established right there, is actually kept under wraps, something that doubled up as a roadblock for the emotions. If anything, the feeling that I got was that Jahaan was indeed a blind little f*ckboi, and Saba was a walking red-flag herself!
The unbearable second half actually made me look for my non-existential blindfold, even as the drama ventures into unintentionally laughably territory. The premise and conflict literally hit the pause button, even with a change in setting, lol Budapest again for the million-th time in a Bollywood film not because of the plot, but because of the remuneration! It is laughable how the city is termed to be the most romantic city in the world, even as Paris would quietly be crying in the corner. The surroundings are cold and unattached, just like the characters and their dynamics, even as there were more Indians in sight than locals (the least that they could have done is added local foreigners as extras).
Amidst this mess, you are introduced to Aman…..errr Abhinav (Zain Khan Durrani), a heavily Aman-coded character from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) with abs in his throat (because that voice was 🔥). One look at the ‘green-flag’ Abhinav, and you know that the ‘red-flag’ ‘blind-man’ is going to beat him to the finish line, and so essentially he would remain a third-wheel only! But the conflict lies with Saba who is supposedly out of a 3 year streak of depression by being in a relationship with Abhinav and spending most of her time searching for Jahaan only to finally give up! And you know how fate works its magic in a Bollywood film – voila! Jahaan, now Kabir appears out of nowhere! Talk about convenience. Talk about the subplot of Rockstar (2011). Talk about a snoozefest!
In a scene, you literally spot Saba checking if Jahaan indeed is blind, a la Tabu from Andhadhun (2018), and that accounting for the most unintentionally hilarious break in grammer for a love story on celluloid! The conflict with Saba remains the reason why Jahaan left her – a subplot that meanders….and meanders…..and meanders….through a drunken night of guilt, a shared icecream on the cold streets of Budapest because it is ‘pagalpan’ for the characters, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) anyone?, and endless monologues that just don’t end! It was frustrating to a point even when you knew what was coming – A Kuch Kuch Hota Hai pre-finale, and a partly inspired finale from DDLJ (1995) and Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na (2009). Oh boy, the love story of two red-flags just was so unbearable that I waited for either of them to secretly die in the film, either through a mishap (Dhoni – The Untold Story (2016)) or a life-threatening illness (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)). If trainwreck was the word, then it perfectly summarized the screenplay here!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are tonally high-pitched that even the basic kind of emotions aren’t felt. In a scene when Saba literally shouts in anger by stating, ‘Mujhe Gussa Aa Raha Hai’, I was pitying my ears that would have given way had the scene lasted for a few more seconds. And yes, ‘Mujhe Bhi Gussa Aa Raha Tha’, listening to the endless monologues that elongated a one-liner plot to almost 140 minutes. It was a fancy TV soap opera after a point, oh my God!
The only redeeming quality for the film remains its soulful music that atleast tries to evoke some moments and feelings throughout the narrative. But I feel sorry for Vishal Mishra who has been consistent with his melodies, while often having the ability to understand the world beautifully. The songs deserved a better story and screenplay. The BGM though was annoying, almost double underlining every small emotion that is presented between characters and their conversations that brew. It almost felt like the makers wanted the viewers to feel a certain way, without organically engaging with them, and that explains the spoon-feeding bit!
The cinematography captures some wonderful aerial shots in the second hour, with decent frames accompanying the first hour too but does it save the drama to an extent ? The answer is a resounding NO! The editing is quite poor given how there were stretches of lag that remained ‘unseen’. At a point in the second hour, I actually felt that there was little drama unfolding between the larger portions of lag, and that quite accurately sums up the film.
Director Santosh Singh is usually a pretty safe option having scored wonderfully well with projects like Apharan (2021) and Ranneeti (2024). But the script presented to him is itself so bad, that there is little that a director can do here. Needless to say that he fails to create heartfelt moments between his leads, or even remotely tap into the emotional core of his characters. The direction was pretty poor, and there is no better way to put it when the audience was seen to be ‘laughing’ in a romantic scene (and almost in unison). Tch…Tch…
Performances
The performances are pretty average here by the members of the cast. Zain Khan Durrani as Abhinav is sincere but the character is nothing more than a third-wheel in this meandering love-story. His character is so heavily Aman-coded that his individuality is compromised during the process, making him just a by-stander for most parts of the second hour.
Vikrant Massey as Ravi Gupta…..ohh ummm Jahaan is decent but if I were to directly compare his act with Rajkummar Rao’s performance in Shrikant (2024), then you would know why this Massey performance was mid. The blank stares after a point just feel monotonous, giving you an impression that he is blind but never fully convincing you of the same!
Shanaya Kapoor as Saba is tonally inconsistent in her debut act. Right from the first scene wherein you see her mumbling, you get a glimpse of the fact that she isn’t very proficient with the Hindi language. As a result, her dialogue delivery suffers heavily, never quite touching the emotional core of the character nor conveying the emotions correctly. After a point, it just comes across as something loud and annoying rather than understated and heartfelt, something that is a huge demerit in the film. Credit where due – I liked her bold choice of debut that wasn’t reducing her to just an eye-candy, the story was there to be discovered but the screenplay and execution just wasn’t! And well, neither was her performance. It is time to get back to the drawing board and hone her skills further before her next outing!
Conclusion
Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan is an unbearable romantic drama that can best be enjoyed with blindfolds on. It has a good story somewhere along with melodious music but everything is just plain poor! My recommendation would be to rest your eyes from this mess! Available in a theatre near you!