Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan Review: Fresh Face, Familiar Tale – Is It Worth Watching?

Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan Review

Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan introduces Shanaya in a familiar love story with a fresh twist. Read our honest review to find out if it’s worth your time.

Bollywood has long remained a space of grand romances and emotionally dense stories. With Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, this is yet another film that is trying to bridge the divide between traditional and new, complete with a brand new actress—Shanaya Kapoor—and the same well-worn story we’ve already seen a million times. But the question is: does it rise above the clichés, or is it just one more predictable ride through conventional filmi territory?

Plot summary: Love in the time of familiarity

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Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan tells the story of Rhea (Shanaya Kapoor), a vibrant small-town girl dreaming bigger than her life. Enter Aarav (Vihaan Seth, a debut actor), a quiet, rich businessman who has travelled to her town for a philanthropic initiative, and the sparks fly. But, as the film’s love story goes, it will not be easy.

They come from different worlds. Rhea will battle the trappings of social norms and a controlling family, while Aarav has duty, a previous engagement, and an emotional suitcase he needs to lug around. The film portrays Rhea and Aarav’s battle of rebellion, heartache, reuniting, and of course, a climactic ending in the rain.

Shanaya Kapoor: A Star is Born?

Let’s be honest here, the biggest highlight of the film is Shanaya’s debut, given her background and the hype surrounding her Bollywood debut, the expectations were always going to be high. So how did she do?

Quite nicely, actually.

Shanaya presented a newness and authenticity to her character. She was delightful in the lighter moments, she had the emotional scenes down pat, and her dancing was lovely in the film’s centerpiece song “Dil Ki Nazar Se.” Her expressive eyes did a lot of the heavy lifting in a romantic drama called Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan.

Vihaan Seth: One to Watch? 

Vihaan Seth, a fresh face as well, plays the broody Aarav. His screen presence is fine, but the performance is a bit of a mixed bag.

His conflicted lover portrayal is earnest, but ultimately lacks the emotional weight to make the audience want to root for him. At times, he was wooden, particularly in the emotional, heightened moments of the film. That being said, he shares amazing chemistry with Shanaya and that alone is enough for their romance to float to the surface.

Direction and Screenplay: Comfortably Predictable 

Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan was directed by Rajat Mehta, whose experience as an indie filmmaker appears to have informed his approach to the film’s direction. The director did well to try to balance genre film making and open-ended artistic and emotional exploration.

The story plods through unimaginative material. While the screenplay may have played around with conventions—taking the unexpected option of agency by the heroine at the climax or by making the villain more complicated—the creative endeavor side-steps any exploration of the narrative’s emotional content.

Music and Background Score: A Well-Deserved Soundtrack

If there are any consistent strengths of Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, it is in the music.

Amit Trivedi composed the songs which are soulful, romatic and the soundtrack is filled with songs of the right mood. The standout songs include:

“Dil Ki Nazaaar Se” – A softly violin-hit tune, could become an all-time romantic love song classic.

“Gustaakhiyan”- A haunting version sung by Arijit Singh, this song evokes the loss and longing of love.

“Choti Si Duniya”- An upbeat, feel-good song suited for montages and travels.

The background score, which was subtle to atmospheric without overtaking emotional scenes, also added a suitable layering to quieter scenes.

Cinematography and Visuals: A Visual Feast

The film has been filmed predominantly in Shimla and Mussoorie, characteristics of the breathtaking, lush landscapes found in both towns serve as an excellent background for the film’s love story. Kudos must be extended towards cinematographer Anay Goswami for showcasing the tranquillity and mood so beautifully through stunning wide-angle shots, utilizing natural lighting, and showcasing soft-focus close-ups.

All of the visual elements in the film are incredibly appealed to be “Instagrammable.” We see elements of the scene’s looking like dynamic postcards to depict a diary, even as Rhea and Aarav make reconnections through glances while looking by a temple or dancing freely by the lake, all visual bombshells!

Costumes and Styling: Old World Glamour Meets Millennials Chic

The production also did a good job on shaping the style, costume designer Anaita Shroff Adajania did an excellent job melding tradition with millennial chic being:

Shanaya’s closet includes :

Beautiful flowing chiffon sarees in pastel tones,

Floral salwar suits to be worn for village scenes,

And luck we have Indo-western boho for when she is in college like other chic wannabe-cool types

Aarav’s styling was sharp yet understated, featuring mainly earth-tone based kurtas, crisp dress shirts and of course, the requisite signature charcoal over-coat.

Supporting Cast: Hit and Miss

The film also features all-time veteran actors relatively in minor roles:

Supriya Pathak as Rhea’s mother-the protective mother who showed she knows how to do a role with gravitas made warm

Manoj Pahwa as set comic relief uncle – needed a bit of humor

Kiran Kumar as Aarav’s father which didn’t have much of a character formed 

Pros and Cons at a glance 

pros

Strong starting for Shanaya Kapoor  – 

Stunning cinematography 

Soulful music by Amit Trivedi 

Visually aesthetic and styled 

Cons 

Predictable plot 

Lack of strong emotional payoff 

Under-development of support characters 

Slow second half 

FAQs

1. Who are the primary actors in Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan?

The film stars Shanaya Kapoor in her debut role as Rhea and a newcomer, Vihaan Seth as Aarav. 

2. What type of film is Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan?

This film is a romantic drama, with elements of family, tradition, and emotional conflict that resembles classic Bollywood love stories. 

3. Would you recommend Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan?

If you enjoy emotional love stories, visually aesthetic and stunning visuals, and soulful music, its a lovely, and entertaining one-time watch, although its plot is predictable as noted realers will find it too familiar, therefore I do not recommend the film for the viewer searching for the latest and inventive stories that feel original. 

4. Shanaya Kapoor, how did she perform?

Shanaya Kapoor gave a strong debut performance, charming, expressive in emotive acting, and appears she’s going to grow, isn’t perfect, and is obviously a newcomer, still stands out, especially in the emotive moments and the singing. 

5. Is Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan on OTT?

Currently, it’s a theatre release but was likely secured as to go the OTT route today mostly to Netflix or Amazon Prime, so expect to see it stream in a couple months.