ग़ुस्ताख़ इश्क़

Set in 1998 Old Delhi — months before India's nuclear tests would change the nation's self-image — Gustaakh Ishq follows Nawabuddin Saifuddin Rehman, known as Pappan (Vijay Varma), a young man striving to revive his late father's printing press in the lanes of purani Dilli. Lacking the capital to print new books, he travels to Punjab to persuade Aziz Baig (Naseeruddin Shah) — a retired Urdu poet of considerable reputation known as Babba — to allow his collected works to be published, which would save the press. During his extended stay with the poet's household, Pappan develops romantic feelings for Mannat (Fatima Sana Shaikh), Aziz Baig's separated daughter and a schoolteacher. The mentor's unspoken disapproval — and Pappan's loyalty to the man who is also his benefactor — creates the central moral tension. The film premiered at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI Goa) on November 24, 2025 as a Gala Premiere, receiving critical acclaim particularly for its soundtrack.

Vishal Bhardwaj's five-song EP for Gustaakh Ishq — all with lyrics by Gulzar — is one of 2025's most critically acclaimed film soundtracks, despite the film's modest ₹2.29 crore box office. The EP runs 24:43 total and features Papon and Shilpa Rao (Ul Jalool Ishq, 4:50), Arijit Singh (Aap Iss Dhoop Mein, 4:11), Jazim Sharma and Himani Kapoor (Sheher Tere, 5:33), Armaan Malik (Chal Musafir, 3:52), and Javed Ali (Hum Fanaa, 6:15). Gulzar and Bhardwaj themselves sing on three of the five tracks. The EP demonstrates that a commercially modest film can produce music of lasting artistic significance.

Gustaakh Ishq carries enormous musical significance despite its tiny box office: the Vishal Bhardwaj–Gulzar collaboration across all five songs of the EP represents one of the finest distillations of their creative partnership in the streaming era. Set against 1998 Old Delhi — months before nuclear tests altered India's self-perception — the film situates Urdu poetry, printing presses, and late-colonial urban atmospherics in the same emotional space. The film's selection as a Gala Premiere at the 56th IFFI Goa confirmed its artistic standing, even as theatrical audiences did not materialise.

Despite a commercial failure (₹2.29 crore worldwide), Gustaakh Ishq's soundtrack — particularly Arijit Singh's 'Aap Iss Dhoop Mein', Javed Ali's 'Hum Fanaa', and Papon's 'Ul Jalool Ishq' — accumulated significant streaming numbers and critical appreciation long after the film's theatrical run ended. JioHotstar streaming from January 27, 2026 extended its reach. The EP stands as one of 2025's most significant film soundtracks, and a reference point for the argument that commercially marginal films can produce music of lasting artistic importance.