#Review: The Post Leap 'Ishqbaaaz' seems completely haphazard!

Star Plus' Ishqbaaaz entered a new phase recently as it telecasted the post 3-month leap period last night. With Ishqbaaaz, one would expect fireworks and blazing moments, but that unfortunately did not happen this time. With probably the lamest dialogues and  haphazardly rushed track, the first episode of Ishqbaaaz post the leap doesn't impress.

Story So Far

The episode starts with Tej (Mahesh Thakur) and Shivaay (Nakuul Mehta) arguing about Omkara's comatose state, in front of the entire family. While Tej is of the opinion that the family should be practical and accept the fact that Omkara will not get better and they have to let him go, Shivaay disagrees with him and tells Tej that Omkara will be fine soon. That is when Tej (in his classic style of changing stances) taunts Shivaay about how he couldn't keep his married life stable and asks him not to make decisions for Omkara.

An upset (suit clad) Shivaay leaves from there and literally in the next frame, ends up on a bike (biking gear on, of course) and zooms away to a secluded location. This is where his friend' Ragini (Additi Gupta) reaches and gets him home after receiving a panicked call from Pinky.

The scene shifts to a remote area, where Anika is staying with her friend Chanda. Anika is saddened by the fact that she has been unsuccessful in securing a job for the past 3 months and is also worried about how she would repay Sahil's upcoming term-fee. Amidst some consolation from her friend, the background shows Samar (Ankit Raaj) drinking in bright daylight and looking at a photo teary- eyed. He is wandering around the locality, when he sees Anika crying and looks on.

Coming back to Shivaay's story line, Ragini gets Shivaay home safely and Pinky thanks her. Ragini then invites Shivaay to her engagement with fiance Siddharth and reveals her first encounter with Shivaay and how she introspected with her fiance. In the flow of her conversation with Pinky and Shivaay, Ragini calls Shivaay kanji aankh' which brings back memories of Anika. A disturbed Shivaay asks Ragini to not use that word again and refuses to attend the party. Ragini too, goes down the memory lane where she is talking aloud to herself about how Shivaay Singh Oberoi will not remain single for long.

The scene shifts back to the area where Anika is seen watching Shivaay's video and breaks down. That is when Samar approaches her and offers her a cup of tea and tells her that she looks like someone who needs it. And after a small conversation, Anika walks away from Samar. He then continues with his drinking, when a car with three bodyguards enters the scene. One of the security guys asks Samar to come as Maaji' has summoned him.

What we liked:

The one scene where Additi Gupta gives us a glimpse of her obsessive character and what we could expect from her character in the future is a treat to watch.

The entry of two new faces has added the much required freshness to the show. With Ishqbaaaz completing a year next week, this attempt of bringing freshness to the storyline and giving ShivIka's story  a new angle is an appreciable one.

What we did not like:

The pace of the episode was very rushed and haphazard where one cannot find a link between the scenes.

Looks like the writers of the show have gone bonkers when it comes to the character of Tej Singh Oberoi. It's rather funny how in Dil Boley Oberoi, Tej is a manipulative, profit minded father who can attempt to have his son killed, while in yesterday's episode of Ishqbaaaz, we saw a completely different side of Tej. Even though we accept that these are two different shows, the writers tend to forget that the character (Tej) is the same person apparently.

In a desperate attempt to adjust the viewers with the time lapse, all characters and their appearances have been altered. Looks like these characters have aged considerably and not just a few months.

Verdict

Shivaay and Anika's constant nok-jhok was the USP of Ishqbaaaz. But with their separation, that can no more be seen and will be a matter of concern. And with a twist (Shivaay and Anika's separation) of that magnitude, we expected the makers to up their game even higher. But looks they tried too hard and desperacy is more visible than ever. The show will have to up the ante and get better to sustain its popularity and viewership.

Rating: **(2 stars)