So I’ve seen a lot of people online saying they didn’t really like Ishqbaaz, but honestly it’s one of my favorite shows. I recently started rewatching it as a teenager. I used to watch it when I was a kid with my mom, but back then I never really understood the story properly. Now that I’m older and actually paying attention to the characters and the plot, it feels so much better.

Starting with Shivaay and Anika. I’ll be honest — Shivaay was definitely a red flag in the beginning. He rarely trusted Anika and would always throw her out of the house whenever something went wrong. That lack of trust was really frustrating to watch. But what I loved was his character development. Over time, he changed so much. By the end, the way he trusted Anika and expressed his feelings was completely different from the cold and rigid person he was in the beginning.

Before meeting Anika, he felt very stuck in his own boundaries and beliefs. But after falling for her, he slowly started understanding people and emotions better. That transformation was honestly one of my favorite things about the show.

Now Anika… I absolutely adore her. She’s easily one of the best characters in the entire show. And Surbhi Chandna was literally perfect for the role. I honestly can’t imagine any other actress playing Anika. Her expressions, her energy, everything just fit the character so well.

Talking about the other couples — Omkara and Gauri were amazing too. Their love story felt very passionate and emotional. I really enjoyed watching them together. I even watched Dil Bole Oberoi and loved their storyline there as well.

For Rudra, I personally never liked him with Soumya. So I was actually happy when the story moved in a different direction and Bhavya entered. Bhavya being an independent and strong woman suited the story much better in my opinion. Rudra was definitely immature, but Bhavya’s personality balanced that out, so their chemistry worked for me.

Overall, I think the casting for the show was perfect. Every character fit their role really well.

Another thing I loved was the storyline and the way the plots connected. It was interesting how the show basically started with Roop Bua and also ended with her. That full-circle storytelling was something I really appreciated.

One of my favorite characters was actually Svetlana. Her acting was amazing and the way she played such a manipulative and evil character was fascinating to watch. Sometimes her plans were so shocking that I’d just sit there thinking “how can someone even think like that?” But that’s what made her such a memorable villain.

If there’s one thing I wish the show had more of, it would be more romantic and peaceful moments between Shivaay and Anika. They did have some, but most of the time they were dealing with problems and conspiracies. I would’ve loved to see more simple moments of them just spending time together and maybe even building their own little family.

I read somewhere that Nakuul Mehta and Surbhi Chandna weren’t very interested in a track where they become parents on the show, so maybe that’s why the story never went in that direction. But personally, I would have loved to see that.

As I’m currently on the last few episodes, I also noticed something about the ending. Earlier in the show, most conflicts came from existing family issues or established villains. But towards the end, it felt like new villains and problems were being added just for the sake of creating drama. Characters like Devyani Nani and some of the later plot points felt a bit forced compared to the earlier storylines.

Because of that, the ending felt slightly less natural to me. I feel like they could have simply given the show a happy and satisfying ending instead of adding more complications.

Still, overall I genuinely loved the show. The characters, the relationships, and the emotional moments made it really special for me.

One thing I’m curious about though — has anyone here watched the Redux version of Ishqbaaz? I’m not sure if I should watch it or not because I already like the original story so much. If I’m missing something good, please tell me if it’s worth watching or not.

Rewatching Ishqbaaz as a teenager and honestly… I love it.