Ishq Vishk (2003) gave us not only a fun college rom-com, but also a star in Shahid Kapoor. Almost 21 years on, its reboot Ishq Vishk Rebound is gearing up for release. For producer Ramesh Taurani, the Nipun Dharmadhikari-directed college caper is a means to bring romance back on the big screen. “Action, drama and [films on] the army have taken over. A young love story with good music has gone missing,” he says. Two decades is a long time between an original and its reboot. What took him so long to create the second instalment? “It’s a ground rule at my studio—no reboots until the script convinces everyone. This film looks at this generation’s challenges in romance, the fragility of love, quick break-ups, and their behavioural patterns in the time of social media.”

(From inset) Shahid Kapoor debuted with Ishq Vishk in 2003; Pashmina Roshan and Rohit Saraf in the reboot