# Dear Ishq
**Dear Ishq** (डियर इश्क़) is a Hindi-language romantic drama web series that premiered on [Disney+ Hotstar](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-hotstar) on 26 January 2023, starring Sehban Azim as romance novelist Abhimanyu Razdan and Niyati Fatnani as literary editor Asmita Roy.[1](https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/disney-hotstar-announces-new-show-dear-ishq-11674284394049.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26259204/) The story follows the two leads, who clash on first meeting and move from hostility toward love, set against the backdrop of the Indian publishing industry rather than the film or music worlds more common in the genre.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/dear-ishq/season-1/seasonreview/97254637.cms)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | 26 January 2023, Disney+ Hotstar[1](https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/disney-hotstar-announces-new-show-dear-ishq-11674284394049.html) |
| Format | One season of 60 episodes, released Monday to Saturday[4](https://www.jiocinemaus.com/episodes/dear-ishq/1/) |
| Leads | Sehban Azim as Abhimanyu Razdan; Niyati Fatnani as Asmita Roy[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26259204/) |
| Source material | Adapted from Ravinder Singh's bestselling novel *Write Me A Love Story* (2021)[5](https://www.capitalmarket.com/pub/dp/dp91872.pdf) |
| Production | Directed by Atif Khan; produced by Yash Patnaik and Mamta Patnaik under Beyond Dreams Entertainment, with Inspire Films[6](https://www.ottplay.com/news/new-release-romantic-drama-dear-ishq-is-a-hate-to-love-story-about-ego-clashes/96a0221ca548) • [7](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/dear-ishq-web-series-115956) |
| Reception | Times of India critic rating 3.0/5; IMDb user rating 5.9/10 from 188 votes[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/dear-ishq/season-1/seasonreview/97254637.cms) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26259204/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
Abhimanyu Razdan is a popular writer of pulp romance novels, described by Sehban Azim as "the blue-eyed boy of Indian publishing" who is drunk on his success, callous, and egoistic; his arrogance keeps three major publishing houses competing to sign him for his next book.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/dear-ishq/season-1/seasonreview/97254637.cms) • [6](https://www.ottplay.com/news/new-release-romantic-drama-dear-ishq-is-a-hate-to-love-story-about-ego-clashes/96a0221ca548) Asmita Roy is an award-winning literary editor at the publishing house PaperInk, a Bengali woman from Kolkata who admires classic writers such as [Premchand](https://www.edgepedia.org/premchand) and [Rabindranath Tagore](https://www.edgepedia.org/rabindranath-tagore) and openly dismisses new-generation novelists as superficial.[6](https://www.ottplay.com/news/new-release-romantic-drama-dear-ishq-is-a-hate-to-love-story-about-ego-clashes/96a0221ca548)
The two meet when Asmita attends a deal-clinching meeting in a colleague's absence, and a parking-lot tiff in which she outsmarts [Abhimanyu](https://www.edgepedia.org/abhimanyu) sets off a series of run-ins and a war of words. Director Atif Khan described the show as "a classic tale of hate-to-love," built on ego clashes, fights, and the gradual development of understanding between the leads.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/dear-ishq/season-1/seasonreview/97254637.cms) • [6](https://www.ottplay.com/news/new-release-romantic-drama-dear-ishq-is-a-hate-to-love-story-about-ego-clashes/96a0221ca548)
Supporting characters include PaperInk's owner Maya Costa ([Kishwer Merchant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kishwer-merchant)), her husband Peter Costa (Puneet Tejwani), Asmita's fiancé Shauvik Sen (Buneet Kapoor), Abhimanyu's archrival writer Rizwan Khan (Kunal Verma), and Bani Kapoor (Sugandh Dhindaw), who leads the rival publishing house Fresh Print.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/dear-ishq/season-1/seasonreview/97254637.cms)
## Production and release
The series was directed by Atif Khan and produced by Yash Patnaik and Mamta Patnaik under Beyond Dreams Entertainment Private Limited, with Inspire Films also credited as a production company; Manoj Tripathi and Mamta Yash Patnaik wrote it, and Anish John composed the music.[6](https://www.ottplay.com/news/new-release-romantic-drama-dear-ishq-is-a-hate-to-love-story-about-ego-clashes/96a0221ca548) • [7](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/dear-ishq-web-series-115956) Disney+ Hotstar announced the show in January 2023 and released new episodes Monday through Saturday from the 26 January premiere.[1](https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/disney-hotstar-announces-new-show-dear-ishq-11674284394049.html) • [8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GQdz8W-wwY)
The show ran to 60 episodes, with the finale airing on 4 April 2023.[4](https://www.jiocinemaus.com/episodes/dear-ishq/1/) As of recent listings it streams on JioHotstar and VI movies and tv, and internationally on services such as STARZPLAY.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/dear-ishq) • [10](https://starzplay.com/en/series/dear-ishq/516231720202)
## Reception
The Times of India's season-one review gave the show 3.0 out of 5. Critic Dhaval Roy judged the haughty-superstar and principled-girl setup a formula seen too often on Indian television, with the publishing backdrop the one element that sets Dear Ishq apart; he praised the lead performances, the depiction of the contemporary social-media milieu (including the gossipy Twitter handle Rumour Ramola), and the brisk 23-minute episodes, while calling the hackneyed theme a downer.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/dear-ishq/season-1/seasonreview/97254637.cms)
OTTplay's full-series review, published in September 2023, rated the show 3/5 and found the execution weaker than the performances, noting that the story spends more time on differences and revenge than on romance, though the mystery elements work well.[11](https://www.ottplay.com/review/dear-ishq-review-sehban-azim-niyati-fatnanis-show-is-about-good-performances-and-bad-execution/b6b1a4e7b2105) A late-run review of episode 58 judged that the show had little left to offer as it neared its end, with drama going overboard and the romance largely absent.[12](https://www.ottplay.com/news/dear-ishq-episode-58-review-sehban-azim-niyati-fatnanis-show-has-very-little-left-to-offer/71dd93cd24269) On IMDb the series holds a 5.9/10 rating from 188 user votes.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26259204/)
## References
1. [Disney+ Hotstar announces new show 'Dear Ishq', Livemint (21 January 2023)](https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/disney-hotstar-announces-new-show-dear-ishq-11674284394049.html)
2. [Dear Ishq (TV Series 2023), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26259204/)
3. [Dear Ishq Season 1 Review: Performances and gloss save this predictable love/hate story, The Times of India (31 January 2023)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/dear-ishq/season-1/seasonreview/97254637.cms)
4. [Dear Ishq - Season 1 All Episodes, JioCinema USA](https://www.jiocinemaus.com/episodes/dear-ishq/1/)
5. [Dear Ishq listing, Capital Market investor presentation](https://www.capitalmarket.com/pub/dp/dp91872.pdf)
6. [New release: Romantic drama Dear Ishq is a 'hate to love' story about ego clashes, OTTplay (17 January 2023)](https://www.ottplay.com/news/new-release-romantic-drama-dear-ishq-is-a-hate-to-love-story-about-ego-clashes/96a0221ca548)
7. [Dear Ishq Web Series (2023): Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/dear-ishq-web-series-115956)
8. [Dear Ishq | DisneyPlus Hotstar, official trailer on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GQdz8W-wwY)
9. [Dear Ishq - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/dear-ishq)
10. [Watch Dear Ishq Online, STARZPLAY](https://starzplay.com/en/series/dear-ishq/516231720202)
11. [Dear Ishq review: good performances and bad execution, OTTplay (27 September 2023)](https://www.ottplay.com/review/dear-ishq-review-sehban-azim-niyati-fatnanis-show-is-about-good-performances-and-bad-execution/b6b1a4e7b2105)
12. [Dear Ishq episode 58 review, OTTplay (8 April 2023)](https://www.ottplay.com/news/dear-ishq-episode-58-review-sehban-azim-niyati-fatnanis-show-has-very-little-left-to-offer/71dd93cd24269)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › Hindi serials and Indian Hindi-language dramas › Family and social dramas › Romantic dramas › Contemporary romantic serials*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license