I spent Valentine’s Day, aptly, watching a beautiful series titled Love Storiyaan on Prime Video. Produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment, I found the series intriguing from the get-go.
Though I generally write on the topic of Women & Money, love is a topic that crops up in my conversations with women, too. A kind of cynicism seems to have set in for women on the dating path. Many share that the online dating route feels like a dead end, with men not wanting to invest in having real conversations, and forging deeper connections. In this context, “Love Storiyaan” is a refreshing reminder for me on the annual day of love, no less, that lasting connection, companionship and chemistry can come in one soul-stirring package.
Set across the length and breadth of India, and beyond, the first season comprises six episodes featuring real love stories of cis and non-cis gender couples. These stories are not fictitious. Neither are they shot in the sensational style of a reality show.
The stories are pursued with great depth and intimacy, which is hard to capture unless the protagonists offer the viewer a gift – opening up their personal lives for exploration, learning, and sharing.
The storytelling follows a unique format. It alternates between conversations with the couples and their near and dear ones, and scenes that are recreated from their past, and played by actors. The juxtaposition of these two formats unraveled the stories with a certain flair, and the jumps between interviews and dramatized scenes happened seamlessly, without disrupting the narrative.
This mix is magic because it gave me a front row seat to those critical tipping points in the love stories – the first meeting, the proposal, the first break up, the first fight, and so on and so forth.
Here’s a quick round-up of featured stories
A single mom in her 30s with two tween daughters from a conservative Punjabi family meets a man who was never married, hailing from from a political family in Kerala with Marxist leanings. Acceptance is a challenge for her young daughters, but there’s a twist in the tail. In this story, politico John Brittas also makes a surprise appearance as an observer in the love narrative.
A fiery young feminist Dalit activist from Chhattisgarh meets a liberal-minded, engineer turned activist born into an upper caste family, and invested in supporting tribal rights. He sees her at a protest where he is taken by her courage and commitment to her cause. It’s love at first sight for him. But is it for her?
A young girl from Kerala meets an Afghan man in Moscow during their studies, and fall in love. But pretty soon they find themselves navigating love amidst war and separation. This story offers glimpses into the Afghan culture during the Taliban regime, and how love is tested against the bleakness of war.
A trans man finds support, friendship, love, chemistry and companionship with a trans woman counsellor, just as he embarks upon the journey of transitioning into his true identity. His lady love is a bundle of confidence and purposefulness, that set him on a new path. This story also chronicles their wedding, the first trans wedding in West Bengal.
A blind woman with a love for the radio plays matchmaker for her two favourite radio jockeys from two different faiths. This story is set against the stunning backdrop of Meghalaya. He is a divorcee with two kids. She is single and ready to mingle.
This poignant one unravels the complex journey of an inter-faith senior couple from Kolkata whose love story began in Chandpur, Bangladesh in the 1971 war. They embark on a trip back to their motherland along with their daughter and granddaughter, where it all started. So many surprises in store.
Love’s Ingredients
One of the things I enjoyed most about the series is its in-depth exploration of the “happily after”, and what becomes after the courtship and marriage. There’s a gentle unravelling of those factors that transcend fleeting attraction/intimacy in relationships.
A common thread that struck me like a bolt in all six stories, is that the women felt a sense of freedom in the relationship. Perhaps true love cannot exist without this element because it is the factor that enables a woman to be herself, and have her say. I sensed laughter, joy, and a very relaxed body language in the women. They were the mistresses of their ship, navigating it alongside their partners, through the patriarchal storms of daily life.
The men in the series seem diagrammatically opposite the alpha males portrayed in today’s blockbusters. They seem to harbour a deep sense of gratitude and respect for their partner’s voice and choices. Besides the chemistry, there’s also a vibrance in the connection, and friendship and companionship in the relationships. The partners seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Each story captures those moments of delight in the lovers’ journeys. Perhaps these are important ingredients of long-lasting love (not necessarily relationships).
Having said that, the series also spotlights the extreme external and inter-personal hardships faced by the couples. Family opposition of varying degrees, societal judgement and pressure, lack of opportunity and poverty, caste prejudices, communal biases, addiction, and separation due to war, are some of the challenges.
Trans couple Tista and Dipan experience individual struggle in the pursuit of their gender of identity and acceptance. But I got the feeling that once they meet each other, something shifts. Love nurtures personal power, making it easy to just be, and focus on with the business of pursuing the best life, possible.
The thin line between compromise and oppression
I often hear the phrase “love requires compromise”, especially from senior generations. In my experience, a relationship where everything is a compromise is not love, it is oppression. Love Storiyaan subtly sends the message that elements like connection, companionship, laughter, understanding, and chemistry balance the compromises that comes with a long-lasting love.
The show, to me, is a mini university of learning for those seeking love. More importantly it is a beacon of hope, in the era of convenient swipes and fleeting intimacy.
The stories depicted in Love Storiyaan are part of the India Love Project (ILP). Created by journalists Priya Ramani, Samar Halarnkar, Niloufer Venkatraman, ILP explores “Love outside the shackles of faith, caste, ethnicity & gender.” Kudos to these constructive creators, the directors, and executive producer Somen Mishra, who collaboratively wove together a beautiful first season. Special thanks to Karan Johar, who I believe is a perennial champion and believer of true love.
Can’t wait for the next season to drop next V Day, but hopefully, even earlier.