Love stories are the flavour of the monsoon season
As the monsoon romances pour in this season, Hindi cinema is experiencing a refreshing resurgence of love stories that are as diverse as they are heartfelt. From urban complexities in Metro… In Dino to the raw emotional turbulence of Saiyaara, the big screen is echoing with tales of love, heartbreak and longing.
This season’s promised offerings are luring audiences back to cinemas with a promise of connection, emotion, and cinematic magic.
Metro… In Dino
Connection, intimacy, loneliness to self-discovery, different strands find voices in Metro… In Dino, interweaving multiple contemporary love stories set in urban India. Winning audiences, this hatke romantic narrative has forced people who had shunned cinemas through the pandemic to step back into the halls again. The Anurag Basu directorial, a spiritual sequel to 2007 Life in a… Metro, has a fantastic ensemble cast — Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana. Ali Fazal, who plays Akash, Shruti’s (Fatima Sana Shaikh) husband, honed his guitar skills to prep for the role. He shares, “I believe that authenticity is everything, especially in a film like Metro… In Dino, where the story is rooted in human emotions, my character is a musician at the core, and that comes with a responsibility.”
Saiyaara
The film, directed by Mohit Suri, the master of intense love stories, follows a young couple whose passionate relationship swings between soaring highs and heart-wrenching lows as they struggle to hold on to their love. This time, Suri introduces a fresh pairing: Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, playing a singer and a lyricist, respectively. Describing Saiyaara as “a story of heartbreak, hope, and raw emotion straight from the soul”, Suri seems confident his new leads will strike a chord with audiences.
Param Sundari
Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor come together in this Tushar Jalota directorial, bringing back the magic of colour-coordinated outfits and breezy chiffons. The film, due to be released on July 25, has been put off for the time being but we are waiting with all love for it — where North ka swag, South ki grace collide and sparks fly! Formulaic but, as they say, there is comfort in the familiar…
Dhadak 2
Bollywood has often told stories of a class and caste divide, and Shazia Iqbal directorial Dhadak 2 opens the love story account in the month of August. The spiritual sequel to 2018 Dhadak and a remake of the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal, it stars Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi in lead roles – she a privileged upper class girl, he a struggler from the marginalised section. Would this love keep them united, we are invested already. Looks like romances will keep their date even post rains. Varun Dhawan steps into the shoes of Sunny Sanskari as Janhvi Kapoor turns Tulsi Kumari in Shashank Khaitan’s directorial. Khaitan joins Dhawan after the successful partnership of Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, and we are pegging hopes on Varun’s Sanskari act for sure!
Not just cinema, OTT has its share of love stories, too. Vikrant Massey-Shanaya Kapoor starrer Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan and R Madhavan-Fatima Sana Shaikh starrer Aap Jaisa Koi dropped recently; looks like romances are the leading flavour of the season!
Lifestyle