Prerna Singh
‘Little Things’ is an Indian romantic comedy tv series that documents the everyday life of Kavya Kulkarni and Dhruv Vats, a young couple living together in Mumbai. The narrative of the show moves forward based on the conversations between the two. The slice-of-life quality is what makes this series quite memorable. Naturally, people are curious to know if it is based on the actual experiences of a couple. If that is something that’s on your mind, let us help put those doubts to rest.
Is Little Things Based on a True Story?
No, ‘Little Things’ is not based on a true story. But you are not alone if the events in the show seem quite realistic. That is because Dhruv Sehgal (Dhruv Vats), who is also a co-writer of the romantic comedy, intended to create it around experiences that people can resonate with. In fact, in an interview in October 2018, he admitted that the idea for the series came to him from various books he read and films he watched. And the quality that they revolve around the everyday life of the characters is something that stuck with Sehgal. He even mentioned Alexander Payne’s movie ‘Sideways’ and cited Anton Chekhov’s work.
For Sehgal, the idea of storytelling holds more weight when there is an element of realism, and there is a certain lightness that comes with the truth. That is what he tried to achieve with this show, and he even termed the entire process as “organic.” Moreover, he saw it as an opportunity to offer the audience something different from Bollywood, where flamboyance and suspension of disbelief are often key.
In the same 2018 interview, Mithila Palkar (Kavya) expanded on Sehgal’s statement. According to her, she did not feel the pressure to “act” because the script included things that are familiar to most of us. The actress even shared how a considerable chunk of the content actually stemmed from her real-life conversations with Sehgal. One such example is the conversation about pandas in ‘Little Things,’ where Kavya corrects Dhruv’s pronunciation. This actually happened between the two actors.
In fact, while filming for the second season, Palkar recalled a day on set when Sehgal felt exposed as he saw several things from his personal experiences playing out in front of the cameras. The actor and co-writer even joked that he takes notes mid-conversation with his near and dear ones. However, for him as a writer, it is important to convey that someone we see on the screen can actually exist.
The show explores various relatable themes such as fear of missing out, friends drifting apart, long-distance relationships, and personal crises. The second season even highlights the differences that arise between Kavya and Dhruv as the latter quits his job while Kavya gets a promotion. With universal subjects like these, it is no wonder that the series has garnered an international following.
In an October 2021 interview, Palkar and Sehgal discussed how the relatability factor of the show is so strong that very often, fans come up to them and talk as if they have known the actors for a long time. The lead pair are often complimented on their chemistry, which they believe is something that came to them naturally. Interestingly, they did not specifically discuss this off-camera or how to go about making their onscreen relationship look more authentic. Keeping all this in mind, it is understandable if you thought that the series depicts the experiences of an actual couple.
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