Naman Shrestha
The Indian docu-series, ‘Amazon Prime’s ‘Love Storiyaan,’ takes us on captivating journeys of six different couples who come together in spite of coming from different walks of life and having entirely opposite cultural backgrounds. Their unique and triumphant love stories underscore the power of love and its ability to give individuals the strength to overcome any difficulty and challenge.
Celebrating the strength of love, the show dedicates a single episode to each couple in order to chronicle their journey and how they conquered various obstacles just to be with each other. Apart from instilling a sense of wholesomeness, the love stories displayed in the series also raise a few questions in the minds of the viewers — is ‘Love Storiyaan’ inspired by real-life couples and their stories?
Love Storiyaan is a Compilation of True Indian Love Stories
Yes, ‘Love Storiyaan’ is based on different true stories. In particular, the docuseries takes inspiration from a social media community called India Love Project and features the couples who were a part of the community. Founded by former Indian journalists Priya Ramani, Samar Halarnkar, and Niloufer Venkatraman, the community encourages the celebration of love in all its forms. What makes the series all the more authentic is the fact that the episodes were helmed by directors who could relate to the stories they were bringing to the screen. This allowed them to give the episodes a personal touch, adding some insights to every story thanks to their experiences.
All six directors — Akshay Indikar, Archana Phadke, Collin D’Cunha, Hardik Mehta, Shazia Iqbal, and Vivek Soni — worked on episodes with the real-life protagonists, with whom they had some similarities. Somen Mishra, who curated and conceptualized the entire show, chose the directors intentionally so that the true stories resonated with each of them and fueled them to create a spectacle of love. Challenging some real-life obstacles that love might face in Indian society, ‘Love Storiyaan,’ through touching upon authentic love stories, also transcends the boundaries and norms set by society. The resonating stories of love are likely to work as a hug to the viewers and make for a feel-good watch.
Somen Mishra was reportedly thinking of making the series a fictional one but when he really gave it a thought, he decided to refer to real-life couples and showcase their authentic tales instead. During a conversation with the Hindu, Somen said, “There have been quite a few anthologies already, and I think it’s more exciting to feature real people who have fought against the odds.” It turned out to be an inspired choice as the show is impactful and eye-opening. For instance, one of the directors of the show, Akshay Indikar, is Marathi and hails from the Dalit community. Since he had an intercaste marriage himself, he was the perfect fit to helm the episode involving the love story of Subhadra and Rahul.
In the eyes of Indikar, their story was not just focused on the way they found each other but also on how they shared their passion for a cause. He stated, “They have dedicated their lives to the upliftment of others. I wanted to document their struggles and strength.” As for the award-winning director Shazia Iqbal, she instantly resonated with a Kolkata-based real-life couple in their 70s, the Sahas. The couple had met during the Bangladesh Liberation Movement in 1971 and after falling in love, they left their families behind to live out their lives together. When it comes to the love story of Dhanya and Homayon, who fell in love while studying in Moscow, it was brought to life by Archana Phadke.
In essence, the case of Aekta Kapoor and Ullekh N.P. was that of a North Indian meets South Indian love story, something that director Hardik Mehta could relate to himself. He revealed, “Mine is also a love marriage that involved a bunch of Gujaratis traveling for two days in the Sabarmati Express to Lucknow.” Rivals turned into lovers, Nicholas J. Kharnami and Rajani K. Chhetri used to work for rival radio stations before one of the listeners introduced them to each other. Their story was directed by Vivek Soni. Director Collin D’Cunha took over the responsibility of bringing the emotional love story of Kolkata residents Tista Das and Dipan to life. Thus, by straying away from including the elements of fictional storytelling, ‘Love Storiyaan’ remains authentic and raw.
Read More: Best Older Man Younger Woman Romance Movies on Netflix
