When power of love breaks barriers

Nonika Singh

The man who has given us gooey notions of pyar-mohabbat, the one who makes love seem so surreal, the quintessential romantic Karan Johar comes up with a real slice of love storiyaan, pulsating with sincere emotions and true joy.

‘Love Storiyaan’, the docu-series of Dharmatic Entertainment, the digital arm of Dharma Productions, brings alive six love tales from across the country. Despite the larger-than-life backdrop of his cinema, producer-director KJO has rarely failed to keep his fingers on the pulse of his audiences. He has made us feel light in the heart and his production house’s offering about real couples, too, touches our heart.

Sourced in Love Project, founded by journalists Priya Ramani and Samar Halarnkar and writer Niloufer Venkatraman, the social media initiative celebrates love and marriage outside the shackles of faith, caste, ethnicity and gender. Expectedly, so do these relatable and heart-warming accounts of happily ever after.

What makes these stories remarkable is how each one is unique. The common thread is how all of these men and women (in love) have defied societal barriers and come out trumps. A divorced mother of two who has forgotten to see herself as a young woman, only as ‘do bachon ki maa’, finds love in the segment ‘An Unsuitable Girl’. Directed by Hardik Mehta, it sets the tone of what to expect from the rest. Moist-eyed, we move into yet another story. A divorced Christian radio jockey meets his match in a Hindu RJ from a rival channel. He quips, “What is a good love story without conflict?” Indeed!

This sure is a kaleidoscope of couples overcoming manmade borders of caste, marital status, religion, gender and countries. The heartening and heartfelt tales of ordinary men and women braving challenges and obstacles to be with their loved ones are not just suffused with that warm feeling of love. These also tell us about how our society can be both regressive and at the same time ahead of its time.

The episode ‘Homecoming’, of a Bangladeshi couple, one Hindu the other Muslim, directed by Shazia Iqbal says so much without being didactic. When their daughter shares how the couple moved to India for they thought here no one cares about what your caste or religion is, you want those raising the bogey of ‘love jihad’ to hear and pay heed. We are indeed best known for our inclusivity.

Directed by six different directors, the series is inclusive and covers a vast spectrum.

In a KJo production, can the LGBTQIA+ community be left behind? So the last segment, ‘Love Beyond Labels’, focuses on rather unusual soulmates: a transman and transwoman.

Each episode stands out for its spontaneity and relatability. Couples talk as normal couples do in life, with candor and without affectation. Even as the 71-year-old man goes around planting kisses on the cheeks of his wife, there is no artifice in his love. More than one expression of love warms the cockles of your heart. Of course, at times, the series does appear mission-oriented. But then, couples like this Brahmin IIT graduate and his Dalit wife (in ‘Raah Sangharsh Ki’) are enjoined by a common cause: welfare of tribals.

The larger goal of the series, to make us believe in love in its authentic spirit and splendor, remains its strongest suit. Following the docu-fiction format, where certain sections have been shot with actors, the directors’ intervention is apt, often ingenious. The songs, especially the lilting Bengali number in ‘Homecoming’, enhance the flavour of love. Though the series dropped on Amazon Prime Video on Valentine’s Day, you can watch it any day, any time.

If you have had enough of twisted and violent versions of love, check out ‘Love Storiyaan’. More power to such stories and those who understand what Bertrand Russell said, “Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.”

Watch these couples throw caution to the wind in pursuit of love, which is but the other name of happiness.