It Happened in Calcutta (Zee5 and ALTBalaji): A love saga from the golden age

Zee5, in association with ALTBalaji, is all set to premiere its upcoming original venture It Happened in Calcutta, and here is everything that you need to know about it.

It Happened in Calcutta is a touching story about love and separation, based in 1960 Calcutta, the city of joy. The plot revolves around an ambitious young woman, Kusum, who aspires to be a successful doctor and enrolls herself in Calcutta Medical College. It is there that she encounters the arrogant womanizer, Ronobir, who she eventually falls madly in love with.

It Happened in Calcutta (Zee5 and ALTBalaji): A love saga from the golden age 1
Source: ALTBalaji

The series follows their romantic journey as they face many trials and situational obstacles that test their relationship. It is a saga oscillating between love and separation, while also touching upon pertinent events of the time, particularly the cholera epidemic and the 1970s war that devastated the country. A love blooming amidst tragedy, as producer Ekta Kapoor describes it.

Small screen actor Karan Kundrra is set to play the flamboyant, Ronobir; while model and newbie Naghma Rizwan will make her digital debut by portraying the role of Kusum. Ekta Kapoor divulged that Rizwan emerged as the right choice for the role, amongst 300 auditioners.

On 30 January, Zee5 made an official cast announcement for the web series, via twitter. Character posters have been released starring Naghma Rizwan, Karan Kundrra and Ivan Rodrigues:

On 14 February, ALTBalaji released a full-length trailer and a premiere date for It Happened in Calcutta via a tweet that read as follows:

They say we are what our choices and experiences make us AND all is fair in love and war. But what if it all happens at the same time?Ronobir AND Kusum’s love blossomed at a time when India was grappling with war, epidemic & political unrest.

ALTBalaji, Twitter.

The trailer is a clear depiction of all that transpired in 1960s Calcutta, the political unrest and war that the country was facing, as well as the cholera epidemic that had plagued the country. During a time of hopelessness, comes a spark of light in the form of the ambitious Kusum, a doctor-to-be who falls in love with notorious womanizer Ronobir, a fellow medical student.

It Happened in Calcutta (Zee5 and ALTBalaji): A love saga from the golden age 2
Source: ALTBalaji Trailer, YouTube

Flash forward to 9 years later, they never got their happy ever after. The country is still at war and the epidemic is at an all time high. Ronobir is a successful doctor who is back in Calcutta, after making it big in London. Assigned to the same facility as Kusum, he seems to have forgotten her at first and she is torn, feeling the bouts of betrayal settle in.

What does this entail for the star-crossed lovers? Will Kusum have it in her heart to forgive Ronobir, as the latter believes that fate has given them a second chance? Or will the devastation brought about by the war and the epidemic destroy their shot at happiness?

This leap year take a leap of faith in LOVE!

ALTBalaji, Twitter.

It Happened in Calcutta is directed by Ken Ghosh and premieres 29 February, 2020, on Zee5. Watch the trailer here:


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