Modern Love: Mumbai narrates six different stories of love from different parts of Mumbai, with the city itself central to each of the narratives. The anthology series is now streaming on Prime Video.
Story
Each episode follows a different storyline. Raat Rani is about a cook named Lali (Fatima Sana Shaikh), whose husband leaves her suddenly one fine day and she struggles to come to terms with this.
Baai revolves around Manzu (Pratik Gandhi), who grapples with how to break it to his grandmother, who is an orthodox woman, that he is gay.
In Mumbai Dragon, Sui (Yeo Yann Yann) is a doting mother who showers her love on her son Ming (Meiyang Chang) through the food she cooks. When she finds out that he has a girlfriend named Megha (Wamiqa Gabbi), she feels threatened with losing her son.
My Beautiful Wrinkles follows Dilbar (Sarika), who is the subject of fantasy for a man younger than her by 30 years. She feels guilty due to a certain incident from her past.
Saiba (Masaba Gupta) is looking for the perfect modern man in ‘I Love Thane’. However, she finds herself allured to Parth (Ritwik Bhowmik), who is the polar opposite.
In the final episode, Cutting Chai, Latika (Chitrangada Singh) finds herself questioning where her life would be had she made different choices in life. It also ties up the other storylines.
Performances
The series boasts of an extremely solid cast and is littered with strong performances. Pratik Babbar successfully captures Manzu’s struggle for acceptance from not only society but his own family. Chef Ranveer Brar also pleasantly surprises with his turn acting.
Yeo Yann Yann, Meiyang Chang and Wamiqa Gabbi hold their own in perhaps the most unique plotline out of all the stories, which puts another culture in the spotlight. Naseeruddin Shah shows his excellence, as usual, with a cameo.
Masaba Gupta and Ritwik Bhowmik have undeniable chemistry, which makes the episode an engaging watch.
However, Arshad Warsi, who plays Danny in Cutting Chai, and Chitrangada Singh steal the show in the most enjoyable episode of them all.
The way they complement each other in an extremely imaginative storyline is certainly a treat, as is watching the two headline together.
Positives
Other than the obvious strength of casting incredible actors, Modern Love: Mumbai has a lot going for it.
Each episode has raw glimpses of the city, which makes the series easy on the eye. Different areas of the city end up becoming characters in themselves.
The pacing of the episodes is optimal. Even at 40 minutes, each episode introduces, explores and concludes the narrative successfully.
The diversity of the stories is quite obvious, with not even a hint of repetition. Even so, the stories are inherently connected by the city, which is addressed during the climax.
It does not dwell on the definition of love. Right from a parent’s love for their child to a woman’s love for her cycle, it does not tie down the meaning of the word. This allows for an exploration of distinct scenarios without being limited.
The six directors; Shonali Bose, Hansal Mehta, Vishal Bhardwaj, Alankrita Shrivastava, Dhruv Sehgal, and Nupur Asthana, manage to tell stories that are sure to touch numerous souls.
Negatives
Some episodes, such as Mumbai Dragon and Cutting Chai, are stronger than others. Not all hold your attention with the same consistency.
Verdict
Modern Love: Mumbai isn’t the quintessential love story. The word love morphs into a plethora of meanings with one commonality; the characters’ adoration for the city of dreams.
Overall, it is definitely a breezy watch and should make the binge list of most avid viewers.
Rating: 4/5
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