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Disney+ Hotstar India series “Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar” has emerged as the platform’s most-watched show of 2024, setting new benchmarks in its first 16 days of streaming. The Hindi-language drama also has the highest subscriber count for any show on the platform in the past four years.

Set in India’s heartland, the series features newcomers Dhaval Thakur and Sanchita Bashu in lead roles, alongside established actors Aniruddha Dave and Kapil Kanpuriya. The show comes from writer Kamal Pandey and is produced by Sachin Pandey’s Bombay Show Studios, with Shraddha Pasi Jairath directing.

“Our vision for the show was to resonate with the emotions and experiences of today’s youth while presenting it with a contemporary production style and it has exceeded all our expectations. This show has also served as a platform for emerging talent such as Dhaval Thakur and Sanchita Bashu, to showcase their craft, which has truly captivated our audience.

Don’t get fooled by the title of the new Disney+ Hotstar original. Thukra ke Mera Pyaar does sound like a Bollywood-ish movie, but at its core it is a take on the caste politics of the Hindi Belt of India and how it affects people. Even though it is a surface-level critique, a conversation on how caste discrimination is still a norm in many places has to be a welcome change. Thukra ke Mera Pyaar is a love story of two college-going youngsters with their respective castes existing in the backdrop. As a result, there are several characters that influence their relationship, in a manner that might or might not lead to them breaking up.

Kuldeep Kumar

Dhaval Thakur portrays the role of Kuldeep Kumar, the oldest son to his parents. His father spends every penny he earns on his son’s education and makes sure he rises above...

Modern Love: Mumbai (Amazon Prime Video)

Six films directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Hansal Mehta, Nupur Asthana, Vishal Bharadwaj, Dhruv Sehgal, Shonali Bose

Three of the six films—we can’t call them episodes as they are all self-contained independent narratives—are absolute winners. The stand-out films here are clearly Hansal Mehta’s BaaiVishal Bhardwaj’s Mumbai Dragon and Shonali Bose’s Raat RaniThe last being special for Fatima Sana Shaikh’s rousing performance, but more on that later.

Hansal Mehta’s Baai features Pratik Gandhi as the scion of a conservative Muslim family struggling in the closet. Rich in ambiance and brimming with romance music and elegance Baai is a classic representation of what can be done in the Ott space if a filmmaker has his heart set on it. While Pratik and debutant Ranveer Brar are splendidly paired as lovers, Baai brims over with wonderful actors in even the smallest part; for example,...