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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.

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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...

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