What do you think are the first traces of romance? Flirtatious gazes, interlocking of eyes, or the first heated interaction which is ultimately sexy. Pretty much every seemingly romantic show or movie installed this idea into our heads. Until you’ve watched I Love Thane, a chapter from Modern Love Mumbai.
Amazon Prime Video recently took us on a journey of discovering all sorts of love in its six-episode anthology Modern Love Mumbai which houses a plethora of talent right from the directors to the actors on screen.
An episode that hit home, I Love Thane stars Masaba Gupta as Saiba and Rithvik Bhowmick as Parth, and isn’t about the grand gestures but about seeking comfort in someone amidst the daily humdrum of life.
You won’t find the obvious signs of romance the moment you set your gaze on Parth and Saiba. There’s no instant spark that would make you root for them right from the first frame but once you allow the story to grow on you, you’ll want to hear more of their conversations and feel like you’re strolling down the same street with them.
Saiba, the 34-year-old landscape architect is trapped in a dating app loop and is often met with self-doubt and humiliation as she herself admits in one of the scenes.
She naturally then meets Parth, an audit officer for a project and she lets go of her inhibitions while unintentionally engaging in warm conversations with him, which is when their stillness starts to move us.
The beauty of their situationship, as I saw it, was that they weren’t ‘trying’ to impress each other; instead, they were simply being themselves which led them to achieve something they least expected.
That’s when you start rooting for their ‘situationship’ to turn into a relationship.
Call it sheer luck that the universe orchestrated their paths to cross daily, giving them ample time to recognise what they felt for each other which allowed their connection to develop without the pressure of running out of time.
So goodbyes were never sad; rather, they only intensified the excitement of seeing each other’s faces again the next day. Meanwhile, they shared those little moments which would make you smile, just like them.
Anyone who’s been through the lane of finding love via dating apps knows the pressure of being and behaving flawlessly in front of their dates; so, with Parth, Saiba felt liberated and we could sense it too.
ALSO… Masaba’s character in I Love Thane brought the most underappreciated compliment to the mainstream and we’re glad it happened.
And just when you think that Saiba’s energy would exhaust her yet again, pulling them apart, Parth does something that convinces us that this isn’t a one-sided chase.
It is indeed beautiful when you don’t jostle for attention, don’t dress to impress someone, and essentially, don’t allow the silence to turn awkward. The lucky ones make their connections in a jiffy while others are in endless pursuit of the same.
Also read: This Mother’s Conversation With Her Gay Son’s Partner In ‘Modern Love Mumbai’ Is A Lesson For All
All images are screenshots from Amazon Prime Video.