Amazon's Indian version of 'Modern Love' coming in May

'Modern Love Mumbai' is the first of three Indian versions inspired by the hit American series

'Modern Love Mumbai' is the first of three Indian adaptations of the hit Amazon series 'Modern Love' set in New York City. Photo: Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video on Monday unveiled the first batch of titles for its Indian adaptation of the hit series Modern Love. The Emmy-nominated anthology, inspired by a New York Times column of the same name, features uplifting love stories set in New York City.

Modern Love Mumbai is the first of three Indian adaptations, set to begin streaming globally on May 13, with Modern Love Hyderabad and Modern Love Chennai to follow.

The show will feature six short stories by acclaimed Indian directors including Shonali Bose, known for films such as Margarita With a Straw and The Sky is Pink, Hansal Mehta (Shahid, Aligarh), Vishal Bhardwaj (Maqbool, Omkara) and Alankrita Shrivastava (Lipstick Under my Burkha, Made in Heaven).

Actor and writer Dhruv Sehgal, who starred in Netflix series Little Things, will also direct, while Nupur Asthana, who made her debut with the 2011 Bollywood film Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, rounds up the list.

The show will also mark the acting debut of celebrity chef Ranveer Brar, who's also a judge on MasterChef India, in an episode directed by Mehta called Baai. Fashion designer Masaba Gupta, who made her acting debut in the 2020 Netflix series Masaba Masaba, will star in a short by Sehgal called I Love Thane, along with Prateik Babbar and Dolly Singh.

"You're going to love what we have coming up," Gupta teased her fans on Instagram, along with a poster of the show.

Other titles in the anthology feature actors Fatima Sana Shaikh, in an episode called Raat Rani, Chitrangda Singh and Arshad Warsi in Asthana's Cutting Chai, and Indian-Chinese actor Meiyang Chang in Bhardwaj's Mumbai Dragon. Tanvi Azmi stars in Shrivastava's My Beautiful Wrinkles.

"Modern Love Mumbai features a bouquet of six heart-warming, lyrical stories that explore love in its many forms and together all the stories represent a unique love affair with the poly-cultural city of Mumbai," says Aparna Purohit, head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video. "We are certain that these stories will add hope, humour and some sunshine into your lives."

Producer Pritish Nandy said the series is an ode to Mumbai's charm.

"With the most wonderful cast of Indian and international actors and some of the finest directors, writers and music creators that we have today, Modern Love Mumbai beautifully negotiates through the different shades of love that Mumbai, the city of dreams, throws up and celebrates. I am confident that every story in this anthology series will tug at and win the audiences’ hearts," he said.

Modern Love Mumbai will premiere on May 13 on Amazon Prime Video