Pyaar Actually Review

Pyaar Actually is an OTT anthology that takes a contemporary look at love, intimacy and relationships. Reminiscent of Love Actually, one of the greatest rom-coms ever made, Pyaar Actually too tells different stories with character arcs intertwined in small and surprising ways.

Produced by the Diamond Producers Association (DPA), in collaboration with Wavemaker and Hotstar, the interlinked stories showcase different kinds of love, across relationships and generations. Each story represent a different stage of love – from a couple that's just started dating to one that's about to get married. Another couple is on the cusp of parenthood and the fourth has been married for over forty years. When you think of real love, can natural diamonds be far off?

A natural diamond stands for strength and resilience. As is evident from the stories of Pyaar Actually, these are virtues that are essential to relationships. That's probably why natural diamonds have always been integral to love stories. We think of them not only when celebrating milestones in relationships but also during moments that build a strong foundation for the most important relationships of life.

Pyaar Actually covers various aspects of relationships – right from adoption to step parenting, a second marriage and feminism. The first story revolves around a couple about to get married, when their relationship is put to test on their wedding day. What's refreshing is that the crisis is handled not with tears but with a mature dose of humour. This peculiar ending sets the tone for the rest of the series. The writing too moves away from the mundane to a wave of new traditions and rules.

Another story speaks about a 5-year-old child trying to accept his adopted sibling while learning that his parents will always love him the same way. We also delve into the world of a sexagenarian desperately attempting to understand wokeness, not for academic reasons but to earn the approval of his lady love of forty years. There's a couple dealing with trauma, and a proposal unlike any you've ever seen before.

The anthology boasts of a stellar cast comprising of Bhumi Pednekar, Saqib Salim, Mandira Bedi, Riteish Deshmukh, Dipannita Sharma, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Anya Singh, Dino Morea, Supriya Pilgaonkar and Saurabh Shukla, and the performances hit home. It's great to see Riteish Deshmukh, looking as boyish and earnest as he always has and playing the indulgent father of a sulky pre-teen. Bhumi Pednekar plays a radio jockey who's also a bride-to-be, and if you haven't really paid heed to her voice earlier, this one will make you do so. She brings those acting chops to the fore and impresses like she always does. These stories highlight how natural diamonds play a vital role in celebrating the most important aspects of life which are not usually marked on a calendar of dates.

The performance that steals the show, was that of Supriya Pilgaonkar and she literally rocks it as the 60-something year old trying to follow her passion in life, that of being a stand-up comedian. Ably supported by Saurabh Shukla, this is the story that rounds off the collection, and will possibly have you crying just a little.

Pyaar Actually is an absolute cute-fest and the 40-odd minutes of storytelling is a breeze to watch on a lazy weekend afternoon, holed up in bed with someone you love.

It leaves you thinking about how, as we go about our everyday chores, we end up missing the real and rare moments of life. So, let's raise a toast to the little moments that celebrate love in a usual yet unusual manner, something that's much required in the world of content marketing. It's safe to say that today, finding authentic moments of love is just like finding a natural diamond in the rough.