Musafir Cafe Story
Based on Divya Prakash Dubey’s eponymous Hindi novel, Musafir Café revolves around the lives of three young individuals, who discover love and its many findings against their own aspirations. Chander (Vikrant Massey) is a software engineer who hopes to escape the mundanity of a routine life and open the café of his dreams. Sudha (Vedika Pinto) is a sprightly divorce lawyer who wants to further her ambitions in Mumbai, away from the confines of Bhopal. Preeti (Mahima Makwana) yearns for love while being persistent about her passion for travelling. How their lives intertwine and steer its course when Cupid strikes, unexpectedly, is what forms the premise of this 8-part series.
Musafir Cafe Review
Created and written by Sharanya Rajgopal and Ruchir Arun, Musafir Café is a breezy departure from the brazen overload of guns, violence and scripted reality that has plagued the Indian OTT space, lately. Shot exquisitely in Bhopal and Mussoorie by Aniruddha Patankar, the series is a revelation of journeys that shape personalities while love serves as the catalyst. With three solid central characters, viewers are likely to find versions of themselves as they tag alongside Chander, Sudha and Preeti in their exploration.
Although the pacing is worrisome and you’d surely argue that the series could’ve been condensed into a film, Arun’s able direction and indulgent treatment of his characters is what fleshes out the series in its entirety. With the supporting cast including Adil Hussain, Rajeev Siddhartha, Anubha Fatehpuria, Loveleen Mishra and Sadiya Siddiqui also in the mix, the series delves into finding one’s purpose and resolve.
Although, it must be noted that Makwana’s Preeti is dealt with lesser screentime as the series indulges in the timeline between Massey’s Chander and Pinto’s Sudha more favourably. Which may seem essential to be fair, considering both characters are different individuals when they first meet. Sudha is uncompromising on herself while Chander is happy to play along as long as his mother isn’t nagging him, when they initially meet following an arranged marriage set-up. Given the rush of first love, it’s obvious that Massey finds better chemistry with Pinto than he musters affection for Makwana.
Vikrant Massey and Mahima Makwana in Musafir Cafe
The cadence between Chander and Sudha’s initial exchanges over copious servings of tea and coffee is wholesome and comforting. To be fair, Preeti comes into her own when she is urged to look beyond playing second fiddle in her own story. That all three leads are compelling in their individual right, is what makes Musafir Café, a competent watch.
The background score by Neel Adhikari and the music compiled by Adhikari, Garvit-Priyansh and Raghav Kaushik infuse warmth and add heft to the narrative. But frankly, the series could’ve been shorter, if the indulgences were trimmed.
Musafir Cafe verdict
Musafir Café is a welcome diversion if you choose to clock out briefly from keeping abreast with everything unfolding in the country, currently.
