After a successful run of Modern Love Mumbai, Amazon Prime Video is gearing up for its second edition of the localised and fictionalised version of the famous international series, titled Modern Love Hyderabad.
One of the episodes, titled My Unlikely Pandemic Dream Partner brings together two powerhouse actors, Revathy and Nithya Menen, and is directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The story explores a special bond between the lead actors’ characters.
Set in the heart of Hyderabad — as director Nagesh Kukunoor says — the episode marries his two loves: the old-world charm of Hyderabad and local cuisine. Interestingly, the famed Hyderabadi cuisine apparently bowled Nithya Menen over so much that she even tasted non-vegetarian food.
“I had been practising vegetarianism for a while, and when I told the team about it, they were amazed (sic),” said Nithya Menen and explained that the chef, who was invited to cook the Hyderabadi delicacies, also made vegetarian versions of those dishes for the shoot. “There was so much Hyderabadi food... Finally, at one point, I was like, just give me the chicken, I’ll just eat it, it’s fine, I have to look authentic. So literally, I keep telling them, they turned me into a non-vegetarian. There was too much to eat (sic)!”
Incidentally, it was one of those episodes where the cast and crew would wait for the cut and run to the dining tables to gorge on the Hyderabadi feast, which included the famous biryani to Khubani-ka-Meetha.
Set against the backdrop of the ‘City of Pearls’, the series features six heartening stories exploring different shades and relationships of love. Modern Love Hyderabad is set for global premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 8.
The cast of Modern Love Hyderabad also includes popular names like Suhasini Maniratnam, Naresh, Aadhi Pinisetty, Ritu Varma, Abijeet Duddala, Malavika Nair, Naresh Agastya, and Ulka Gupta.