NEW DELHI: Even as the national spotlight swings back to the Taj Mahal, ahead of a state visit to India by Donald and Melania Trump and their pit-stop at the monument of love today, Netflix has its own Taj story up its sleeve, er, list. The streaming service dropped Taj Mahal 1989, a new series set in that year, which traces the twisted paths of love and where they lead. Maybe the First Lady will watch it on the flight over.
Taj Mahal 1989, which sees the monument to love as the backdrop to various love stories and so was naturally released on Valentine’s Day, stars Neeraj Kabi, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Danish Hussain, Sheeba Chaddha, Paras Priyadarshan, Anshul Chauhan, Anud Singh Dhaka, Shirin Sewani, Mihir Ahuja, and Vasundhra Rajput, among others. Clearly hoping to be lucky for love, the series has seven episodes, which sees all the action (literal as well as metaphorical) take place around Lucknow University, with the faculty as well as students figuring out the minutiae of love, friendship and relationships.
In case love isn’t enough of a seller, the show also relies heavily on nostalgia through its showcasing of cassette tapes (remember those?), Rasna commercials (where did that go we wonder, while sipping on Minute Maid) and old currency notes (which were far more distinctive than the polymer circulating today). There are also the ubiquitous shots of ulta tawa ka paratha and Tunday kebabs being made so that you don’t forget this is Lucknow. And really, what’s the beef with that?
Bara Imambara, Aminabad, and Rumi Darwaza loom large in the background, and as might be expected, Neeraj Kabi and his narratorial voice (which, much like Nick Offerman’s, is akin to honey poured over an Oak tree stump during a thunderstorm) carry the series. That being said, check out this series for old-timey feels in a not new format.
The Plot
The series sees all the action take place around Lucknow University, with the faculty as well as students figuring out the minutiae of love and friendship.