It is very interesting to explore stories from smaller towns: Samit Kakkad

Stories have been moving away from being set in big cities and metropolitans, to smaller towns and tier-II cities in the world of OTT dramas in India. Indori Ishq, the latest MX Player offering is the latest in a string of entertainers where the city also plays a supporting role in the narrative, along with the other characters.

In the recent past, shows like Panchayat, Bamfaad, Jamtara, Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humaare, Gullak, Mirzapur and Hasmukh, have showcased stories of middle-class people in small towns, focussing on their dreams, aspirations, struggles and reality. The fabric of these shows is starkly different from stories told in metropolitan and urban settings, and have a heart-warming, relatable quality about them.

Indori Ishq, on the modern-day dynamics of commitment and fidelity in a boy-girl relationship, is the first digital show by award-winning filmmaker Samit Kakkad, who is known for bringing gritty and edgy stories like Ashcharya Chak It, Aayna Ka Bayna and Half Ticket.

Kakkad says, “It is very interesting to explore stories from smaller towns, especially the Indian hinterlands. Tier-II cities like Indore, which has its own unique beauty, lend a lot of character and charm to a story. We are in an era of storytelling where people are open to watching shows and films inspired by and rooted in reality, instead of consuming aspirational content set in foreign locales. The audience wants to see more of the everyday man or woman who they can relate to. And we are happy about bringing such content with ‘Indori Ishq’.”

“The more the stories are being set in small towns, the more the digital platforms are being able to attract eyeballs from viewers in smaller towns,” Kakkad added.