THE YOUNG ROMANCE WAVE

WITH A SPATE OF FOREIGN FILMS AND SHOWS ABOUT YOUNG ADULTS GAINING TRACTION, PRODUCERS ARE SPOTLIGHTING LOCAL VARIANTS THAT TELL THE STORY OF INDIA'S YOUTH

- By Suhani Singh

In September, hundreds showed up at The Nines, a spacious restaurant in Mumbai, to find out which one of the Fisher brothers Isabel Conklin aka Belly would pick to be her bae.

The trio, projected in all their bronzy glitz above the seated viewers, are the leads of The Summer I Turned Pretty (TSITP), a show about school crushes, love triangles, heartbreaks, yearning and other experiences that apparently make teenagers swoon helplessly. And so it was that its 75-minute season finale was screened with all the pomp and aplomb its dedicated fan base deserved. The Nines was dressed to the nines—mirroring the beachside setting of the show, while a DIY charm bracelet stall was set up to echo the one given to Belly by a loving mother figure. The centrepiece was a two-tier dark chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis filling and glossy mirror glaze made from 70 per cent cacao—to reflect the precise wedding cake that the younger Fisher brother, Jeremiah, wanted for himself. Some viewers hoped that Belly would choose him (team Jeremiah/#Jellyfishers) and others that she'd go for the elder one, Conrad (team Conrad/#Bonrad). Gasps, cheers, awws and screams filled The Nines through the episode and viewers walked away reassured that they need not say goodbye just yet—the characters will return in a newly announced movie.