Taj Mahal 1989 Review: A Nostalgic Journey About Love!

Taj Mahal 1989 is the new Netflix Original series released on Valentine’s day, and it stars Danish Hussain, Sheeba Chaddha, Anud Singh Dhaka, Anshul Chauhan, Shiri Sewani, Mihir Ahuja, Paras Priyadarshan, and Vasundhara Singh Rajput in primary roles. Set in the city of Nawabs, Lucknow, this series is a simple story about people from three different age-groups and their perception about love. The story is set through three main narratives and many smaller ones.

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[Spoilers Ahead] The first main plot of Taj Mahal 1989 reveals how a philosophy professor Akhtar Baig and his wife, Sarita Baig, a physics professor in the same university are trapped in a romance-less relationship and a monotonous life. The next is about a trio, Dharam, Rashmi, and Angad who are college students trying to sort out their lives- a complete mix of friendship, love, and changing relationships. Finally, Sudhakar Mishra and Mumtaz, a couple who is looked down upon by society because of their past.

Back in the late 80s when tinder or social media didn’t’ exist, love was all about communication, persistence, and involvement. Despite religious differences, Akhtar and Sarita fell in love and get married. Taj Mahal 1989 portrays the differences between the two. Akhtar was a lover of classical mushairas while Sarita adores commercial Bollywood films. Sarita lived in a world of fantasy whereas Akhtar was a strong believer in the present. But with days passing by, the love appeared to fade away. Sarita puts in all her efforts to rekindle the lost love, but in vain. The series also shows how the word ‘Divorce’ was a bad word back then.

I adored how the story about Sudhakar and Mumtaz was connected. It is narrated how the couple met in a brothel, fell in love with each other, and started living together despite being judged by society. They had me emotionally invested with their story, alongside their stellar performances.

Ultimately, the college trio who are stuck in a confusing situation. Being teenagers, they are unable to make proper decisions and end up facing dire consequences. The college politics, and how they affect the relationships between people were illustrated brilliantly. Dharam chooses to follow the goons and gets trapped in the greed for power losing all his friends and his love.

Angad stands by his friend and helps her win the college elections and also, is shown to be a selfless person when he takes care of Dharam’s injured brother. And, thus, my favorite had to be him. Rashmi, a pretty and bold girl takes a stand for herself and gets out of a toxic relationship. The young actors managed to carry out their roles remarkably.

Along with quite a few subplots, the last episode was heart touching where every character tells us what love meant to them. Love is trusting someone from the beginning. Love is when you miss someone. Love is friendship. The soundtrack of the series is melodious and the lyrics are powerful. Also, the small and cute doodles in a few scenes gave a unique flavor to the series.

The vintage cars, the old-style houses, the attires, and the dial phones did bring back a lot of nostalgic memories. And you might wonder why the name Taj Mahal? Well. There are references in the movie which would make you connect with the iconic monument which is one of the seven wonders on the world. Sudhakar builds a house for his wife Mumtaz and names it Mumtaz Mahal. Akhtar takes Sarita to the Taj Mahal for a second honeymoon to bring in the lost love and to stop the divorce from happening.

Has the meaning of love changed? Have we forgotten how to love? Are we moving so fast that we don’t have time to love? Watch this series for your answers and more. As iconic as the monument itself, this series is a nostalgic journey about love complemented by a well-written narrative. Watch ‘Taj Mahal 1989’ on Netflix here.

Taj Mahal 1989 Rating – 4/5 | Grade – A

Images via Netflix

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