From love triangles in ‘Student Of The Year’ to a Parisian glow-up arc in ‘Queen,’ here are the desi connections the teenage drama series reminds us of
Congratulations are in order for team Conrad. Following a month-long emotional rollercoaster, the penultimate episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty finally saw the internet’s new black cat boyfriend reunite with Belly in Paris. The cinematic parallels and callbacks from earlier seasons had viewers cheering in unison (cope, Jelly shippers), at both IRL and online themed watch parties, even as this season’s uneven pacing and meandering direction left many longtime fans of the show frustrated. And turns out, it wasn’t even the actual finale—that’s going to be all tied up in an upcoming feature film, set to be written and directed by Jenny Han, the series’s author and showrunner. Psych.
Still, this show did give us weeks’ worth of group chat fodder. From justifying who should be endgame to identifying easter eggs in each episode, the teenage drama series had the audience in a chokehold. Be it love triangles, codependent relationships, summertime nostalgia, or that godforsaken dark chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, the plot was a mixed bag of romantic tropes shoved into one. The official soundtrack—ranging from songs by Fleetwood Mac, Olivia Rodrigo, Chapell Roan, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift— also served as the emotional score for each episode, from Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends (wait for your love)” mirroring all of Belly’s suppressed memories of Conrad, to Taylor Swift’s “Dress” flooding the screen during the finale sex scene, echoing the years of buildup and unspoken longing that culiminate in the moment.
Of course, Indian fans are already busy dream casting a potential Bollywood adaptation and whipping out desi Bonrad edits featuring syrupy songs like “Maula Mere Maula” or “Ishq Wala Love.”
But if you look hard enough, you’ll probably see some eerily similar parallels from your favorite Bollywood film. Whether it’s longing gazes, larger-than-life love confessions, or drama-fuelled conflicts, Belly’s arc isn’t breaking new ground for desi viewers; it’s basically a rerun of a movie you’ve definitely seen before, probably featuring the OG yearner, Shah Rukh Khan.
Isabel Conklin, how you would’ve hated rakhis.
Queen: Paris And Coming-Of-Age
Rani (Kangana Ranaut) walked so that Belly could run. In a kind of UNO reverse situation, her fiancé walking away from the wedding pushes Rani to discover herself in the bylanes of Paris. Free from the shackles of her restrictive Indian upbringing, she pieces her identity together—be it by bunking with three men in Amsterdam, or beating a French chef with the power of friendship and pani puris. Similarly, Belly, whose entire life revolved around the beach house, finally gets a taste of autonomy, friendship, and independence. Creating a life that they could truly call their own, both Rani and Belly transform their rock bottom into something substantial—with a Parisian twist, of course.
Student Of The Year- Love Triangles Galore
Factions were formed way before Team Conrad and Jeremiah, thanks to this film. In typical Bollywood fashion, a rich manchild, Rohan (Varun Dhawan), and a middle-class hunk, Abhimanyu ((Sidharth Malhotra), vie for the attention of the college sweetheart, Shanaya (Alia Bhatt). What follows is a two-hour run time of will-they-won’t they, followed by the existential confusion of choosing “the one.” Shanaya having a full-blown crisis mid-dance sequence as she sways from Abhimanyu to Rohan? It’s giving Belly tripping on edibles, playing a Conrad montage in her head a day before her wedding. Even Karan Johar took to Instagram stories to post the parallel, inviting an onslaught of trolling his way.
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan: A Brotherly Affair
Turns out, brothers pining after the same girl is not just a Fisher specialty. In the 2011 romantic comedy, Kush (Imran Khan) finds the perfect bride, Dimple Dixit (Katrina Kaif), for his elder brother Luv (Ali Zafar). In a predictable turn of events, Kush too ends up falling for Dimple, confessing his undying love days before the wedding. While one can argue that Conrad’s unparalleled yearning spans 11 episodes, Imran Khan’s boyish charm, coupled with Katrina Kaif’s rebellious spark, is enough to wrap this topsy-turvy love story in two hours.
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehena: Train Stations And Endgames
Both Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehena (KANK) and The Summer I Turned Pretty (TSITP) explore murky aspects of infidelity through morally grey characters. From Adam to Jeremiah, Steven to Taylor, cheating seems to be the silent main character that propels the plot. Likewise, in KANK, Dev (Shah Rukh Khan) and Maya (Rani Mukherji) engage in an extramarital affair. Even through failed marriages, friendships, and relationships, the ending has them reuniting at the train station, confessing their messy but undeniably real love for each other. Likewise, TSITP presents flawed choices spanning generations, followed by a heightened love confession inside a train compartment. While this is not to glorify cheating, both stories illuminate the unsaid intricacies of romantic complexities.
Love Aaj Kal: Right Person, Wrong Time
Lana Del Rey surely was onto something when she penned “When you know, you know.” Love Aaj Kal captures that very sentiment through the love story of Jaivardhan Singh (Saif Ali Khan) and Meera Pandit (Deepika Padukone), two individuals who always find their way back to each other, past breakups, different cities, and even full-fledged relationships. Shuttling across the past and present, the movie celebrates love not just through grand gestures, but through distance, conflict, and emotional entanglements. It’s only after Meera’s marriage rituals that Jai finally confronts the weight of his feelings for her, while she listens quietly. Timing is their worst enemy, but also their guiding light. Eventually, they both realize they were meant to be, in a moment that feels like déjà vu with Belly and Conrad. Even though they’re across coasts and at different stages of life, an infinitesimal bond—one that defies logic, timing, or circumstance—tethers them to each other. Some love stories don’t follow linear patterns; they’re inevitable.