While conceptualizing ‘College Romance’, the creative team at TVF seemed to be clear about one thing. They would stick to the theme of the show faithfully and would refrain from touching upon other aspects of college life. That explains why you don’t see any of the characters in the show attending classes, doing assignments or dealing with the kind of stress that is an intrinsic part of college life. The first season of ‘College Romance’, which dropped on TVF Play, was a roaring success. The second season was picked up by Sony LIV for streaming and the third season has arrived on the same platform.
The second season of the show concluded with Naira (Apoorva Arora) leaving for the United States to pursue her studies. While her boyfriend Bagga (Gangan Arora) is heartbroken to hear this news, the two of them decide to figure out a way to make their long-distance relationship work. Karan’s (Keshav Sadhna) takes an interesting turn as he receives a subtle proposal from his junior Dhatrpriya/DP. Meanwhile, a young man named Harman/Harry (Eklavey Kashyap) joins the college and forges a bond with Deepika (Shreya Mehta).
As the first episode comes to an end, you feel that the theme of the entire season has been established. You assume that this particular season will focus on the long-distance relationship between Naira and Bagga. What you don’t realize at this point is that there are several surprises in store for you. While this season maintains the essence of the earlier seasons, you also see the narrative getting more mature. The show deals with several important themes, like homosexuality and acceptance, in a delightful manner.
What also keeps you hooked as a viewer are the twists and turns placed neatly in each of the five episodes. Even when some of the episodes deal with serious issues or incidents, the writers make it a point to ensure a sweet little twist that would bring a smile to your face. Each of the five episodes is roughly 30-minute long and the pace is so good that you can watch the entire season in one go.
One of the strengths of the show has been its casting. Gagan Arora lends a sense of buffoonery and rustic charm to its character that greatly works in its favour. Apoorva Arora has a wonderful screen presence and her character arc in this season is very interesting. Watch out for her performance in the last episode. Keshav Sadhna looks charming and performs well. Nupur Nagpal goes overboard at times but leaves a mark in most of the scenes. Shreya Mehta plays her role with sincerity and does a good job at exploring the various shades which we did not see in Deepika in the earlier seasons. Eklavey Kashyap delivers a supremely confident performance. Jahnvi Rawat plays her character with a certain degree of sensitivity.
Just like the earlier seasons, the third season of ‘College Romance’ ends on a high and keenly looks forward to seeing how this group of friends deal with the issues in their lives and the kind of adventures or misadventures they go through. There was a gap of almost two years between the second and the third season. One just hopes one wouldn’t have to wait that long for the fourth season to arrive.