Sweet Dreams Producer Pranjal Khandhdiya explores a fresh take on romance in the digital age: "not a simple boy meet girl and falling in love, but it's about 2 people..." |Exclusive

Producer Pranjal Khandhdiya

Sweet Dreams is a fresh and unique romantic drama, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, that offers a compelling storyline that resonates with today’s generation. In an era where virtual connections and dating apps have become common platforms for finding love, Sweet Dreams explores an unconventional premise. The film follows the journey of two strangers who meet and fall in love in their dreams, only to face the challenge of connecting in the real world.

Starring Amol Parashar and Mithila Palkar, the film's plot highlights the complexities of navigating relationships in an increasingly digital and disconnected world, making it a timely and relatable story for audiences today.

In an exclusive interview with Money Control, producer Pranjal Khandhdiya discussed what sets Sweet Dreams apart from typical romantic comedies. He shared insights on how the film's narrative explores the tension between fantasy and reality, and how it offers a thought-provoking yet lighthearted look at modern love.

Pranjal Khandhdiya shared his thoughts on how Sweet Dreams could resonate with today's generation, particularly with the rise of dating apps and online platforms for meeting new people. Reflecting on the current state of romantic films, he pointed out that it's been quite some time since young rom-coms, campus stories, and college romances were made, genres that were so beloved in the '90s. He noted that the shift away from such films happened because many of today’s actors are in a certain age bracket and often choose roles that are more mature and action-packed, as they are believed to bring in bigger box-office numbers. As a result, rom-coms have become less common.

Pranjal mentioned that this lack of fresh romantic comedy stories is why he’s always on the lookout for unique rom-com subjects. He emphasized that Sweet Dreams isn’t just a typical "boy meets girl" story. Instead, it offers a distinctive twist—two people who fall in love through their shared dreams, a concept that sets it apart from traditional love stories.

Talking about the possibility of the movie resonating with the current generation, he said, "This generation that we are talking about, the young audience, the millennials, the gen z's, what is happening is that when that's something that we all witnessed that because we have far too many options, because we have far too many possibilities. The burnout ratio, the losing interest is also that much more higher, you know, in any relationship or any commitment, be it at workplace, be it in a romantic relationship or anywhere. You know, everybody feels that fatigue because everybody is overworked, everybody is chasing dreams, everybody is running behind their target. So somewhere what we are doing is we are missing out on enjoying the reality."

Since he has also been an independent producer for films like Kaccha Limbu, Dhak Dhak, and Rashmi Rocket he further spoke the nuances of making independent films.

Pranjal reminisced about his time working as an independent producer, particularly during the challenging COVID-19 lockdown while filming Rashmi Rocket with Taapsee Pannu. He shared that, at the time, he had fully invested in the development and preparation of the film. However, with the onset of the lockdown, Rashmi Rocket faced significant challenges, especially since it required shooting in large stadiums with huge crowds, which became increasingly difficult during the pandemic. "That journey gave me confidence, made me stronger because the more I struggled in the last 4 years from 2020 to 2024, the more we struggle, the conviction become that much more stronger, and I totally believe that storytelling has to be convincing at both ends," the producer said.

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Pranjal also offered a sneak peek into his upcoming project, which focuses on the life of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur. He explained what drew him to explore this subject, mentioning that while Indian royal dramas often focus on historical figures from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as Shivaji, Shambhaji, Aurangzeb, and Akbar, there has been little attention given to the lives of modern-day royals. He found it fascinating to delve into the more recent history of India's royalty.

He said, "And who better than Maharani Gayatri Devi, the quintessential poster girl of Indian royalty? Through her, the whole idea is to show the history of modern Indian royalty, the fairy tale love story that she was involved with, the birth of a young nation, end of monarchy. There is there are so many elements that this this story has. And, hence, it's a subject that that needed to be told in the right fashion."