“Thik Jyano Love Story 2.0”: An Ode to Sexual Fluidity and Selflessness of Love

While love and attraction between women aren’t new, and there are countless songs on the subject, SVF Music states that “Thik Jyano Love Story 2.0” (Just like a love story) is their first music video with such a bold assertion, with the hopes of making the point loud and clear. Penned by Prasen, composed and sung by Arindom, this one is a coming-of-age song that speaks of love, falling in love, and normalizing love: love that transcends gender constraints and is free of meanness, promiscuity, or anything of the sorts.

The MV opens with visuals of ‘Raya’ (Madhurima Dutta), a social media influencer. Her life is centered on Instagram stories, posts, and lives. She’s a yoga lover, a fitness freak, and a fashionista. A young girl who loves coffee, friends and loves to hang out with them, intercut with visuals of the character constantly texting and replying to someone.

Raya maintains an air of aloofness throughout her activities. The excitement of meeting her lover for the first time explains the cause of this distraction. I like director Souvanik Kundu’s portrayal of events in that the way the camera moves, the way he has choreographed the bustle, tagging the restless camera alongside Raya–has made the shots, the frames, look pretty stylish.

The composition of the song, profoundly rooted in a relationship, sounds sonically invigorating, and the vocals of Arindom come through to full effect. The simplicity of the instrumentals brings out the best in his voice as he delivers the romantic song that describes an intimate relationship, embracing genuine love while also questioning the hardships that come with it–“It’s possible, but I don’t know/Where’s the harm in walking with you?/Why doesn’t the world know?/That you and I belong together.”

What turns out in the epilogue is that Raya is in love with ‘Ambika’ (Madhumita Das), the person she’s been messaging all along, and vice versa. Coming back to the lyrics, they ask why can’t the world know they belong to each other? A question that underpins the song’s central message: all kinds of love matter and are equally intense, and it doesn’t matter who we love as long as we do it with the finest of intentions.

“Thik Jyano Love Story 2.0” is a hymn to first love, desire, and maybe pain as well. Its core philosophy reminds me of Elio’s (Timothée Chalamet) father’s (Michael Stuhlbarg) most beautiful monologue in the cult classic film Call Me by Your Name, “Just remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once,” he says “And before you know it, your heart’s worn out. And as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now, there’s sorrow, pain; don’t kill it, and with it, the joy you’ve felt.”