Adapting Musafir Café, author Divya Prakash Dubey’s popular novel, wasn’t about recreating every page on screen. When directing the love story’s screen adaptation, Ruchir Arun knew he had to preserve one aspect over everything else — the honesty that made the novel resonate with readers.

“When my writer and showrunner, Sharanya [Rajgopal], first brought the project to me, what struck me first were the characters’ names — Chander, Sudha, and Preeti. These old-world names instantly made them feel like people I had known all my life. I wanted to ensure that these characters’ simplicity and the authenticity of their relationships translated perfectly to screen,” recalled Arun.