‘I wanted to tell simple but impactful stories’: Vikrant Massey on co-producing Musafir Cafe

Vedika Pinto

What first drew Rajgopal to Dubey’s novel was its central idea of nurturing an impossible dream. “The book was largely made up of conversations between Chander and Sudha, which felt incredibly relatable,” she says. Because it wasn’t plot-driven, adapting it required re-imagining its world and introducing new characters. She spent nearly five months developing the series bible and writing the first two episodes before Netflix green-lit the project in January 2025. The remaining episodes took another six months.

The script, however, continued to evolve. “Once Ruchir Arun joined as the director, the storytelling became much more layered. For almost six weeks, we sat with the script every single day, questioning every scene and asking how we could push the emotional stakes further. Even during filming, Vikrant and Ruchir would constantly encourage me to go deeper,” recalls Rajgopal, who is studio head at Terribly Tiny Tales.

That collaborative process helped shape a series where every character feels layered. Massey agrees. “Life teaches you that people are far more complicated than we imagine. That’s what makes the series feel authentic. Every character carries contradictions that we recognise in ourselves,” says the actor, who is part of movies such as A Death in the Gunj (2016) and Haseen Dillruba (2021), as well as series Mirzapur (2018) and Criminal Justice (2019).

One of the biggest challenges was casting Sudha and Preeti. Pinto went through multiple rounds of auditions. “The first audition was terrible. It happened to be the weekend Nishaanchi (2025) released. I had prepared, but mentally I wasn’t fully there,” Pinto admits. A few days later, instead of another audition, Rajgopal met her for a conversation. “We sat and spoke about books. I realised I didn’t want another audition,” says Rajgopal. Makwana similarly made an instant impact. “The moment I saw her, I thought, ‘This girl lights up the screen.’ We eventually conducted chemistry reads between all three actors because a love story lives or dies by chemistry. What fascinated us was how Chander’s energy changed depending on who he was with.”

Writer Sharanya Rajgopal and director Ruchir Arun

For Arun, the most rewarding part was watching the story transform at every stage. “A story evolves as it passes from the writer’s mind to the director’s, and then to the actors. Once the cast came on board and we found the homes, the streets of Mussoorie and the spaces these characters inhabited, the world of Musafir Cafe slowly came alive,” he says. He was equally fascinated by the actors’ approach to their roles. “Vikrant tapped into his younger self to portray Chander’s first love with Sudha. For his relationship with Preeti, he drew from a more mature emotional space — one that is affectionate, protective and secure,” recalls the director of Little Things (2018-21), Ghar Waapsi (2022) and Loot Kand (2025).

Backing a relationship drama in today’s streaming landscape, Massey believes, was a risk worth taking. “Thrillers, crime dramas and darker stories dominate OTT today. That’s why I applaud Netflix and Terribly Tiny Tales for backing a show like Musafir Cafe. It takes courage to go against the tide and tell a quiet, deeply emotional story,” he says. Arun agrees, “Nobody here was chasing the spectacle. No one was trying to kill anyone or solve a mystery. We were simply telling the story of ordinary people and their emotional lives. Today, we’re surrounded by stories about toxic relationships. That’s why I felt there was a need to tell a green-flag love story too.”

The experience of playing Sudha offered Pinto a chance to embrace contradiction. “Unlike Nishaanchi, which belonged to a world completely unfamiliar to me, Sudha felt deeply personal. As women, we’re constantly trying to understand ourselves —our emotions, ambitions and desires,” she says. Makwana found an equally personal connection with Preeti. “The quiet, internal characters don’t often receive enough attention, but they’re much harder to play. I never imagined Preeti existed within me. She gave me something I had been searching for — peace, clarity and stillness.”

For everyone involved, Musafir Cafe is less about making a statement about live-in relationships or modern romance. It is more like a reminder about the small, often overlooked moments — the conversations, silences and compromises — that define relationships.