Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) If you prefer, an audio version is below.
What do Netflix series ‘Musafir Cafe’ and ‘Cocktail 2’ have in common? Well, they both came out in 2026, they’re both romances where the primary question is this: who will the guy choose? The woman who has been by his side for a long time, or the ‘manic pixie dream girl’ type who makes his heart race like no other?
Cocktail 2 is set by the gorgeous beaches of Sicily, ‘Musafir Cafe’ is more desi, nestled in the dreamy mountains of our very own Mussoorie. Directed by Ruchir Arun, ‘Musafir Cafe’ is based on a book by Divya Prakash Dubey and seems to be all about pahad, philosophy, and slow living. At least at first.
“What’s Musafir cafe? You’ll always get different answers from different people. But for me, it’s home, a home that belongs to me and Chander.”
Mahima Makwana plays Preeti Kaushik, the endearing narrator introduced in the opening minutes of the show, who invites the viewers into her life, which involves running a charming cafe in the hills with her partner Chander Sharma, played by Vikrant Massey. But before we can get too acquainted with the couple, Preeti talks about a Sudha (Vedika Pinto), and how this other woman shaped Chander’s path in life.
Flashbacks take the story away from Mussoorie’s Musafir Cafe to Bhopal, where Chander first met Sudha, a divorce lawyer, as part of an ‘arranged marriage’ meeting. They meet at a scenic cafe too, where Chander is waiting for Sudha to arrive, only to realize she is already humiliating another candidate a table away. Sudha then informs Chander it’s something she does on a regular basis, lining up a few matches to meet at the same cafe & finding a way to reject them.
It’s supposed to be funny, but it made me instantly dislike the character. It’s childish and disrespectful, not just to these men, but to herself. Had she been fresh out of college, I wouldn’t find it as irritating, the immaturity is earned. But she is supposedly an ambitious ‘senior lawyer’ who somehow doesn’t have the spine to simply say ‘no’ to pesky relatives.
Instead, she wastes everyone’s time by agreeing to these meetings, only to treat the men with little courtesy. As if her brief lectures about being ‘mama’s boys’ are going to change them overnight. Obviously, Chander is the exception because he quit his cushy software engineering job in the U.S. and dreams of opening a cafe. Wow, how groundbreaking.
And coming to Chander, ‘Musafir Cafe’ doesn’t actually do much to establish his character, except that he makes great tea and coffee and is the kind of guy who carries his own paraphernalia to brew himself a cup even at cafes. It’s Vikrant Massey, with his earnest smile, likable demeanor and charming dialogue delivery, who makes Chander work.
Unfortunately, through him, ‘Musafir Cafe’ also subtly establishes a universal truth: the bar for Indian men is so low, we’ll fall head over heels if they’re simply decent and know how to make a nice cup of tea. But even though Sudha starts to date Chander, it doesn’t change her views on marriage, she’d rather that they chase their dreams, than societal expectations. Fair enough. So of-course complications arise.
Mahima Makwana as Preeti Kaushik turns out to be the heart of ‘Musafir Cafe’, portraying the young solo-traveler-turned-cafe-owner with a grounded, lovable warmth. You can instantly sense that she genuinely treasures the life she has built with Chander in the hills. She’s constantly working to promote their business and is kind, sensible and considerate of those around her.
Rajeev Siddhartha plays author Rahil Qureshi, who is clearly romantically interested in Preeti and can even sense that something is amiss between her and Chander. But even though Preeti enjoys long conversations with him, she never leads him on or gives him reason to believe their friendship could become something more.
Through its eight episodes, the show tracks Sudha and Chander’s romance and break-up through flashbacks, while in the present timeline, he is content running ‘Musafir Cafe’ with Preeti, whom he has been dating for almost five years. Their dynamic, however, comes across more as ‘business partners with benefits’, and it’s evident that Preeti is far more invested in the relationship than Chander. So poor Preeti lives with the constant fear that Chander might just go back to Sudha. That’s not a healthy relationship to be in.
In fact, the first episode made me wonder if they were in an open relationship, which would’ve been quite novel for a Bollywood series. But then that would dilute all the suspense around the inevitable love triangle, na? Utne bhi progressive nahi hain hum.
The thing about ‘Musafir Cafe’ is that it gets almost every ingredient right. The actors are fantastic in their roles, even when the characters themselves aren’t particularly likable. The cinematography is warm, cozy and scenic, while the background music and songs are quite memorable too. But the plot? The plot leads you to believe this is going to be a nice, feel-good show about love, dreams, heartbreak and moving on. Instead, I found much of it surprisingly anxiety-inducing. Both Chander and Sudha are inconsistent and ultimately not someone I’d root for.
‘Musafir Cafe’ wants to be a show about progressive relationships and following your dreams, but ironically, it often seems to suggest that pursuing your professional dreams leads to personal heartbreak and grief. Chander’s supposed love for the hills, the biggest theme of this show, never feels particularly convincing either. It’s a fantasy we’re told about rather than shown through his actions; simply running a cafe in the mountains doesn’t say much by itself.
Worse, the climactic chapter ends on a cliffhanger instead of actually ending the story. I’m not very interested in a second season, but if you’re up for a show about deeply flawed characters, then the performances and gorgeous settings alone could make ‘Musafir Care’ a worthwhile one-time watch for some viewers. It should’ve been a standalone limited series though.
Watch ‘Musafir Cafe’ on Netflix.
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