Modern Love Mumbai episode 5, “I Love Thane”, is the quietest and most relatable story in the Prime Video anthology. Directed by Dhruv Sehgal, it stars Masaba Gupta as Saiba, a 34-year-old landscape designer tired of dating apps, and Ritwik Bhowmik as Parth, a calm municipal officer from Thane. Verdict: worth your 40 minutes.
Modern Love: Mumbai premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 13 May 2022 as the first Indian edition of the American series based on The New York Times column. Four years on, “I Love Thane” is still the episode people recommend to friends who say they are done with swiping. Here is our refreshed review, with a short recap and where things stand now.
Quick facts: Modern Love Mumbai episode 5
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Episode title | I Love Thane |
| Director | Dhruv Sehgal (Little Things) |
| Cast | Masaba Gupta (Saiba), Ritwik Bhowmik (Parth) |
| Release | 13 May 2022 |
| Where to watch | Amazon Prime Video |
| Producer | Pritish Nandy Communications |
| Runtime | About 40 to 45 minutes |
What happens in “I Love Thane” (recap)
Saiba lives in Mumbai, is good at her job and is quietly exhausted by dating apps. The men she meets perform a version of themselves: the right bio, the right opinions, the right Instagram.
Also readModern Love Mumbai Episode 4 Review: My Beautiful Wrinkles
Work takes her to Thane for a park project, where she has to deal with Parth, a municipal officer who does things by the book. He is not on social media, does not try to impress and talks like a normal person. They start working together, then talking, then taking long walks.
Nothing dramatic happens, and that is the point. The episode builds the relationship through small conversations, not grand gestures. A neat visual idea runs through it: the fake plants Saiba is used to versus real leaves, a simple way of showing her shift from curated online dating to something genuine.
Modern Love Mumbai episode 5 review
Dhruv Sehgal’s gentle touch
If you have watched Little Things, you know Dhruv Sehgal’s style: real dialogue, small moments and no forced drama. He brings the same patience here. The Quint’s review praised him for telling a simple story beautifully, and that is fair.
Masaba Gupta and Ritwik Bhowmik
Masaba, who had played a version of herself in Netflix’s Masaba Masaba, is natural as Saiba. She lets the character’s tiredness show without making her bitter. Ritwik Bhowmik, best known as Radhe from Bandish Bandits, is the real surprise. Parth is a low-key, almost old-fashioned man, and Ritwik plays him with warmth and zero swagger.
What works and what does not
- Works: the honest take on app fatigue, the chemistry built through conversation, and Thane shown as a real place rather than a joke about distance from Mumbai.
- Works: it is about the patient side of love, which most Indian romances skip.
- Does not work for everyone: the pace is slow, and viewers who want conflict or a big twist may find it too mild.
Our rating: 4/5. It is not the flashiest episode in the anthology, but it is the one most young urban viewers will see themselves in. Read more of our reviews here.
All six Modern Love Mumbai episodes
| Episode | Director | Lead cast |
|---|---|---|
| Raat Rani | Shonali Bose | Fatima Sana Shaikh, Bhupendra Jadawat |
| Baai | Hansal Mehta | Pratik Gandhi, Tanuja, Ranveer Brar |
| Mumbai Dragon | Vishal Bhardwaj | Yeo Yann Yann, Naseeruddin Shah |
| My Beautiful Wrinkles | Alankrita Shrivastava | Sarika, Danesh Razvi |
| I Love Thane | Dhruv Sehgal | Masaba Gupta, Ritwik Bhowmik |
| Cutting Chai | Nupur Asthana | Chitrangda Singh, Arshad Warsi |
The series was well received overall. The Times of India gave it 4 out of 5 and NDTV gave it 3.5, with critics praising the performances by its women leads.
Who should watch it, and what to watch next
Watch “I Love Thane” if you are in your late twenties or thirties, have deleted and reinstalled a dating app more than once, or simply like slow, talky romances. It also works as a standalone. You do not need to see the other five episodes first, since each story is separate.
If it works for you, these are natural next picks:
- Little Things (Netflix): Dhruv Sehgal’s own series with Mithila Palkar, about a live-in couple in Mumbai. Same tone, same small moments.
- Modern Love Chennai (Prime Video, 2023): the Tamil edition of the same format, with six new love stories.
- Bandish Bandits (Prime Video): to see Ritwik Bhowmik in a very different, music-led role.
Where things stand in 2026
Prime Video took the format to other cities after Mumbai. Modern Love Hyderabad, in Telugu, followed in 2022, and Modern Love Chennai, in Tamil, premiered on 18 May 2023. All three anthologies stream on Prime Video.
Ritwik Bhowmik returned as Radhe in Bandish Bandits season 2 in 2024 and played Sagor Talukdar in Khakee: The Bengal Chapter (2025). Find more on these shows in our web series section.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch Modern Love Mumbai episode 5?
“I Love Thane” streams on Amazon Prime Video as part of Modern Love: Mumbai, which released on 13 May 2022.
Who plays Parth in I Love Thane?
Ritwik Bhowmik plays Parth, the Thane municipal officer. Masaba Gupta plays Saiba, the landscape designer.
Who directed Modern Love Mumbai episode 5?
Dhruv Sehgal, the creator and lead actor of the web series Little Things, directed “I Love Thane”.
Is Modern Love Mumbai based on a true story?
The format is adapted from The New York Times’ Modern Love column, which publishes real readers’ essays. The Mumbai episodes are Indian stories inspired by that format.
Sources: Modern Love: Mumbai on Wikipedia, The Quint review, Modern Love Chennai on Wikipedia.
