Overview
Out of Love is an Indian Hindi-language psychological drama web television series produced by BBC Studios India for the streaming platform Hotstar Specials. The series is an official adaptation of the British television drama Doctor Foster, created by Mike Bartlett, which originally aired on BBC One. It explores themes of marital infidelity, betrayal, obsession, and revenge through the experiences of a small-town doctor who suspects her husband of having an affair.
Key facts
| Title | Out of Love |
|---|---|
| Genre | Psychological drama, thriller |
| Based on | Doctor Foster by Mike Bartlett |
| Original language | Hindi |
| Producer | BBC Studios India |
| Network | Disney+ Hotstar (Hotstar Specials) |
| Lead cast | Rasika Dugal, Purab Kohli |
| Seasons | 2 |
| First season release | 2019 |
| Second season release | 2021 |
| Setting | Coonoor, Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris) |
Background
The series was developed as part of an arrangement under which BBC Studios adapted the format of Doctor Foster for the Indian market. The original British show, which premiered in 2015, had received critical acclaim and ran for two seasons. The Indian adaptation transposes the story to the hill town of Coonoor in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, retaining the central narrative while reshaping it for an Indian middle-class context.
Plot
The show centres on Dr. Meera Kapoor, a respected general practitioner in Coonoor, who begins to suspect that her husband Akarsh, a real-estate professional, is involved in an extramarital affair. As Meera investigates, the story unfolds into an examination of trust, deception, and the unravelling of a seemingly stable marriage. The couple have a young son, whose well-being becomes a recurring concern as the conflict between the parents intensifies. The second season, set some years later, focuses on the aftermath of the events of the first season and the lasting consequences of betrayal.
Cast
- Rasika Dugal as Dr. Meera Kapoor
- Purab Kohli as Akarsh Kapoor
- Supporting cast members portray family, neighbours, colleagues at Meera's clinic, and acquaintances within the Coonoor community.
Production
The series was directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Aijaz Khan, with Dhulia helming the first season. Filming was carried out largely on location in and around Coonoor, with the hill-station setting playing a significant role in establishing the show's intimate, claustrophobic atmosphere — a contrast with the urban backdrop common to many Indian streaming dramas. Each season comprises a limited number of episodes, in keeping with the format of the British original.
Release
The first season premiered on Hotstar in 2019 as part of the Hotstar Specials line-up, which was launched to commission original Indian content for the platform. The second season was released on Disney+ Hotstar in 2021, continuing the storyline several years after the events of the first instalment.
Reception
The series received generally positive reviews from Indian critics, with particular praise directed at the lead performance of Rasika Dugal, the cinematography of the Nilgiris landscape, and the restrained tone of the storytelling. Reviewers noted the adaptation's success in retaining the emotional core of Doctor Foster while embedding it in a recognisably Indian small-town milieu. Some commentary observed that the show's pace and short episode count distinguished it from longer-form Indian drama series.
Significance
As one of the early Hotstar Specials originals, Out of Love is cited as an example of the trend of officially licensed adaptations of foreign dramas on Indian streaming platforms during the late 2010s and early 2020s. It also contributed to a wider movement among Indian streaming services towards female-led psychological dramas dealing with domestic and marital themes.