New York, August 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A remarkable love story that began on the streets of Delhi and led to a 6,000-mile bicycle journey to Sweden has reached the big screen with the New York premiere of The Cycle of Love, a documentary about Indian artist P.K. Mahanandia and Swedish woman Lotta von Schedvin.
Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel, the documentary explores the couple’s relationship against the backdrop of caste, culture, geography and human connection. The film has also been backed by Priyanka Chopra Jonas as an executive producer.
Mahanandia, then a 23-year-old artist from a poor Dalit family, met 19-year-old Lotta in Delhi in 1977 when she approached him to draw her portrait. After she returned to Sweden, he embarked on an extraordinary journey by bicycle to reunite with her, covering about 6,000 miles across several countries.
Their daughter, Emelie Mahanandia von Schedvin, said the documentary is based on her parents’ love story but goes beyond simply recounting their lives. The filmmakers also captured encounters with people from different cultures along the journey.
The film uses both real-life participants and dramatized portrayals, with Chirag Benedict Lobo playing the young Mahanandia and Mina Dale portraying Lotta. Dale said the actors worked without scripted dialogue and filmed at locations connected to the original events.
Lobo said the interactions with real people reinforced the film’s message about love, forgiveness and human connection, particularly at a time of social divisions.
The documentary comes from the team behind films including The White Helmets and Virunga. It has previously screened at film festivals and is scheduled for a US theatrical release on August 28.
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