Watching two characters who dislike each other transform to lovers has a certain amount of intrigue. It can be fake relationships that turned into real ones or a marriage neither wanted, or it can simply be two people who would prefer to argue instead of admitting they love each other. From the Turkish favorite Arafta to the Indian courtroom drama Guilty Minds and the extremely interesting My Lady Jane, both TV shows present their own version of the enemies-to-lovers trope. If you enjoy stories with witty dialogues and complex relationships, you should definitely add these series to your list of must-watch shows on Prime Video in India.
1. Arafta
Arafta, the international phenomenon, has gained massive popularity in India. The Turkish drama is a unique blend of themes, where revenge, love, and marriage of convenience appear as the key themes. Billionaire Ateş Karahan (Emin Günenç) comes back to take revenge on those who took away his happiness when he was a child. His plan for revenge involved capturing Mercan Yıldırım (İlsu Demirci) who was made to marry him for 187 days in order to pay her family’s debts.
Initially, there is very little romance between the main characters. They are faced with an angry relationship full of mistrust and dragging powers. However, the case changes when they are faced with unexpected dangers which make them bond. Little by little things start changing and they both get involved in a plot twist that they had never thought of.
2. Guilty Minds
Guilty Minds takes the rivals-to-lovers trope into the courtroom. The series follows two young lawyers who disagree about almost everything, including the kind of clients they are willing to represent. Kashaf Quaze (Shriya Pilgaonkar) is committed to public interest litigation and often takes up cases involving people who need legal help. Deepak Rana (Varun Mitra) is on the other side of the spectrum. He is ambitious, works for a powerful corporate law firm and represents wealthy clients.
Naturally, the two keep ending up on opposite sides of important cases and are practically considered enemies. Their courtroom encounters are filled with arguments, sharp exchanges and clashes over their approach to justice. Yet the professional rivalry also hides an attraction that neither of them seems able to completely ignore. That combination gives the series two things happening at once: the legal cases keep the story moving, while the relationship between Kashaf and Deepak slowly becomes more complicated.
3. Campus Beats
Campus Beats puts the enemies-to-lovers trope in the middle of a competitive dance academy. Netra (Shruti Sinha) joins the prestigious academy while trying to find answers about her past. She soon discovers that she has a natural ability for dance, but her journey is not exactly smooth. One of the biggest obstacles is Ishaan (Shantanu Maheshwari), an established dancer who does not exactly make her feel welcome.
The two clash through dance battles as much as they do through words. Their competitive streak becomes part of their relationship, while academy politics, social issues and their own personal baggage keep getting in the way. As they spend more time together, the hostility slowly starts changing.
4. My Lady Jane
My Lady Jane takes an arranged marriage, throws it into an alternate version of Tudor history and adds magic, shapeshifting and a healthy dose of chaos. In this version of history, King Edward VI survives, and Lady Jane Grey (Emily Bader) is pushed into marrying Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel). Jane has no interest in the arrogant man she has been forced to marry, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
But Guildford is hiding a major secret. The world is divided between “Verity” humans and “Ethians”, humans who can transform into animals. With the royal court becoming increasingly dangerous and war looming, Jane and Guildford are forced to work together. Their constant bickering and sarcastic exchanges gradually turn into something much more romantic, while the show manages to keep the relationship funny, playful and surprisingly heartfelt. Easily one of the most favourite enemies-to-lovers stories in last few years, it is absolutely upsetting how the show was cancelled prematurely.
5. Love is in the Air
Also known as Sen Çal Kapımı, Love is in the Air is one of those Turkish romances that has found fans well beyond its home country. Eda (Hande Erçel) is a determined landscape architecture student whose scholarship is cancelled by Serkan Bolat (Kerem Bürsin), a wealthy and emotionally guarded businessman. Furious, she confronts him publicly, setting off a chain of events that leaves both of them with a problem to solve.
Serkan eventually makes her an offer. She will pretend to be his fiancée for two months, and in return he will pay for her education. The arrangement sounds simple, except Eda thinks Serkan is an arrogant robot and Serkan finds her impulsive and impossible to control.
Their fake relationship takes them to parties, public events and plenty of situations where they have to convince everyone that they are genuinely in love. The more convincing they become, however, the harder it gets to tell where the act ends and their real feelings begin.
6. Suspicious Partner
Noh Ji Wook (Ji Chang Wook) is a brilliant prosecutor with a reputation for being cold, strict and difficult to please. Eun Bong Hee (Nam Ji Hyun) is a clumsy but determined judicial trainee and former Taekwondo athlete whose first meeting with Ji Wook goes badly after she mistakes him for a subway groper. Things get even more awkward when Bong Hee ends up working under him. But their professional rivalry takes a dark turn when she finds her cheating ex-boyfriend stabbed to death in her apartment and becomes the prime suspect.
Ji Wook is assigned to prosecute her, but soon begins questioning the evidence against her. Despite pressure from his superiors and the victim’s powerful family, he refuses to let Bong Hee take the blame for a crime she did not commit. His decision costs him his career and eventually leads him to become a private lawyer.
Two years later, Ji Wook and Bong Hee cross paths again and end up working together at his law firm. While she remains determined to find the real killer, the pair find themselves drawn into a dangerous investigation that brings back their old arguments, unresolved feelings and growing attraction. One of the best enemies-to-lovers trope k-dramas out there.