The Cycle of Love: On the red carpet with the cast and creatives at the London premiere

Acclaimed documentary-maker Orlando von Einsiedel brings to screen a story about enduring love told using a blend of semi-improvised scenes and real-life interviews. Cinematically shot across Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Sweden, the documentary recounts the true story of PK Mahanandia as he cycled 6,000 miles across those countries to reunite with Lotta, a Swedish backpacker he fell in love with during a brief romance in India.

Set in the 1970s when they first met, the narrative is authentically retold by Chirag Benedict Lobo and Mina Dale as they step into the shoes of PK and Lotta. Woven together with grainy archived footage and personal photographs, the heart of this documentary lies in the incredible journey PK undertakes, guided by the kindness of strangers, a testament to the strength of human connection.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of attending the red carpet premiere of this deeply moving documentary and spoke to the director and filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel about bringing this story to life, a project that began when PK and Lotta’s family entrusted him with their parents’ history. He also spoke about casting the right people to bring empathy through on screen and the improvised moment that gave the documentary such a unique perspective.

We also chatted to Mina Dale, who plays Lotta in the documentary, about her audition process, the chemistry reads with her co-star and working closely with the subjects to tell their story as authentically as possible.

Chirag Benedict Lobo spoke to us about the incredible story and what it meant to retell it on screen. He spoke about improvising with the street cast and how much that instilled a new sense of human kindness. He also spoke about working alongside Dale and how their relationship played out beautifully in the documentary.

The film’s subjects, Lotta and PK, talked about the emotional journey they had themselves and how fate brought them together. They also spoke about how it felt seeing their story play out in a documentary cinematic format and how deeply moved they both were to have the privilege of having their enduring tale of love reach a wider audience.

Ezelle Alblas

The Cycle of Love is released nationwide on 18^th September 2026.

Watch the trailer for The Cycle of Love here: