Bhubaneswar: The extraordinary love story of Odisha-born artist Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia, who embarked on an epic 6,000-mile bicycle trek across continents in 1977 to reunite with his Swedish love, Charlotte “Lotta” Von Schedvin, grabbed global spotlight again with the New York red-carpet premiere of ‘The Cycle of Love’ at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in Manhattan.
The film received a standing ovation from the audience in New York.
The documentary revisits the couple’s life-changing encounter in New Delhi in 1975, where Charlotte asked Mahanandia to sketch her portrait. After she returned to Sweden, the determined artist set off in 1977 on a second-hand bicycle, pedalling through nearly a dozen countries over five months to reach Borås, Sweden.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel and executive-produced by global star Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the film combines interviews with the real-life couple and dramatised recreations, starring Chirag Benedict Lobo as Mahanandia and Mina Dale as Charlotte, with unscripted, improvised sequences filmed in the exact historical locations where the real events took place. Adding a deeply personal layer to the film, the couple’s children, Siddharth (Karl) and Emelie Mahanandia von Schedvin, served as producers, capturing not just a travelogue but a universal narrative on human connection, destiny, and cross-cultural unity.
Speaking at the Manhattan premiere, Priyanka Chopra Jonas highlighted the enduring legacy of the couple, noting that after 50 years together, their story is now being shared with the world through the eyes of their own children. “Wow, I hope love resonates with everyone, right? I mean, maybe the world would be a better place,. I was just always fascinated with, like, doing something this insane gesture of love that sounds almost unbelievable but isn’t and now 50 years later your kids are making a movie about your parents’ love life which is just so poignant and such a full journey that I was just I was very excited of the opportunity to partner with them.”
She commended Mahanandia’s extraordinary five-month journey of learning, humanity, and love across borders.
Mahanandia himself addressed the audience, reflecting that love remains the root of humanity, a message he believes is vital in today’s world. His son Siddharth emphasised that the film moves beyond the sheer physical effort of cycling to present a broader, universal message about love.
Back in Odisha, Prabhat Kumar Mahanandia, a retired state civil service officer and brother of the artist, recalled how the family originally believed Mahanandia was in Delhi for work, only to discover through letters sent to their father that he was pedalling across continents toward Sweden.
The documentary, which has earned critical acclaim and festival awards, is scheduled for its broader theatrical rollouts in the US and the UK.
