I grew up romanticising DDLJ's Raj. Off Campus just raised the bar

Like a lot of people who grew up in the 90s, I got absolutely hooked on a new rom-com series on Prime Video called Off Campus. If you've been anywhere near social media recently, you already know what I'm on about – it's all anyone and everyone's talking about. Well, most women at least.

Growing up in the 90s, I was a complete sucker for rom-coms. Notting Hill, Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - put any of them on, and I'll drop everything without a second thought. But here's the thing about growing up on that diet: it quietly shapes what you expect from men, from romance, from relationships. But not always for the better.

Raj, Shah Rukh Khan's character in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, is still seen as the ultimate romantic hero by many. But looking back, some parts of his behaviour haven't aged well. He often ignores Simran's (played by Kajol) boundaries, especially during the early part of their journey together. Then there's the drunk-night prank, where Raj lets Simran believe that something may have happened between them while she was intoxicated.

Although he later reveals that nothing did, the joke feels uncomfortable as it plays on a woman's fear and vulnerability. Another aspect that many can question today is how he continues to pursue Simran even after she repeatedly asks him to leave her alone. While the film presents it as determination and true love, present-day discussions about consent and personal boundaries often view it as problematic.

So when I started watching Off Campus, I came in with all that baggage firmly in tow.

When Hannah, portrayed by Ella Bright, opens up to Garrett, played by Belmont Cameli, about her traumatic past, I braced myself for the classic movie – the moment where he somehow makes it about himself. But he just... listened. And when Hannah tells him she's never quite reached the pinnacle of pleasure, he doesn't perform or boast. He genuinely wants to give her the best experience.

Better still, he goes to his best friend Dean, played by Stephen Thomas Kalyn, for advice – which already surprised me – and Dean, of all people (known for being quite the ladies man), delivers the best line of the series: "earn her trust." Garrett understood the assignment completely.

The scene that got me was when he turns around while Hannah is changing into something comfortable, but his words are what really land. She tells him there's no need to look away since he's going to see her naked anyway, and he simply says, "not until you want me to." I sat with that for a moment.

How often do we see men in relationships, fictional or otherwise, who genuinely respect boundaries and consent even when intimacy is already on the table? Hardly ever. And certainly not in the rom-coms I grew up watching.

READ OFF CAMPUS REVIEW HERE

But it's not just Garrett. His friends have been a pleasant surprise too. Dean spends most of the early episodes making out with various women, and when he spots Allie dressed as JLo, he is completely smitten. He goes up to her and dances with her. But the moment she says no, he stops. He's visibly disappointed — the show doesn't pretend otherwise — but he knows it's a no, and that's that.

Now, my absolute favourite character this season: Logan, played by Antonio Cipriano. I was convinced he had feelings for Hannah and would eventually try his luck. Instead, he turned out to be the quietly yearning one - his eyes gave it away long before anyone said anything. His sister Jules clearly knew, but he never let Hannah or Garrett find out. The poor man watched their entire love story unfold right in front of him, and he just held it together. That small moment where he hands Garrett a canned beer after learning Hannah doesn't drink at parties? That told me everything about him. This man pays attention.

How can we forget about Hannah Wells' crush Justin Kohl, played by Josh Heuston? He is all mysterious in the beginning and turns out to be a nice guy after all. When Hannah visits Justin's off-campus room to take their relationship forward, but pulls back at the last moment, Justin understands and isn't pushy about his feelings.

Back to Garrett – he surprised me more than once. When Hannah stopped picking up his calls because she was dealing with her own things, I was fully prepared for him to get cold or confrontational. Instead, he just wanted to know if she was alright. I actually had to stop and apologise to this fictional man in my head for expecting the worst.

And that, I think, is the real gift this show gives you. It gently calls out how thoroughly we've been conditioned to accept toxicity as normal – and then shows you something different. Something better. That's what happens when men are written by women. We see them the way we always hoped they could be.

I'm genuinely thrilled that Off Campus has been greenlit for a second season, this time centring on Allie and Dean's story. Can't come soon enough.