Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. review: TVF series is mixed pickle in execution and outcome, Amruta Subhash excels

Language: Hindi

The title is a smart one, saleable enough to hook you right away and the best thing about the show. TVF are bang on with the casting, too — particularly the lead actors defining the story. As the show plays out its half a dozen episodes, you spot the trademark TVF traits in storytelling, mixing bittersweet melodrama with humour as ironies of life suitably tangle and untangle the fates of the protagonists. Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. also makes its noble intention clear with emotional flourish, as the makers sign off: “For all mothers who found their callings despite hardships” states a post-show title card.

Sadly, not everything that is noble in intent manages to find the right rhythm in execution. TVF’s new show struggles to maintain pace after a point, and once you have gotten over marvelling at Amruta Subhash’s acting skills (yet again), wondering why she remains grossly underused, or the subtlety with which the cinematography (Arjun Kukreti) captures the joys of slurping on ice candy during languid Daryaganj winters, you are watching a story that takes too long to arrive at an obvious conclusion and does too little with the possibilities that its characters and situations open up.

Characters and stories that remind of people next door automatically endear themselves to viewers, and TVF properties have traditionally thrived cashing in on such audience tendency. But when slice of life drama is overtly manipulated to fit the demands of a screenplay, which decides the happy outcome of protagonists well in advance, it all begins to seem less convincing as it unfolds. Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. is a mire of contradictions, in this context. It is impressive setting up authentic vibes as it deals with issues ranging from divorce to a single mother’s struggle to be self-reliant. But the impact is diluted owing to the convenient storytelling devices the writers frequently resort to, in order to push the tale forward.

At the core of the story (by Abhishek Srivastava, Akansh Gaur and Arunabh Kumar) is Armruta Subhash as Suman, an average lower-middle class Delhi woman separated from her husband Dilip (Anup Soni), who was never in love with her to begin with. Divorce is inevitable and Suman has moved out but her ‘maika’ folks refuse to take her back. Not very educated, Suman’s woes keep piling up. The husband has retained custody rights of their two kids, although the new love in his life (Anjana Sukhani) is all set to home in as the new wife. To top it all, friendly neighbour Shukla ji, who promised to help Suman set up her business of achaar, it turns out, actually takes her sample jars promising to get investors and buyers but sells them on the sly. The screenplay (Abhishek Srivastava and Swarnadeep Biswas) is effective setting up Suman’s milieu in the early parts, as the narrative throws in engaging side stories, about Suman’s daughter who dreams of cracking IIT and the younger child, a son, stealing from the hapless mother and getting drawn towards drugs. You spot the signature TVF credibility in setting up individual traits of the characters, although there is nothing new about them.

The relationship drama you look forward to most, especially given the show’s title, is the one pertaining to Suman and her mother-in-law, or saas (Yamini Das). The story takes a stance unusual by the norms of Indian soaps. Despite Suman’s divorce, her saas maintains an amicable relationship with her, regularly dropping by for a chat. The narrative reserves a few interesting sequences between saas and bahu — one where the saas coaches the bahu on how to sell her product effectively is amusing, as is one where the mother-in-law tries bailing out Suman when she stumbles while trying to sell the packets in a bus for the first time.

The saas-bahu equation could have been the USP of the show. It is neglected in the overall narrative for too long before suddenly being pushed to the forefront towards the end. Director Apoorv Singh Karki uses flashbacks intermittently to establish Suman’s world. Breaking the unity of time always creates interesting drama, though you begin to feel after a point that the show needed more twists. The pace of the narrative is reminiscent of old Doordarshan shows, and could actually have been a trumpcard given the content if there was more movement in the plot.

Expectedly, this is a feel-good show as all TVF products are, and that affects the authenticity of some of the characters and plot situations. Anjana Sukhani as Dilip’s second wife Manisha is too good to be true in many situations, as are the maids with hearts of gold who pitch in to help get Suman’s business going. Importantly, there seems a serious lack of rationality in the logistics pertaining to Suman’s business. We understand where the funds come from, but where does she get the ample number of hands to sustain production of as much achaar as it takes to fill up mini truck-loads of supplies? If the maids who take it on themselves to peddle her product also pitch in with production, where do they find time to work in the homes that actually pay for their services?

There are several questions unanswered as the story tries setting up feel-good vibes, balancing issues ranging from a single woman’s struggle, the impact of a broken home on children, and the struggle of surviving the big city. Didactic lines as “savera zaroor hoga” jostle with gentle jibes at how an unemployed, BA-pass guy hawks roasted grams in buses next to those who didn’t study at all, and selling belts and wallets. Many narrative threads are left hanging. For instance, what could have been an interesting sub plot involving Suman’s son is never really explored beyond the obvious affection he shares with his mother.

Amruta Subhash takes over from scene one and remains lifeline of the show, though overall every actor has delivered the goods. The story unfolds from the perspective of Suman, who is envisioned as a mild-mannered person, which could be a reason for the makers adopting a mellow and unhurried storytelling style. The editing (Sumeet Kotian), though, could have been tighter.

It is a mixed pickle that you get, where touching sequences that resonate jostle for space with absolutely absurd scenes such as the one where the mother drops into her former in-laws’ home in the dead of the night for the sake of her children. An admirably executed early scene has Suman talking of the harsh Indian reality where raising a girl in India even today is not about educating her but about preparing her for a dream marriage and, if the marriage sours, they have no way alternative in life to fall back on. It is a scene that crisply captures the general profundity the show tries setting up, though the story overall fails to replicate and sustain such depth.

Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. streams on Zee5

Vinayak Chakravorty is a critic, columnist and film journalist based in Delhi-NCR.

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