By Aastha Anupriya
TVF’s Permanent Roommates (2014) garnered over 12 million cumulative views on YouTube. That’s not a joke given that the Indian viewer still watches Sasural Simar Ka to find out if Simar’s laddoos were liked or not. The content was solid and entertainment was taken good care of. Season Two of the series is another step in the same direction.
Permanent Roommates S02 also has the veterans Darshan Jariwalla, Sheeba Chaddha and Asrani on board as Mikesh’s (Sumeet Vyas) family who pay their first visit to the hone waali bahu Tanya (Nidhi Singh). Of course, the ever-awkward Purushottam ji is again played flawlessly by Deepak Kumar Mishra.
The Storyline
The first episode of the new season opens with the quintessential role-playing between Tanya (Nidhi Singh) and Mikesh (Sumeet Vyas) in a bar, and for a second, I did forget they ever happened in S01. The moment this starts to become an ordeal, Mikesh does, well, a couple of very Mikesh things and you have a good laugh (though there’s no denying this could have been better).
This is when the couple discover they might be pregnant. Hilarity ensues (at least for me, no judging please). There are things said about pee sticks and condoms that tell you precisely why India needs such web series.
We meet three new characters – the father, mother and grandfather of the ‘boy’, played with expertise by Darshan Jariwalla, Sheeba Chaddha and my personal favourite Asrani. “Tum mere pair chhoo sakti ho, mujhe koi dikkat nahi hai.” They just breathe more life into everything.
There is a tinge of everyday hilarity here and there, ranging from the awkwardness in the first meeting to the hospital jitters and the outsourced beatings.
The characters are beautifully written – they are every bit real and mostly adorable, and through them, it is Biswapati Sarkar who shines.
Why you should watch it:
- It’s not everyday that one sees an unmarried Indian couple, living together, discussing pregnancy without thinking of ‘log kya kahengey’.
- Again, the characters are real, flawed, endearing people. While role-playing in a bar in the opening scene, Mikesh’s imperfection at being an absolute Mr Bond puts a smile on your face.
- Everyday hilarity: from Mikesh discarding the pee stick result to that awkward moment when he asks his parents ‘Kaisi lagi meri choice?’
- Excellent performances by the entire cast, but I tip my hat to Asrani who makes Dadaji the best Dadaji there could be.
- Coolest mom-in-law ever. Period.
Why you can ignore:
- The opening scene starts stretching beyond its time, but that isn’t reason enough to not watch it.
Special mention: Biswapati Sarkar, for the concept, premise and everything in the show.
Verdict: Why haven’t you watched it already? Log on to TVFPlay (http://tvfplay.com/episode/1/3/68 )
