The Great Indian Dysfunctional Drinking Game
Down Two Shots of Vodka (as Premlata Ranaut would put it): every time you notice eerie similarities between the strict no-nonsense Vikram Ranaut and your own dad.
Do Jäger Bombs: for every time someone drinks or smokes pot in a scene.
Down a Shot of Whiskey: every time Vikram Ranaut passes a condescending and/or sardonic and snarky comment or two when any of the family members dare to question his authority.
Bite into a Lime: every time a bitter truth about one of the dysfunctional family members resurfaces.
By: Vidal D’costa (Three Beers) –
8 years after he left home and the army to pursue a new career as a restaurateur in Mumbai, Samar Ranaut returns to his small town to make amends with an emotionally distant older brother, Vikram Ranaut, who doesn’t want anything to do with him after he ‘deserted’ his army life, and a family that was probably born dysfunctional to begin with. As Samar and his wife Sonali attempt to settle in, rekindle their bond, and find their place in the Ranaut household, secrets threaten to spill out, tempers flare and one by one, all their lives will be turned upside down and inside out…
A Toast
Frankly speaking, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that this web series was developed by television doyen Ekta Kapoor’s OTT platform ALTbalaji. It honestly made me feel like I was watching a cross between one of Kapoor’s super regressive telly soaps which cater to the older conservative generation and that have been running for close to two decades now (I kid you not) and a modern web series that caters to the more forward-thinking generation of Indian viewers.
And what makes this web series a winner in my books is that unlike those godforsaken telly soaps, it does not take the formulaic route of glorifying outdated practices, but rather dissects them viciously through a far more progressive lens and even lampoons them. And for that, I must give credit where it’s due to actress and writer Eisha Chopra and Tanveer Bookwala for their script.
The show’s strength lies in the fact that the story is driven forward using familial issues that are rooted in reality instead of trivial drivel that was passed off as real issues in Kapoor’s telly soaps. The dialogues, casual banter, and interactions especially between the younger women in the family about social acceptance, patriarchy, chauvinism, etc will provide you with a lot to chew on. Each episode is short and bittersweet with unpredictable twists to keep viewers engrossed in this dysfunctional family drama.
While in an Indian telly soap you’d come across a typical nagging mother in law who explodes at the most mundane topics such as lentils being overcooked in the pressure cooker by an absent-minded daughter in law, here you’ll find topics with a lot more depth to them being explored such as a narrow minded father who struggles to accept his daughter who has just come out of the closet due to both a generation gap between them and a regressive, patriarchal upbringing that he cannot shake off. In one illogical scene from a telly soap that has since become meme fodder, viewers were subjected to silliness such as a hare-brained character scrubbing a laptop clean with detergent, but in this web series, a family that is falling apart at the seams desperately tries to scrub away their dark secrets only to have them resurface.
The characters in this web series, much like in a telly soap, also have a tendency to overreact to situations. A character whom I’ll single out as an example is Kay Kay Menon’s character Vikram Ranaut, who is quite possibly the most over-dramatic typical Indian dad on the planet. If you took every conservative Indian dad and multiplied him by 9000, you would get a man like Vikram Ranaut! I mean, seriously this dude goes from 0 to 100 every time something out of the blue happens.
However this isn’t done merely for comic relief, but rather to make him feel as authentic as possible, and it works wonders in terms of his characterisation. It makes you think hard over his generation’s regressive mindset and patriarchal upbringing. You cannot help but guffaw at his ridiculous methods of parenting (keeping all the doors and windows of the house open so he can monitor his children) and simultaneously be disturbed by his actions when he showcases his homophobia and toxic masculinity by mockingly suggesting that his 8 year old mute, skirt-donning son should perhaps also don his mother’s bangles in order to complete his ‘effeminate’ look and then goes on to suggest to a therapist that his daughter Aditi who is a lesbian must undergo a brain scan just to get to the bottom of ‘what ails her’.
Yes, I can already picture you face-palming, dear reader, but such is the harsh reality in some claustrophobically conservative families.
Ranaut is not alone in such backward thinking as we are given glimpses of his family friend Pappu and Samar sharing the same bordering on sexist worldview. Also, Vikram Ranaut may be a bit rough around the edges, but he is never vilified for not being as accepting as a modern, open-minded parent would’ve been but nor is his behaviour justified or applauded either. This deeply human character study is a far cry from Ekta Kapoor’s work in television and her caricaturish representation of humans in the same and this is what makes this show worth your time. The show is also laced with quirky, witty, bitingly sarcastic, and well-timed humour that is further enhanced by the cast’s impeccable comic timing.
As for the performances, despite his character’s overbearing attitude, Kay Kay Menon never goes over the top in his portrayal of Vikram Ranaut. With a character as toxic and over-dramatic as Ranaut, there is often a tendency to portray such an authoritarian parental figure in a hammy, laughable fashion (much like the infamous character of Jashodaben Ben in the Indian telly soap Saath Nibhana Saathiya), but Menon in his OTT debut proves to be nothing short of riveting and delivers both in the comedic and dramatic departments. His Ranaut feels as real and as human as any overprotective father who wishes to shelter their child and family from what the busybodies of society will think, but at the same time is himself prone to the same problematic thinking that plagues society.
One pivotal scene that showcases this character’s many layers is when Ranaut stands up for Aditi when a close friend rants about her mental instability and humiliates her openly at a family gathering. And this is right after the truth of her sexual orientation is out in the open and he is still attempting to come to terms with it. Menon’s young co-star Sanaya Pithawalla threatens to steal the thunder from the veteran actor as the young and rebellious Aditi. Her interaction and confrontations with Menon’s passive aggressive character were extremely memorable, emotionally stirring, and believable.
I’ve been a big fan of Eisha Chopra ever since her role as a journalist coping with severe anxiety in the YouTube short Call Him Eddy and here, too, she delivers a commendable performance as Sonali, the level-headed and strong-willed daughter-in-law who will not stand for her new brother-in-law’s arrogance and chauvinistic attitude. Shriswara who plays Vikram’s wife Geeta is very expressive and her chemistry with Menon in the flashback sequences was very charming and cute to watch. Swaroop Sampat, Barun Sobti and the rest of the supporting cast are good too.
The cinematography, too, deserves a special mention, especially the use of Dutch angles to further amplify the instability of Vikram Ranaut’s mental state as secrets begin to unravel and leave him reeling in shock.
Beer Two
The technical aspects of the show hold it back from achieving its full potential, since it has a tendency to fall back on the familiar Indian telly soap tropes which have no place in an intricate web series, such as the overbearing generic background score that flares up each time something either dramatic or comedic happens, and the occasional moments of melodrama.
It also suffers due to a not-so-subtle and unnecessarily slapstick background score that threatens to diminish the impact of this dark comedy, specifically in scenes wherein the characters oscillate between serious discussions and comical situations, such as Vikram scolding Aditi at a roadside diner while a waiter patiently awaits to take their order. Due to the ridiculously over-the-top background music, this scene which could have been a lot more intense and simultaneously chuckle-worthy falls flat and doesn’t deliver the desired impact.
Beer Three
Some of the issues do get resolved a bit too conveniently, while other times you might need to suspend your disbelief for sentimentality purposes, particularly in the last few episodes. The plotlines also often feel derivative of the movie Kapoor and Sons that dealt with similar themes and material in a more subtle manner. Beware of the sappy and corny one-liners as well.
Verdict
The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family is quite a refreshing effort from Ekta Kapoor and crew, and much like her occasionally enjoyable but still nonsensical telly soaps, it’ll also have you gossiping about the outcome of the next big family dispute. If you can look past those flaws and initial stumbles, then do step aboard this emotional rollercoaster that will teach you the value of a family. It is also a fine character study of a quintessential stubbornly conservative Indian dad. So if you’ve got one of those, you’ll definitely like this show for putting all his flaws on display. Just don’t watch it while in the same room as him, so as to avoid awkward eye contact later…
