Ever since online streaming platforms started to evolve as the new wave of entertainment, all I could wonder was “When are they going to come up with a sitcom?”
It seemed like the reply to my question would’ve be in the latest Amazon Prime’s original series Mind The Malhotras.
But, alas! My longing for a good Indian sitcom since Sarabhai vs Sarabhai remains just a wish as the show fails miserably at making you laugh. Here’s our review for Mind The Malhotras.
What’s It About?
Based on the Iseali TV series La Famiglia, the show tells the functionalities of a disfunctional urban family. Rishabh/Rish (Cyrus Sahukar) and Shefali/Shef (Mini Mathur) are a typical urban couple dealing with their mid-life marital crisis. With three kids and a mother in law, Shef has her hands full while Rish stays oblivion to her ordeal.
All of their couple friends are getting divorced left, right and centre and they fear they’re next. So they decide to deal with their situation by consulting a couple’s counsellor (Denzil Smith).
All nine episodes are based on this situation, with the Malhotras sitting on the couch in front of their counsellor and narrating various anecdotes from their suburban life, revolving around role-playing in the bedroom, parenting of their three kids, dealing with the house help and managing a nosy and dominating mother-in-law (Sushmita Mukherjee), and so on.
What Did It Miss?
While the trailer looked promising and the show has reasonably good actors and all the ingredients for success, it fails to evoke much of a reaction.
Each episode is only 25 minutes long but seems to drag; it feels more like a dull narration of the events in the life of the Malhotras rather than a hilarious journey one would expect from a sitcom.
The supporting characters, including the Malhotras’ children, two daughters, Jia and Dia, and their son Yoan, don’t enjoy much screen time. Some things also don’t seem to work in an Indian setting, such as Shefali Malhotra’s constant criticism of her mother-in-law in front of her husband.
Overall, the show doesn’t make you feel anything, which can be attributed to a weak script and unimpressive dialogues; more talk and less action. The only good thing about Mind the Malhotras is Denzil Smith as his character is quirky and seems to take away the stigma often associated with consulting a shrink in South Asian cultures.
All in All
Being a 90s kid, I lived on great sitcoms like Dekh Bhai Dekh and Khichdi. But Mind The Malhotras seems to miss that special ingredient these other shows had, a relatable story.
I understand this is about reaching out to the urban segment who would otherwise spend their weekend binge watching all the seasons of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. but the new Amazon show fails to be up to the mark and is far from being fresh. We’ll go with 1.5 out of 5 stars for the show.
