A regaling Hindi sitcom and soap opera, Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai revolves around the daily lives of the quirky characters that make up the Sarabhai family.
The show fares well at depicting a typical urban upper middle class Indian family in the early 2000s. It effectively captures the lifestyle and interpersonal dynamics as well as common attitudes and beliefs of that time. The characters span a wide range of natures - the genial prankster Indravadan, his domineering acerbic wife Maya, their straight man elder son Sahil and irresponsible daughter-in-law Monisha, and their younger son and mother's pet Rosesh form the core family. Along with witty wordplay and humorous dialogue, the comedy is also brought out by employing recurring gags such as Maya's contempt for the middle class, Monisha's miserliness and Rosesh's unappreciated attempts at poetry.
However, it should be emphasized that Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai is unlikely to be appreciated by international audiences unfamiliar with the Indian setting and culture. There is also a dire lack of character progression; the family members never change or develop significantly as a result of their experiences, instead remaining one-note personalities. Events that should be treated with a modicum of seriousness are instead used solely for comedic effect. Romance subplots especially are extremely corny and work lives are barely featured. In general, the choice of independent episodic storylines prevents references to past happenings. There is a lot of overacting as well; this is even more evident in the needless Season 2. Finally, the sound effects that are played after each retort quickly become grating.
Despite these criticisms, Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai is among the foremost Indian sitcoms. Even if incidents and personalities are exaggerated for dramatic effect, the stories nonetheless tend to be endearing and amusing. The show is best suited for Indian audiences and Indian diaspora abroad who will be better able to relate to the content and derive enjoyment from it.
The show fares well at depicting a typical urban upper middle class Indian family in the early 2000s. It effectively captures the lifestyle and interpersonal dynamics as well as common attitudes and beliefs of that time. The characters span a wide range of natures - the genial prankster Indravadan, his domineering acerbic wife Maya, their straight man elder son Sahil and irresponsible daughter-in-law Monisha, and their younger son and mother's pet Rosesh form the core family. Along with witty wordplay and humorous dialogue, the comedy is also brought out by employing recurring gags such as Maya's contempt for the middle class, Monisha's miserliness and Rosesh's unappreciated attempts at poetry.
However, it should be emphasized that Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai is unlikely to be appreciated by international audiences unfamiliar with the Indian setting and culture. There is also a dire lack of character progression; the family members never change or develop significantly as a result of their experiences, instead remaining one-note personalities. Events that should be treated with a modicum of seriousness are instead used solely for comedic effect. Romance subplots especially are extremely corny and work lives are barely featured. In general, the choice of independent episodic storylines prevents references to past happenings. There is a lot of overacting as well; this is even more evident in the needless Season 2. Finally, the sound effects that are played after each retort quickly become grating.
Despite these criticisms, Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai is among the foremost Indian sitcoms. Even if incidents and personalities are exaggerated for dramatic effect, the stories nonetheless tend to be endearing and amusing. The show is best suited for Indian audiences and Indian diaspora abroad who will be better able to relate to the content and derive enjoyment from it.