WHAT'S GOOD:
1. The best thing about this story was the bonding between the Saas, played by Yamini Das, and Bahu played by Amruta Subhash. Instead of conspiring against the other, as shown in the television shows, they were behaving like a mother and daughter. The banter shared by the two was so spontaneous and real yet felt so unreal because we are not used to watching it in a series.
2. Amruta Subhash is a phenomenal talent, who has been consistently performing brilliantly in the supporting roles that have come her way. Finally she gets to play the main lead, and leaves you spellbound with a scintillating performance. I am really glad TVF and Amruta found each other. The character of Suman goes through a roller-coaster of emotions as she tries to stand up on her feet and make sense of her life post separation from her husband, and Amruta Subhash has conveyed all of them beautifully. The thing with good actors and actresses is that they don't play some character, they become that character, and that's exactly what Amruta Subhash has done in this show.
3. Yamini Das deserves a standing ovation for her performance in this show, what an absolute gem of an actress she is! I was super impressed by her performance in the movie 'Sui Dhaaga', which also had a start-up plot at its core, and once again in Saas Bahu Achaar she has delivered an outstanding performance. The scene in the bus, where Yamini Das helps her daughter-in-law is so brilliantly written and acted, you feel like applauding for the veteran actress. It's so amazing to see Yamini Das do so well at this age, I really hope this inspires writers to write more roles for senior actors and actresses, because they may have got old but their acting prowess is shining brighter than ever.
4. The writing of Abhishek Shrivastava and Swarnadeep Biswas deserves credit for getting most things correct in showing the life of an uneducated woman stepping into the world of entrepreneurship and keeping things grounded. The journey of Suman has been shown as uneven, filled with multiple roadblocks; in other words, it's a realistic depiction.
5. Anandeshwar Dwivedi has been with TVF for many years now and we know him mostly for his over the top and comic roles, but with this show he has proved that he is much more than that. As Suman's right hand man, Shukla, Anandeshwar has delivered a beautiful performance that is understated as well as drenched in realism.
6. Manu Bisht as Juhi, the daughter of Suman, has delivered a very impressive performance as well. Considering the fact that this was her first major acting assignment, it speaks a lot about the acting potential she possesses.
7. Music by Nilotpal Bora is quite good. Songs such as Koshishein and Boondo Ka Jharna are extremely melodious.
WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD:
1. There were some great scenes initially showing the banter between Saas and Bahu, when they are planning how Suman should kick start her entrepreneurial journey, but later on we don't get to see any more Saas Bahu scenes. Shuklaji becomes Suman's partner and Saas takes a backseat. The best part of this show was the chemistry shared between Yamini Das and Amruta Subhash, I really wish there was more of it in the show.
2. The show made Dilip, played by Anup Soni, a villain but we never get to see his perspective. The writers have made a point not to follow the usual tropes, Suman and her mother-in-law don't hate each other, the step mother, played by Anjana Sukhani, is not an evil woman, in fact she is quite friendly with the children; so why make the husband into a villain with no redeeming qualities? Dilip remained an underdeveloped character throughout the series, almost a silent character who is at the receiving end of everyone's anger.
3. The way Suman was promoting her Pickles was slightly problematic. She saw an open door, went inside and fed the kid with her Pickle (Achaar). I don't think you would want a stranger feeding something to your child without your permission; what if it was a sedative or poison? When Suman asks people to taste her Pickles, she does not use a spoon to take it out, everyone uses their hands to pick out a Pickle from the packet; that was quite an unhygienic way of doing it.
4. The show is most exciting when Shukla Ji, Suman and her mother-in-law go around the city with the hope of finding an investor for their business, but it drops pace every time the family drama takes centrestage. Pacing is definitely an issue with the series, it's not always an engaging watch.
This is another feel good story of an underdog, but still quite different from the kind of shows TVF is known for, so I suspect it won't attract that many viewers, but nevertheless it's a very well made show, and people should give it a try. Don't let the trailer dissuade you from watching the show, it may look like a regular television drama serial, and perhaps it is, but not of this era; production of these kind of shows stopped in the early nineties, when the golden era of Doordarshan came to an end.
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