Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare (Season 3)
Introduction
Paanch Rupey Ki Pepsi, Humare Ronny Bhaiyya Seksyyy! Political satires continue to be sparingly showcased in this country even though the situation of showcasing political dramas is a little better(so far). Hence, I am absolutely game whenever a quiet little satire makes its way to the big screen or an OTT Platform. Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare has to be one of the most underrated political satires at the moment, often masking the grassroot issues in the midst of a comedy that has consistently been scored in its previous two seasons. I happened to watch both seasons almost back to back during the pandemic and was quite pleasantly surprised with the acting chops of Zakir Khan who has got to be one of my favourite standup comics at the moment. His ease in front of the camera is quite a sight, standing up and matching shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Abhimanyu Singh and Sunny Hinduja, two prolific actors in their own rights. This, while the brand of comedy presented on the show was entertaining while deftly touching upon the politics of the land at the grassroot level(not to mention the city of Indore that adds freshness as a dimension in the drama). Come its third season on Amazon miniTV, I was quite looking forward to how the tale will continue, although I was surprised at the minimum marketing strategy which was once a prime show on Amazon Prime(oh that rhymed). So then, does the third season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
The third season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare begins with a fresh conflict of Ronny being threatened by Chachaji when the former chooses to file a nomination as an independent candidate. And while Ronny decides to take back his nomination owing to the threat from Chachaji, his life may not have a plan B to earn money! The story here is essentially a light heartes political satire that does tap into the politics at the grassroot level, much like its previous two seasons. My little criticism lay in the fact that the world building here was a shaky and threaten to almost derail the entire show. I found the writing to be plain average to begin with, but the political flavour in the drama does kick in with subtle bouts of comedy, a little before the halfway mark that eventually allows the drama to soar high! The screenplay standing at 8 episodes of roughly 20 odd minutes each are taut but they find their mojo from the third episode after which the drama doesn’t look back.
The drama to one of the most wobbly starts that I have seen for a show this year. I am used to a little buildup but there was none here wherein the drama gets straight to the point with Chachaji threatening Ronny and coaxing him to take his nomination back in the wake of the local elections which are round the corner. And while Ronny does agree with his set of conditions, he is left jobless with almost no medium to earn money, often taking up odd jobs in return. In contrast(and thanks to Ronny’s conditions to Chachaji), his friends really shine well professionally, almost giving an impression that Ronny is left behind in life. The drama most definitely takes a while to warm up, with the comedy being flat to begin with only to slowly find a way to be funny, a little before the halfway mark. In the initial period, the drama doesn’t quite extract the political flavour as it ought to have been, even as Ronny’s routine life is reduced to helping folks who come to him and dabbling with his strained love life too.
One thing that I liked about the drama is that the city of Indore did play an important character on the show even when things weren’t the best in terms of writing to begin with. The story of a small town having its set of beliefs – be it people miscontruing a simple hug between a boy and a girl to the delicious street food of the city, all of it nicely capture the vibe of the city. And just then, the writing finds some spark with both the humour and the underlying layer of politics connecting well. There is also a gentle streak of emotions lacing the drama that really manages to engulf the mindset of the protagonist.
There is a little more urgency in the proceedings in the third act of the drama, particularly when the politics takes centerstage, in what is essentially a game of ego and one-upmanship. The political mindgames are expertly showcased even while the humour in the drama is not quite compromised, leading to predictable but efficient twists and turns in the drama, leading to a heroic final act. Amidst this, there is a streak of nostalgia revolving around the protagonist’s love for the city of Indore and how he is willing to choose his city over his love, all packaged in a sweet little drama. The ending sets up things pretty well for the next season thereby summing up a screenplay that began on a slow note but really picked up post that.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are razor sharp and filled with one-liners that will make you chuckle although here I must say that not all jokes land particularly at the start. The music by Rajat Tiwari is excellent with such beautiful songs, each of which that adds a different flavour to the proceedings. The BGM by Rajat is also pretty decent, often going in sync with the emotions that it wishes to convey in multiple scenes. The costumes by Hinal Oza go well in sync with the character traits of the characters. The cinematography is decent but what the frames essentially do is capture the vibe of the city and the drama quite effectively. The editing was a bit patchy to begin with(amplified by the fact that the narrative template was of a sitcom with each episode bringing about a new conflict with an underlying thread connecting each episode). But it slowly settles in and in the end ensures that the show is watchable. Director Gaganjeet Singh takes a while to warm up to the drama but eventually finds his mojo just in the nick of time. His control in the second act and the final act was commendable wherein he definitely did elevate the drama by keeping things simple. The direction overall is quite decent here.
Performances
The performances are pretty impressive by the ensemble cast. Shambhavi Sthapak as Shivani is first rate and manages to leave a mark despite a limited screen time. Aditya Kulshreshth aka Kullu, Shikha Chauhan as Vishakha and Kirandeep Kaur Sran as Bhavya are such fine actors who manage to shine here simply by their screen presence. Rohit KP as Rahul, Punit Tiwari as Ankur and Gaurav Sharma as Santosh are excellent additions in the screenplay in a job done quite well. Siddharth Ohra as Lucky is hilarious and does a commendable job. Maira Doshi as Jasmine has a pleasant presence onscreen, in a job done pretty well. Alka Amin and Zakir Hussain as Ronny’s parents are absolutely first rate and a treat to watch with their exceptional comic timing. Amruta Khanvilkar as Surekha is a wonderful addition to the show and she portrays her character with utmost dignity and grace.
Onima Kashyap as Tanvi looks very pretty and definitely manages to leave a mark with her performance. Venus Singh as Avantika has evolved over the past three seasons and I found her to be the best here(amongst all her previous seasons). She looked a lot at home and delivered a nice little performance. Vyyom Sharma as Anwar is incredibly good here in a sincere and an earnest act. Kumar Varun as Kranti is adorable and he does make you chuckle with his goofy act. Abhimanyu Singh as Chachaji is outstanding to witness while continually being intimidating with his towering screen presence. Zakir Khan aka Sakht Launda aka Ronny Bhaiyya is excellent here and puts forth yet another commendable performance. His comic timing is unbeatable but he also shines in some of the emotional scenes, some that evoke a sense of nostalgia. He has always looked comfortable in front of the camera and his performance is yet again incredible.
Conclusion
Despite a wobbly first act, the third season of Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare is a cleverly penned satire on politics at the grassroot level that makes for a good one-time watch. Available on Amazon miniTV.
