Happy Family Conditions Apply
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I finished watching the new Hindi series Happy Family Conditions Apply which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The series had a weekly format with new episodes being churned out every Friday. Now I am not a fan of this format and would prefer to watch all episodes in a single go. But there were a few things that did go in the show’s favour this time. Firstly, credit to the Amazon Prime marketing team which did not fool its audience into believing that all episodes are going to release in a single go! Unlike The Night Manager, the promotional poster clearly did state on the approach of the OTT giant towards the show. Secondly, the brand of humour which the show was catering to, required the audience to get acquainted it, particularly for viewers unfamiliar with the previous works of Hats Off Production like Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai or Khichadi.
Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai has been one of my favourite sitcoms over the years. It came into my life when I was at an impressionable age and I instantly had taken a liking to it. Over the years, the show has gained a cult status with a massive fan following on social media. So much so that the pressure of a season two did eventually get to the makers. The result wasn’t bad but not half as impressive as the first ‘OG’ season. With its interesting and memorable characters and a refreshing brand of humour, the show is still alive and fresh in our hearts.
That said, it was always going to be a challenge to match up to the humour of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai. So every time Aatish Kapadia and JD Majethia are out with a new show, the expectations are always high, given their reputation of churning out great content previously. But it would also be unfair to compare any of their upcoming shows with the expectation of being the next Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai. So keeping that in mind and managing my expectations, I ventured into Happy Family Conditions Apply. Is the show worth your time, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Happy Family Conditions Apply follows the looney chronicles of the Dholakias, a family filled with goofy characters and some interesting character traits. More than the story which is stationed as a sitcom, it is the brand of humour which I was most interested in. And the show did not disappoint. The screenplay standing at 10 episodes of roughly 20 odd to 30 odd minutes each does make for a breezy watch filled with absurd humour which is now a trademark of sorts for its makers.
The drama does well to allow the viewers enough time to get acquainted with the characters traits of every character and the brand of humour that the show represents. So initially, you need to be patient with the show given that the humour here is an acquired taste particularly for viewers who aren’t acquainted with the previous works of the makers. That is the make or break moment of the show where either the viewers will sail through or shall be completely repelled by it. I for one really enjoyed the events that were unfolding along with the humour, which I must admit, took sometime to settle in. This is very different from the Samji brand of humour, wherein the lines are quirky and silly alright but never forced.
The proceedings are engaging and hilarious with simple day to day problems that formulate the episodes. The idea of a sitcom is to keep things light and frothy while being quick with the resolution of the multiple conflicts. And the show does that just right. It doesn’t dwell too much into the conflicts and offers simplistic solutions at a swift pace. The only thread that connects each episode is a fresh conflict at the end of every episode that does keep the viewers invested. This, while the brand of humour keeps rising your laughter decibel levels after every episode.
The show also touches upon a few important issues of patriarchy and the representation of the LGBTQ community which were showcased pretty well. The humour did not demean the issues in any way while the proceedings also did not dry up of laughs completely. The fine line was treaded pretty well here. But a word of caution for the Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai fans. The writing isn’t as sharp as it was there and so expectations need to be managed here. But if you do that, you shall not be disappointed with the show which ends on an interesting note for season 2. Overall, the writing is fresh here and does contribute to the laughs with some interesting characters thrown in the mix.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are quirky and quite a source for some hysterical laughs. The BGM is quite quirky too and blends well with the brand of humour that the show is catering to. The cinematography and editing are pretty good. Directors Aatish Kapadia and JD Majethia are a crackling combo given their previous works and they deliver their trademark humour in a refreshing drama here. The ability of the directors to keep the viewers invested is reflected really well here in an overall job done well.
Performances
The performances are fabulous by the ensemble cast. Samar Vermani as Jackie and Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal as Sheela masi have their moments to shine. Swati Das as Kanakavalli is first rate and a treat to watch. Atul Kumar as Suresh is spot on with his Gujarati-American accent and quite fun to watch. Paresh Ganatra as Dr. Jatin is hilarious and I did crack up every time he said ‘Photo Dikhao'(Show them the picture). Pranoti Pradhan as Falguni is also excellent with her comic timing. Sanah Kapoor as Ayushi has a vibrant screen presence and she does a commendable job. Raunaq Kamdar as Sanjay aka ‘Sanjuoy’ is outstanding in a wonderfully restrained role.
Meenal Sahu as Tisca is wonderful to watch in a job done extremely well. Neha Julka as Diana is pretty good to witness too. Ayesha Jhulka as Pallavi is wonderful to watch with her unique character trait to taking selfies. Atul Kulkarni as Ramesh is a revelation and absolutely brilliant here as the hilarious chemist of the family. Raj Babbar as Mansukhlal is seen to be enjoying himself here and he is wonderful to witness. But the show stealer here is Ratna Pathak Shah as Hemlata who just nails her character which is loaded with hilarious one-liners. I have always been a fan of her work and her performance here was reminiscent of the iconic character Maya Sarabhai in terms of being effortless while playing with humour(although the characters are diabolically opposite each other). It was a masterclass in setting the timing of comedy just right.
Conclusion
The first season of Happy Family Conditions Apply is a looney chronicle of a goofy family that makes for a hilarious watch. Available on Amazon Prime.