Oops! Ab Kya? (Season 1)
Introduction
In many ways, the silly title of the show Oops! Ab Kya? is accurate. This is because it is exactly the reaction that I had while watching dubious show that was literally searching for its identity. There are times wherein you actually feel blessed while writing a review of a film or a show that literally has spelt magic. And then there are films and shows that you silently have to endure ‘as a part of your job’ while patiently waiting for some magic to transpire. Unfortunately, Oops Ab Kya falls in the latter category. There was something about the film Badass Ravikumar that draw the audiences in – a film so bad that it was good particularly because the writing remained self-aware of the spoof format that the film had to offer. And this is what more filmmakers and writers need to understand – if you are taking a frivolous subject atleast tonally stick to the original source material. While watching Oops Ab Kya, it almost gave me an impression that the writers were searching for the identity of a show – is it a Sex Comedy? Is it a Rom-Com? Is it a family entertainer? Or is it a murder mystery? And hence, what you are served is an incoherent mess that never allows the audience to settle into a particular zone. There is a little of everything and nothing at the same time, something that pretty much sums up the film.
Story & Screenplay
An official adaptation of the novel and show Jane The Virgin, Oops Ab Kya follows the chronicles of Roohi (Shweta Basu Prasad) who is a 27 year old virgin having promised her grandma that she will break her ‘Gullak’ only after marriage. And so she is alert even while making out with her cop boyfriend, the ever understanding Omi (Abhay Mahajan) who is very accomodating with her request. Roohi works in a hotel headed by the handsome hunk Samar (Aashim Gulati) who isn’t very happy in his marriage with Alisha (Amy Aela), as a result of which the latter wishes to undergo an IVF treatment. Oddly in a strange turn of events, Roohi is impregnated through IVF at the clinic that triggers a series of events. One of the biggest issues for me lay in the voiceover that frequently disrupts the flow of the drama. I have never been in favour of spoon-feeding the viewers with information, while allowing them to decipher and read between the lines. Unfortunately, the voiceover here is used so frivolously even to introduce characters that instantly had me disconnected to the drama and its characters. This is true also for some major relevations in the drama that aren’t necessarily unraveled by its characters but well acquainted to the viewers by the voiceover. It kind of got ridiculous after a point because every time some emotions are built up in a scene, the voiceover is plugged in to convey the internal feelings or unsaid lies of the character to the viewers. It was quite annoying and an instant distraction.
The identity of the show aspiring to be much more than a regular Rom-Com or a sex comedy leads to severe tonal inconsistencies that often sways away from its core. For instance, there is a parallel sub-plot involving a bunch of crime that transpires with the investigation led by Omi, that ultimately leads to murders along the way. And so the presence of a mastermind always lurks in the corner, something that is the DNA of another show, altogether. The core of the drama lay in its confusion that lead to the IVF, that eventually brought many equations in play. Sadly, the unfocused nature of the writing never quite allows you to settle into the drama that is further impacted by frequent shifts in the timeline. It was again distracting given how every single character trait of the protagonist had to be justified through a random flashback as opposed to creating a character and the world around her first before jumping into the conflict. This was such a basic screenplay error that there really was no excuse for the same.
There was a brief moment of glitter in the drama that included the shifting dynamics of the characters. In a scene, you see Roohi and her family watching a daily soap involving their favourite TV actor Vanraj (Jaaved Jaaferi), only for him to turn out to be Roohi’s actual dad. Elsewhere, the dilemma faced by Roohi on whether Alisha and Samar would turn out to be good parents for her baby, and her shifting equation with Omi were also important plot-points that did show some signs of recovery as far as the writing was concerned. Yet, the urge to trivialize the drama by converting it into a sex comedy was something beyond me. The proceedings were neither funny or entertaining even as you witness Roohi trying to make love to Omi before the permissible limit of pregnancy, or Roohi fantacizing about Samar in broad daylight while sharing a wet dream involving him, but disintegrated the drama. This was true because there were no real emotions to accompany the narrative that never had me fully invest in the characters or their journeys.
One of the biggest flaws in the drama lay with the characterization. There are plots and subplots that are unnecessarily extended with characters being plugged in and out within a matter of a few scenes (ofcourse with annoying introductions via the voiceover). These characters do not quite contribute to the screenplay, apart from extending the length of the show that already felt too long at 8 episodes of 40 odd minutes each. There was an entire phase which felt so repetitive with the overlapping equations and conflicts of Roohi, Omi and Samar that it made me want to say ‘Jaldi Bol Subah Panvel Nikalna Hai’. The conflict was established but just going around in circles after a point. This, while the murder mystery itself felt conveniently forgotten, only being reintroduced back in spurts and jerks with the twists and turns being so frivolous that the drama remained flat. There are a few good moments of thrill at the end but the stakes in the drama are already so low that you couldn’t care less. So even the unexpected reveal makes for a rather late entry of brilliance just as the drama is gasping for its final breath. The cliffhanger is again unexpected but it was already a losing battle by then, summed up in a screenplay that is a hot mess, and nothing less!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are just flat with nothing much to write home about. There was a searing opportunity of lacing the narrative with the socio-economic differences with respect to the characters of Roohi and Samar as told through the lines. But none of it was expressed just while the lines largely remained unfunny even as my muscles failed to twitch with laughter even once. The music and BGM are adequate but also largely generic with no real takeaways which was unlike a Dice Media production that does usually emphasize of this aspect in particular. The cinematography follows a similar trajectory so much so the the technical prowess of the show remains basic. The editing is quite patchy while failing to take into the account multiple lags and tonal inconsistencies in the drama. Directors Prem Mistry and Debatma Mandal fail on basic accounts of world building and characterization. The uninspirational narrative just doesn’t allow you to feel any emotions or humour with respect to the characters through and through. Some plot-points of shocking are decently well staged I must admit but overall, the direction fails to impress.
Performances
I feel sad for the performers because there was a genuine effort from each one of them to make the proceedings work. Apara Mehta as Roohi’s grandma is just so affable and she briefly puts a smile on your face despite a mess of a screenplay. Sonali Kulkarni and Jaaved Jaaferi as Roohi’s parents are wonderful performers who try and infuse some much needed energy to the proceedings with tad bits of meta-humour. Abhay Mahajan as Omi is sincere and earnest although I wasn’t fully convinced about his portrayal of a cop that needed a bit more weight with his body language. Amy Aela as Alisha looks pretty and has genuinely improved from her previous outings even as she gets the expressions and body language of her character right. Aashim Gulati as Samar delivers an upright and dignified performance while choosing to be understated. Shweta Basu Prasad as Roohi does a good job too in ‘trying’ to convey a bag full of emotions. The major issue with the character of Roohi was her confused sketch that did not quite allow her to think clearly. And I say this as an issue because this contributed to several repetitive plot-points in the drama. But objectively, Shweta made me look past a few of the character flaws wherein she put up a good show.
Conclusion
Despite some good performances, the first season of Oops Ab Kya is reduced to an adult Rom-Com for dummies that is severely impacted by its tonal inconsistencies and an identity crisis with respect to its genre. The drama is neither funny nor emotional thereby making it a forgettable watch. Available on JioHotstar.
