Family Aaj Kal Review: Simple Story is Funny But Unrealistic

– No Spoilers –

When Meher brings to her liberal-minded parents’ attention that she is dating a cab driver, things take a turn for the worse. While she expects pushback, she doesn’t expect her parents to totally be against their union. Frazzled and confused, Meher must choose her family or her boyfriend but is that choice ever that easy?

Although the plot overview might make it seem like a complicated series with a lot of hidden messages and whatnot, Family Aaj Kal is short and simple that is warm and humorous from time to time and keeps things realistic… more or less. Modern love stories have become liberated and people are more understanding of each other’s plights but parents are always super careful when it comes to their own children. Oftentimes very liberated parents aren’t open when it comes to their own children and it’s an issue that desi kids have faced for years.

The SonyLIV series is on something similar and keeps things very surface level but thanks to its short runtime, viewers who want to enjoy something heartwarming but don’t want to invest too much time can have a fun time with family watching this one. Shows like these play with reliability which this one is as well, but there are moments in its more or less 2.5 hours runtime that will make anyone scratch their heads in confusion. Although funny with relatable jokes, it’s the decisions that some of the characters make that are the truly perplexing part of the runtime.

Meher’s parents are shown to be open-minded people who have gone through their fair share of troubles earlier in their lives. Considering those hardships, you’d expect them to be more understanding of their daughter’s problems. However, the lengths that they go to in order to forcefully be obtuse about the situation feels a bit gimmicky and unrealistic. These scenes are shown to be funny but it’s actually really odd to watch two successful people being this closed-minded in spite of their struggles.

And I get it – sometimes big news such as this can feel a bit confusing and difficult. But the mature thing for two adults to do would’ve been to speak to the child in the situation instead of blowing it so out of proportion. On top of that, the series showcases the grandfather’s tale as something very mysterious and almost predatory in some ways but doesn’t really do anything with it in the end. His character was a bit confusing to me but Masood Akhtar is adorable as the dadaji so I guess it works in a way.

In spite of these odd choices, I enjoyed the relationship between the characters and their story arcs. There is some growth, even though convenient and simple, that will make your heart happy and, in the end, it’s the happiness that matters. Is it a memorable show? Not really. But that’s okay – it gives us a break from the darkness around us and tells us that it’s possible to get over our differences by just having a conversation.

Apoorva Arora as Meher is lovely to watch as a woman going through the realisation that her parents are also human beings who make mistakes. I think every new adult who is going through life comes to this realisation at some point in their lives and Meher’s character showcases that really well. Her relationship with Prakhar Singh’s Gaurav is sweet but nothing memorable but Sonali Sachdev and Nitesh Pandey are, as always, delightful to watch. However, Aakarshan Singh’s Sahil is the most relatable of them all, if only because he never gives up on his dream of getting a PS5.

Family Aaj Kal Review: Final Thoughts

Although unmemorable, Family Aaj Kal is definitely a one-time watch that is a happy and warm watch with some unrealistic moments. It’s quite tension-free but entertaining and although things are a bit too conveniently done and dusted, it still has funny moments that will make you smile.

Family Aaj Kal is streaming on SonyLIV.

Also Read: Shark Tank India Season 3 Episode 52 Review: An Environmentally Conscious Ending!