All in the family

Sheetal

We have heard of ‘Love Aaj Kal’, but while choosing the love of your life, it all comes down to family and whether they bless the harmony or disregard it completely. The issues may have changed with changing times, but the ‘parents wanting the best for their children’ spiel remains entrenched. The SonyLIV series ‘Family Aaj Kal’ pretty much revolves around the same old things, but the treatment is ‘zara sa hatke’.

First and foremost is the ‘Modern Family’ approach to storytelling wherein each of the six main characters gets one-on-one time with the viewers. It doesn’t feel forced and serves the purpose, as does the one-sentence definition of family mentioned in every episode.

The five-episode series isn’t stretched to make a point or a sequel. The screenplay is about the elder daughter, Meher, falling in love with Gaurav, who is driver by profession. Meher is a product of the love marriage between her Muslim mother Faiza and Hindu father Shekhar. It’s a relatable and debatable topic of current times, and one expects that her family is woke enough to rise above the class divide between her and Gaurav.

Apoorva Arora gives an impressive performance as Meher and the sibling revelry between her and actor Aakarshan Singh (Sahir) has some funny and relatable moments. Actor Nitesh Pandey, whom we lost to a heart attack, comes alive in this series as Meher’s father. His chemistry with fellow actor Sonali Sachdev gives a perfect middle-class family vibe. The latter’s change of heart from ‘hate to understanding’ with her father-in-law (Masood Akhtar) is the essence of the whole series.

It’s a short and sweet story, but because there are better family dramas available, the shortcomings get accentuated. It doesn’t surpass the content already available, but for director Parikshit Joshi, it’s definitely a leap forward from his earlier projects. In fact, the first episodes where Meher expresses that most important discussions happen around the family dinner reminds us of his previous show, ‘Family Dinner’ (2021). The subject of class divide that Indian society rarely manages to overcome is also heartwarming.

The authentic and raw chemistry between each character actually makes it a one-time family watch.