After a
slightly shaky start, the second season of TVF’s web-series Permanent Roommates settles
down and gives us reason enough to wait and watch for the entire season to
unfold.
As
episode one kicks off, we meet the leads, Tanya (Nidhi Singh) and Mikesh
(Sumeet Vyas), in a bar where they are role-playing – a recipe for disaster,
but the writer could probably have squeezed out more laughs than he eventually
does here. From here on, Tanya and Mikesh, (who were trying the bad boy and the
sci-fi babe act), discover they’re pregnant, deal with the ‘first meeting with
his parents’ event and end the episode on a high note, with some help from
veteran actor Asrani.
There
are some hilarious one-liners strewn all over the narrative. “Maine susu kiya toh mujhe bhi pregnant bataya tha,” reasons Mikesh while trying to convince his girlfriend that
she’s not pregnant and that the pee-stick that showed her positive was just a
cheap brand. While a few scenes look unconvincing (like the boy in the hospital
peeing on the broken wedding snow globe), overall the writing wins you over
because Biswapati Sarkar keeps it smart and simple.
The
proceedings get a shot in the arm with the introduction of Mikesh’s parents,
both Darshan Jariwalla and Sheeba Chaddha are excellent in their parts, as is
Asrani who plays the conveniently hard of hearing Dadaji.
The
mentions of ‘Pro Life vs Pro Choice’ and the 50
Shades of Grey promo
are amusingly written into the script, as is the branding of the sponsors.
Tanya
and Mikesh’s characters continue to be endearing, again thanks to the writing
and the way the actors play them out. They’re real and flawed like you and me.
And that’s exactly what makes this series popular too. Add to it a few quirks,
like that little touch of subverting the conventional ‘maa ki mamta’ cliche,
wherein Mikesh’s mom explains how she used to outsource his beatings (genius!).
Watch Permanent Roommates because
it’s both charming and engaging, without tyring too hard, and that’s a rare
combination these days.
