Ghar Waapsi review: A relatable, endearing show

The six-episode series gives us a family of five: a controlling yet loving mother, a happy-go-lucky father, a son who returns to Indore after losing his job in Bangalore, his young brother who is reckless in business decisions, and their chulbuli, carefree sister.

Shekhar Dwiwedi (Vishal Vashishtha) returns to his family in Indore after being sacked from his job. The loose writing of the first two episodes makes it a bit tedious to watch Shekhar trying to find a job again, while finding it difficult to settle with his family and the peculiarities of every character of the Dwiwedi household. But eventually, the writers, Tatsat Pandey and Bharat Misra, get a grip on the script.

Anushka Kaushik and Vishal Vashishtha in Ghar Waapsi.

As the episodes go along, the show becomes a tapestry of vignettes, drawn from writers and director Ruchir Arun’s lived-in experiences. These vignettes are warm, funny, tender and touching. When Shekhar’s mother cooks his favourite food and his younger siblings complain about her not cooking their ‘manpasand khaana‘, you smile as you too have at some point teased your parents for loving your sibling more. When Shekhar’s friends complain about him getting busy with his job and not having time to even call or text, you relate as you too are guilty of avoiding your friends at some point in life.

In the series, actor Atul Srivastava plays an empathetic and non-dramatic father who’d be out of place in traditional Bollywood dramas. He has no hard feelings about Shekhar moving away from home as he wants him to fulfill his dreams. He doesn’t praise him when he helps in reviving his travel agency as he thinks that will hold him back at home. When his younger son Sanju tells him about his ambitions, the exchange is endearing. When he tells his daughter to just ignore her mother who scolded her for going out with a boy, you realise that now parents and children no longer need to be on opposing teams.

Atul Srivastava and Vishal Vashishtha in a still from Ghar Waapsi.

Not just Srivastava, every actor has given a convincing performance. Vishal Vashishtha as Shekhar gets the frustration of a corporate employee right while being a perfect ‘bada bhai’. Saad Bilgram and Anushka Kaushik get the tone of younger siblings right. Vibha Chibber will remind you of your mother. Ajitesh Gupta, as Shekhar’s best friend, is so warm and affectionate that you desire a friend like him. Writers Tatsat and Bharat, and director Ruchir have etched the characters in a way that they evolve without drawing attention. In Dwiwedis, we get a family that never says ‘I love you’ to each other – like most Indian families – but you get to feel their deep bond.

When I watched the trailer of Ghar Waapsi, the show seemed similar to Gullak and Yeh Meri Family which played on the sweet nostalgia of the 90s. But what makes Ghar Wapsi different is its relatability in today’s times. It is a show that will bring you home or will make you take a break from your humdrum work schedule and sit with your parents and siblings for a little gupshup or maybe a game of Ludo.