Disney+ Hotstar’s latest slice-of-life web series Ghar Waapsi is a relatable take on the reality of the corporate rat race with the sweetness of familial warmth in small towns of India.
Directed by Ruchir Arun and written by Tatsat Pandey and Bharat Misra, Ghar Waapsi may seem similar to TVF’s Gullak (SonyLIV) and Yeh Meri Family (Prime Video) in terms of the nostalgic sweetness of the 1990s it offers at first. But where it wins is in the touch of reality — the struggles of several small-town boys and girls who move to bigger cities for work.
At 40-plus minutes, it’s a tad long, especially with long stretches halfway through the series. By the final episodes, all the major conflicts are neatly resolved in keeping with the show’s upbeat tone. Like a dysfunctional family fairy tale where old wounds mend and solutions materialise right when we need them to.
Though the ultimate destination of the plot seems a little simplistic and convenient, there is a lot to be said about the journey created by Dice Media, the production house behind shows like Little Things, Wahat the Folks and Not Fit.
Here are four reasons why you should add the six-episode Ghar Waapsi to your watchlist:
The setting
The middle-class family drama series market is largely dominated by narratives that have the breezy, assembly-line feel of small-town charms, heavy on sentiment but light on substance. Recent shows like Home Shanti and Saas bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. are undeniably sweet but little else.
Ghar Waapsi is set in Indore, around the Dwiwedi household, and the makers utilise the setting and surroundings to add to the narrative. The show successfully goes beyond the kindred trappings of small town tales as the characters take the story forward. The culture of Indore and the way of life is at the heart of the show, but it also lends an empathic lens to the fast and cruel life of Bangalore, a city that becomes second home to those from small towns.
The engaging plotline
Ghar Waapsi follows Shekhar who works in Bangalore’s startup circuit. His entire life is a grind, with conference calls, presentations, post-work drinks, EMIs, car loans and a faint sense of social life. But when he is suddenly laid off, he’s forced to return to his family in Indore to reevaluate the rat race and do some much-needed soul searching. Back home, he is faced with old wounds that need healing as he’s forced to reconnect with his past and the people he had left behind.
Going back vs moving forward
Throughout the series, Shekhar struggles between two worlds – his old worldview and his new identity, which is at odds with the new one. The warmth and ease of the people he knows versus the exhilaration of independence and acceptance; the vitality of city life versus the familial comforts and traditional trappings of small-town life.
He has changed, despite the fact that the setting and the people have remained the same. Going backwards is occasionally the only way to move forward. Ghar Waapsi brilliantly explores this struggle as Shekhar attempts to reconnect with his loved ones.
The performances
The series is packed with some superb performances by the entire cast. Ghar Waapsi rests heavily on the shoulders of television actor Vishal Vashishtha, who plays Shekhar with utmost conviction.
The supporting cast, including Vibha Chibber as his overbearing mother, Atul Srivastava as the peacekeeping father, Saad Bilgram and Anushka Kaushik as Shekhar’s younger siblings, get the tone of a small-town middle-class family spot on.
However, it is Ajitesh Gupta as Shekhar’s endearing loyal friend Darshan who hits home along with Akanksha Thakur as Shekhar’s old flame who he bumps into.
