The millennial attempting to retain individuality and identity, while holding on to old friendships and coping with being a new parent, is a demographic that has hardly, if ever, been represented on the Indian screen. Even if it has been, it has been reduced to a strand or a subplot in a coming-of-age story.
The fact that it even goes down this route immediately sets Raat Jawaan Hai apart. That it does it well, making its eight episodes a breezy watch which you want to hold on to and hope it doesn’t end, is a huge feather in its cap. This is a definite clutter-breaker in the Indian streaming space. One which has been long overdue.
Created and written by Khyati Anand-Puthran and directed by actor Sumeet Vyas, Raat Jawaan Hai is a simple story about complex relationships which also becomes a complex story about simple relationships. That it is built around relatable characters and identifiable situations and tackles seemingly sticky circumstances with a lightness of touch makes it an effective watch.
Anchored by three inseparable childhood friends, now in their 30s and parents to toddlers, Raat Jawaan Hai draws its title from the name of the WhatsApp group that Avinash (Barun Sobti), Radhika (Anjali Anand) and Suman (Priya Bapat) share. While Radhika and Suman are homemakers, Avi has chosen to be a stay-at-home dad to take care of his infant while his wife pursues a successful career as a lawyer.
The show, filled with nuggets that will make you smile often but also shed a tear at certain points, has the trio battling everyday issues at home and outside — from stereotyping to ego hassles, lack of intimacy to the million-a-minute problems that come with raising a child. Their meetings in the park by day or sharing their daily wins and fails at the neighbourhood bus stop after putting their kids to sleep at night, is when Rads, Avi and Suman feel truly alive.
What works for Raat Jawaan Hai is that it doesn’t present a hunky-dory story of either friendship or relationship. Relationships are tough, friendships can often go awry and the three pals getting together to have a conversation or simply a laugh or cry makes it instantly relatable.
The lines are simply written but manage to pack a punch, with the best ones belonging to Avi. Barun is a natural in the role of a man who is completely comfortable in his skin. In many ways, his wisecracks, that often hide a more serious, sombre side of his personality, reminded me of Farhan Akhtar’s Imran in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Priya Bapat and especially, Anjali Anand, are perfect picks for their respective parts.
Raat Jawaan Hai ends on a note that makes you hope for another season. An important observation/ question it left me with was — for most of us, why does social conditioning demand that our spouses be friends with our friends? Why can’t marriage and friendship be separate and still thrive?
