“We are just Stepney for the company.”
When Shekhar this to his girlfriend in a shattered, crumbling voice, it deeply pinched my heart.
After nearly 8 years in the corporate rat race, one thing has always bothered me: for whom have I been doing these 10, 11 hours of labour? Is it worth my time to prepare mundane PowerPoints, scroll through endless cells in Excel spreadsheets, or send patronizing emails?
Is it just a steady raise, a rented apartment, a sizable credit card, and a 52-inch LED TV with Netflix subscriptions? Haven’t I left someone far behind in this rat race to be the best employee of the year?
While watching “Ghar Waapsi” on Hotstar, I got goosebumps, thinking someone else was also pondering the same questions, and I found it in Shekar, the protagonist of ” Ghar Waapsi”.
The director of Ghar Waapsi painted the picture of two Indias: one where the human relationship is built on equity, one where buzzwords like unicorns, RoI, beta test, alpha test, and disruptive tech are more commonly heard than normal greetings, and another where basic human values and emotions are still preserved.
Shekhar’s hero’s journey alternates between these two Indias until he discovers his solace and destiny.
The reason why I loved this show is that in almost every aspect, I could relate to myself. Vishal Vashishtha portrayed all of these so well craftily that I found it as the memoir of my own life, from conflicting his own demons, aspirations of a youth hailing from a small city, struggles to live to the perceptions society and family put on us, social Darwinism plays office floor.
The director, Ruchir Arun, touches on almost every nook and cranny of small-town life, social dichotomies and taboos, and values still preserved in small towns.
Despite all of this good stuff, the show succumbed to Saviour Syndrome. We got a “Swadesh” Mohan Bhargava vibe when Shekhar (Vishal) started resolving everything, from his father’s nearly bankrupt travel business to his siblings’ problems. Aside from that, the show’s climax appears disconnected from the rest of the story plot. The director appears to have abruptly drawn the curtain by imposing a typical “Mohan Bhargava returns to his village” plot in the show.
Vishal Vashishtha’s genuine performance as Shekhar and his ability to convey his dilemma to his audience is the show’s bestselling points. As parents, both Atul Srivastava and Vibha Chibber have given outstanding performances. TVF alums Saad Bilgrami and Anushka Kaushik brilliantly reprised their roles as siblings in the show. Another delightful experience was seeing Akanksha Thakur following the Bicchoo Ka Khel, TVF pitcher.
I truly feel Ghar Waapsi will find its audience, especially those who live far from their homes but still strive for family values and bonding. Of course, the show does not amplify complex greyish social psychology, but it will provide you with a warm, palpable familial bonding experience.