‘Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd.’ Review: Amruta Subhash Is Amazing In This Realistic Ode To Female Relationships
One of the biggest mistakes we as a race committed was putting a timeline on life. I feel like most of us are given this timetable when we are growing up of when we should achieve what and if anyone deviates from this plan, they are automatically termed as a failure. However, I am of the belief that life is too long to be summarized in a timetable. I feel that it is a disservice to limit your growth to just a particular time frame. And one of the brilliant examples I saw of this recently was Suman, the protagonist of Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. by Zee5 in collaboration with TVF. Arunabh Kumar and Apoorv Singh Karki created the series. It has been directed by Apoorv Singh Karki and written by Abhishek Srivastava and Swarnadeep Biswas. Amruta Subhash, Yamini Das, Anup Soni, Anjana Sukhani, and Anandeshwar Dwivedi star in the series. So having watched the show let me give you my opinion of Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd.
Plot
Suman (Amruta Subhash) is a divorcee and both her children, Juhi and Rishu, live with her ex-husband, Dilip (Anup Soni), her mother-in-law (Yamini Das) and her husband’s new wife, Manisha (Anjana Sukhani). In an attempt to get custody of her children, Suman strives to be financially independent by starting her own achaar business with a lot of help from her mother-in-law and her business partner, Shukla ji.
Cast and Characters
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I genuinely enjoyed everyone’s performance on Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. Amruta Subhash shone as Suman. Considering that Suman as a character is like an average Indian homemaker. There is nothing eye-catching about her appearance or mannerisms. But I feel like what makes her interesting is her sheer willpower and perseverance. I grew up with a Nani who was a single mother and held a job, back in her days. And to quite an extent, Suman reminded me of her. While there are of course moments when Suman fails and receives rejections, which she reacts negatively to, she picks herself back up almost immediately and keeps going. I feel like her character is a slap in the face of this timetable that we all are expected to follow and proves that you can start afresh if you really want to.
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Also Read: Exclusive: Amruta Subhash On Preparing For A “Coming Of Age For A Middle-Class Woman” Role In ‘Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd.’
Another character who I absolutely loved was Yamini Das’. Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. shatters the archaic (and frankly, outdated) trope of saas-bahu having a bad relationship and presents to you the ADORABLE relationship between Yamini Das and Suman. Other than her relentless support for her daughter-in-law (who is more of a daughter to her), their banter is what will take you by surprise and amuse you. I feel like we are so used to seeing bahus being ultra polite and respectful to their mother-in-laws on-screen that the depiction of Suman being this casual and talking back to her mother-in-law was pleasantly surprising, refreshing and extremely enjoyable to witness.
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ANOTHER female relationship I wasn’t expecting to enjoy was Suman and Manisha’s. An Indian show with multiple healthy female relationships? Whaaaat?! Not to sound redundant, but this relationship was very refreshing too. I absolutely loved how there was no attempt to villainise Manisha. Moreover, unlike most “other woman” characters, she herself is a divorcee who has a son from her previous marriage. Moreover, she does not subscribe to the typical step-mother trope either and genuinely cares for Suman and Dilip’s children as her own. Neither has it been shown that she holds any negativity for Suman and genuinely wants her to thrive as well. Anjana Sukhani did a great job in highlighting the complex and difficult position her character is in and humanised her in the most beautiful way.
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Now, let’s shed some light on the men, shall we? Shukla Ji (Anandeshwar Dwivedi) is a character that will grow on you, I promise. While we don’t meet him in the most positive light, the development of his relationship/partnership/friendship/kinship with Suman will redeem him in your eyes. He is one of the major sources of comic relief throughout Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. along with sharing his nuggets of wisdom through his experience being an entrepreneur himself. Anandeshwar Dwivedi did a great job being a comic relief when the plot demanded it without being an overkill which made his character funny but still forced me to take him seriously. I also enjoyed his bantering with Yamini Das a lot!
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I wasn’t completely sure what to expect from Dilip’s character. But I liked what I ended up seeing. Dilip is the epitome of a grey character and I mean that in a good way. I think years of Crime Patrol made me forget what a good actor Anup Soni is. The thing is, Dilip isn’t shown as a complete villain like most cheating spouses but he isn’t some saint with a saviour complex either. He is a man who is attempting to remain true to his feelings while trying to keep everyone happy. Yes, he makes mistakes and isn’t perfect, questionable even. But that is what makes him more realistic to me. While I am all for positive father characters, I like how he has been shown to be navigating through this massive change in his life just as everyone else around him is.
I wish that Suman’s relationship with her children (especially her daughter) had been given more exposition. There have been clear scenes that assert the bond she shares with her son, Rishu and I was hoping for something similar with Juhi. However, I look forward to that as Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. progresses.
Also Read: ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Review: Taika Waititi’s World Is Fun Until You Realise, There’s Nothing More. Only Gorr!
Execution
Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. is one of the finer examples of positive and healthy female relationships in Indian entertainment. Be it Suman and her mother-in-law, Suman and Manisha or even the mother-in-law and Manisha, the show tries to show their interactions without any biases or villainisation. I am not saying that everyone shares a good relationship amongst them and that it is all roses and rainbows. But, the execution of their interactions and mannerisms towards one another is done… humanely. There is no unnecessary over-dramatization of things and the way the characters try to adjust and meet each other halfway is truly endearing.
Moreover, this quality has been maintained throughout Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. No character is completely bad or good (including Suman). All of them have been shown to be victims of their circumstances and they are all trying to move on and adjust to their new normal.
The story itself is realistic and unromanticised. The struggles involved in starting one’s own homegrown, small business have not been downplayed by any means and it records Suman’s own process of trials and errors to get customers. One of the main things I enjoyed about her is that she isn’t unrealistically idealistic or moral (as most female leads are shown to be). She has her priorities straight and uses any and every method to get her achaars selling. Beg, borrow, steal and by hook or by crook are the two ways I can summarise Suman’s methods and honestly, I am here for hustling businesswoman!
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Another thing I want to talk about is the beginning of Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. One would expect that a show with a premise like this would spend a lot of time building a backstory by giving details about what happened between Suman, Dilip and Manisha but Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. has not done that. Yes, there is enough exposition given for the viewer to understand what is happening presently but Suman is already packing achaar when the first episode begins. Which sends an indirect but clear message that the show is not about Suman and Dilip’s failed marriage. It isn’t even about Suman’s trauma from that marriage. It is about Suman and her achaar business. Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. makes the message of the show very clear from the start: the past is in the past. By choosing to not spend too much time on sentimental backstories revolving around Suman and Dilip, Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. asserts that they want the viewers to focus on Suman’s present and not her past. And I love that take on the premise.
Verdict
I will highly recommend everyone to watch Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. for the uniquely executed storyline. Moreover, the endearing, realistic and grey characters are well done. And of course, Suman’s ambitious undertaking is also a journey you wouldn’t want to miss.
With that, I give Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. a solid 4/5.
Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. is available to watch on Zee5.
