a still from Wakaalat From Home.
Film: Wakaalat From Home
Director: Rohan Sippy
Cast: Sumeet Vyas, Nidhi Singh, Kubbra Sait & Gopal Dutt
Nonika Singh
Aaj kal sab kuch right mein hai left mein kuch nahi…. Can you read (oops…sorry hear) the pun behind the seemingly innocuous dialogue? Well, if you can, Wakaalat From Home, a delightful comedy is just for you. As makers are vying with each other to produce one after another edge-of-the-seat thriller, this web series streaming on Amazon Prime is a breeze. Both its format, of course necessitated by the fact that it was shot during the lockdown and content is hat ke. Inspired from real life as well as wacky imagination, it brings to you the original star of web space Sumeet Vyas and his co-star of Permanent Roommates Nidhi Singh.
Of course, the real star here is the sparkling writing (Anuvab Pal) that packs both a punch and meaning. Barbs fly in many directions, sparing none and even take a dig or two at Raza Murad, Chetan Bhagat and more, all in good humour of course.
Focusing upon divorce proceedings of a couple Sujin Kohli and Radhika Sen (Sumeet and Nidhi), represented by two lawyers Rajini Thakkar and Lobo Tripathi (Kubbra Sait and Gopal Dutt), there is no real drama ‘drama’ here. These four characters occupy your screen for most of the runtime as they would in a regular zoom conference. Yet, this video conference is not that would put you to sleep and is hilarious
enough to both grab your attention and tickle your funny bone. Oodles of humour is interwoven in the goings on, many of which we are told rather than shown. Even though certain characters, Radhika’s girlfriend Surbhi and Rajini’s husband are not shown even once, you can feel their presence and almost imagine them in flesh and blood. How a regular virtual court proceeding can keep you moving from one episode to another is where the astuteness of the creator lies. Sure, not everything sticks. At points it may even seem like an extended version of the popular news-based spoof show in which Gopal Dutt plays a key role. But even when the proceedings dip somewhat, pun-intended one-liners abound and come in handy. Comic timing of both male actors is bang on. If Gopal is all animated, Sumeet says it all with deadpan expressions. Not to say women don’t bring the house down. Nidhi is believable, both as a dumb lass who can’t read what is clear as daylight and later as a smart one who rattles off legal provisions like a pro. Kubbra moves from being a prim and proper lawyer to one who believes she is one helluva femme fatale. For don’t women read subtexts? Ah, but Wakaalat From Home is full on with both text and subtexts. Laugh at what hits you.
Humour, though farcical at certain points, is without a doubt mostly intelligent. Sample this; can you have sex with someone your grandmother is paying for. And pat comes the answer; yes arranged marriage.
Laugh out loud moments are very many in this ten episode series. With shorter episodes of 15 minutes each, you can certainly consume the show at one go. Our advice; restrict it to two episodes a day. Humour will sink in better and in the trying times that we are living in you will get your daily dose of laughter. A chance to smile when most things are making us grim and grimace, no reason, why you shouldn’t grab it.
