The curious case of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2

Oh, how excited we were when we heard that we will get to see the Sarabhai family again. We fell in love with everything about the show’s first endeavor. The motley bunch of non-pretentious, quirky characters, the excellent and talented star cast, the rock solid screenplay, the friendly banter and especially the situations that everyone can identify with irrespective of one’s  social or financial background. Sarabhai vs Sarabhai was a breath of fresh air when it was first released in 2004. It did not matter that the show was released on a newly launched channel (Star one, Star’s daring attempt to target the audience of 21^st century with fresh content). The show was successful in creating an impact and no doubt that it gathered a cult following. It filled a huge void in Indian sitcom space. And became immortal along with arguably the best Hindi sitcoms including but not limited to Dekh Bhai Dekh, Hum Paanch, and Khichdi.

So there is no doubt that when in mid-2016 the star cast of the hit show had an “informal” reunion the Internet went into a frenzy. People started dreaming of a sequel. It had been 10 years since The Sarabhais bid us adieu. People were tired, but not bored, of watching the episodes of the season 1 repeatedly. Undoubtedly, the season 2 was not arriving fast enough and people’s anticipation knew no bounds.

Finally we got first glimpse of The Sarabhais after 10 long years in the form of a teaser cum naming contest in mid-April 2017 and it was official that The Sarabhais would meet the public on soon. This time on an even smaller screen though (Hotstar.com). All was good. The star cast will not change from the first season (Awesome! All the actors did a phenomenal job and it would have been very disappointing to identify any other actor with the cult characters). It is easier to reach the target audience via a web series. The first season was also launched on new channel and the second season was being launched on a new platform. The producers of the show do dare to experiment and their bet had paid off previously too. Less cost is involved to launch as a web series than on TV and The Sarabhais will be a part of the cool vogue of web series shows.

But with great powers come great responsibilities. Sarabhai vs Sarabhai has a loyal cult following. And to impress a cult is a demanding task. People are quick to judge since the expectation bar is set pretty high. One has to maintain the right balance between preserving the soul of the show and ensuring that the characters and the script show natural evolution from the point they said goodbye. It is a tough job and more often than not the movie sequels fail in this critical territory (the Tobey Maguire Spiderman series, Phir Hera Pheri, Bheja Fry 2, Independence Day: Resurgence etc.). Even though Sarabhai vs Sarabhai is not a movie, there is always a doubt when any sequel is launched. Indian TV series ecosystem is not used to  shows who run for multiple seasons (except reality shows). Indian TV shows run for a stretch and then stop altogether. Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2 is supposed to be an outlier and it is crucial that the season 2 passes the test with flying colors and sets a precedent

And it is in this decisive area that Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2 flounders. There are multiple reasons to this.

1. The Sarabhais are now living at a new place. This new place is swankier, extravagant, and really dark. What is with all the dark shades wall color? Sarabhai 1 residence had a lot of natural lighting, owing to the sea facing apartment at Malabar Hill, and pleasant wall paint).
2. Indravardhan is perpetually wearing a suit along with a cravat AT HOME! Looks like the Sarabhais took inspiration from Hindi soap opera saas and bahus who are doing home chores wearing an expensive saree, heavy makeup and full set of expensive jewelry.
3. The unapologetic rip off from Modern Family in the story telling style. This change in the show narrative does not complement the essence of the show. It makes the characters pretentious. And we liked the characters in the first place because they weren’t pretentious.
4. There is a single storyline spread across multiple episodes. We don’t get to see many new angles of The Sarabhais this way. It leads to over stuffing of the similar jokes throughout the shows. Like Monisha bringing out her “middle-class” traits at the drop of the hat. Maya’s Monisha bashing monologue every time. Sahil’s arbitration every time. This is too much. Excess of anything is bad and in the attempt to fill people with nostalgia the comedy act is overdone.
5. Even Rosesh’s poetry has deteriorated.
6. Sonia’s overacting and cracking lame jokes. (I am breathing heavily not because I am choking but because I am anticipating a sneeze. The comic timing of this punch was awful)
7. Arnab lacks the quirkiness of the family. He is the only sane character there. But his character is definitely underdeveloped. He has had 4 dialogues in total in the first two episodes. Looks like the writers took the low hanging fruit and did not work hard on Arnab’s character. It can also be that case that the writers wanted at least one character in the Sarabhai family to be sane. Either way it is not working out. The actor playing Arnab also needs to lose the poker face

But all is not bad with Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2. The show succeeds on many fronts. It gives genuine laughs. The brilliant star cast make up for majority of the shortcomings.

So what’s next? We will be meeting the Sarabhai family every Tuesday for the next couple of months. The Sarabhais may not maintain the high standards of comic timing that made them a cult but still the shortcomings of the show are not so bad that they will necessarily prompt the public to reckon that it is better not to watch the show. The show is still the same light hearted, enjoyable comedy that we fell in love with. People however had high expectation and the show comes short of fulfilling them.  

I will be watching future episodes of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2 and hopefully enjoy them more. What I don’t want is a situation where I conclude that season 1 was better than season 2.