Chumbak Review: Neena Gupta, Arjun Bijlani And Helly Shah's Show Has A Weak Magnetic Pull Towards Yesterday

Director: Aatish Kapadia

Cast: Neena Gupta, Deven Bhojani, Arjun Bijlani, Helly Shah, Sumeet Vyas and others

Where: Streaming on Netflix

Rating: **1/2

Based on the first four of its 16 episodes, Chumbak looks more interesting than it actually is. Its retro treatment, riding the current fascination with the 1980s, is its most attractive feature. The colours, costumes and domestic detailing create a period mood that feels carefully assembled. Unfortunately, the novelty wears off rather quickly. Once the décor has had its moment, what remains is a familiar assortment of squabbling couples, interfering neighbours, romantic complications and household absurdities that Indian television has recycled for years.

Created by Aatish Kapadia and Jamnadas Majethia, the series gathers five families into a colony where personal business becomes community property. The premise offers fertile territory, yet the writing rarely digs deep enough to discover anything fresh. The jokes are serviceable, and the series occasionally seems to believe that increasing the volume of a character is the same as increasing the joke. It isn't. What should feel riotous often feels merely noisy.

Actors’ Performance

The central pair, Neena Gupta and Deven Bhojani, as Rajni and Kuku Merchant, staring at the possibility of divorce, emerge as the weakest links. Their characters are well etched, but both actors appear to be walking through their part, delivering scenes with staid expressions. Their pairing consequently feels underpowered.

Arjun Bijlani and Helly Shah provide a younger counterpoint as Mickey and Twinkle, fare better, while Sumeet Vyas, Manasi Parekh, Sumeet Raghavan and Sandeepa Dhar add movement to the proceedings. Delnaaz Irani, Anant V Joshi and Amyra Dastur contribute to the ensemble's eccentricity, though the writing gives the actors more business than wit.

Music And Aesthetics

The production design is touted as one of the show's aces, and aesthetically it does have polish. Yet look closely, and the colony resembles one enormous set with boundaries conveniently left to the imagination. The spaces lack architectural specificity to make the neighbourhood feel inhabited. The retro surface is convincing, but cannot compensate for the lack of freshness underneath. Music functions adequately, supporting the period mood without becoming memorable.

FPJ Verdict

Overall, Chumbak has all the ingredients of a comfortable family comedy, yet its refusal to reinvent the sitcom may well be its failing. Its nostalgia is attractive, and much of its pleasure lies in watching ordinary people turn ordinary problems into spectacularly complicated affairs. There are moments of amusement, but little that qualifies as exceptional.

For all its claims to be magnetic, Chumbak has surprisingly little magnetic pull.