DNA: Looks promising - Chanchan review

Looks promising

Chaya Unnikrishnan

Chhanchhan
Sony, Monday-Thursday, 9 pm

What is it about: A Gujarati joint family wherein the grandmother is worried about her granddaughter Chanchan —who is of a marriageable age — not finding a groom and wants her son and daughter-in-law to start the hunt for a groom pronto.

Characters: It has a nice blend of contemporary and traditional characters. Even the professions each of them follows is out-of-the-box. The protagonist Chanchan is a dog trainer, her brother is pursuing to be a wild life photographer, sister is a tattoo artist, father's a painter and mother's a history professor. On the other hand, Supriya Pathak's character Umaben is as orthodox as can be. Her son Manav (newbie Farhan Khan) is the hero and sparks have already flown between Chanchan and him in a typical filmi manner where they accidentally bump into each other. But it's the sparks between Chanchan and Umaben, whose house she will eventually come as a bahu that will prove to be explosive and interesting. One has to mention the four dogs, especially the fluffy Pooch Pooch who is oh-so-cute and undoubtedly the scene-stealer!

Visuals: That most serials these days have good production values is heartening and Chanchan is no exception. From the lavish house to the outdoors to the ostentatious wedding sequence, the visuals are pleasing to the eye.

Dialogue: Whether it's the casual conversation between Chanchan and her friends — which is very today — or the simmering undertones in the dialogue between Umaben and Chanchan, it's quite engaging. Worth mentioning is the one where the priest tells Chanchan that the temple is closed and cannot be opened because Vishnuji is sleeping and in the next instant is willing to open when Umaben offers him a thousand rupee note. When Chanchan cries foul, Umanben coolly tells her, 'Kya tum yeh nahi jaanti soye huye Vishnu ko Laksmi hi jagati hai!'

Way forward: It is undoubtedly a saas-bahu saga but with a difference. With Supriya Pathak's strict sarcy act providing the perfect foil to Sanaya Irani's chutzpah, this should turn out interesting, provided the pace is maintained.

—Chaya Unnikrishnan