TVF is back with yet another extremely relatable, emotional, and slice of life family-drama which not only has ample messages but also a great amount of entertainment quotient.

Whenever you think of simple, slice of life, and relatable web-series, TVF is the name that comes to your mind. With the likes of Panchayat, Gullak, Yeh Meri Family and others being super successful series in the family-drama genre, TVF knows the pulse of the Indian Middle Class and has also developed an expertise in bringing out raw and authentic impact making stories.

TVF is back with another such story, ‘Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd’, that revolves around the life of ‘Suman’ who finds her life falling owing to her divorce with her husband. With no formal education or training, she is out on the quest of earning money so that she can take the custody of her children. On this mission, she has one constant pillar of support, her mother-in-law. Teaming up with her, she starts making and selling homemade pickle.

The plot has been very well written by the makers. Every character has been layered nicely. Especially, that of the protagonist, ‘Suman’, the mother-in-law, the stepmother, and the father. The best part about the writing it that it doesn’t villainize ‘Divorce’. It rather places it very subtly as an absolutely normal and “okay” thing to do. The focus of the plot is entirely on its message of feminism, wherein a woman who thinks that she has lost everything when she loses her husband’s support, stands up to be independent. While the story seems to be very cliched and that of a 90’s Bollywood movie, it actually isn’t. The treatment given by the makers is very raw and authentic. There is no villainization of the stepmother or any evil planning-plotting angles by the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

The dialogues are also very well written. Being based in old Delhi, the makers have captured the socio-cultural milieu appropriately. The dialogues are extremely organic and give you the feel of the city and its people. Having said this, the screenplay is very stretched making the series needlessly long and mundane at times. There are also scenes and sub-plots which were absolutely needless and drift miles away from the central theme and purpose of the story. For instance, there is a sub-plot of one of the protagonist’s children falling into the habit of drugs. So, if you don’t prefer slow moving series/cinema, you might have a tough time being invested in this series.

Coming to the performances, Amruta Subhash who plays the role of ‘Suman’ is the show stealer. She carries the entire series on her shoulder. She delivers a bang on performance balancing expressions and dialogue delivery very smoothly. Performances of others in the star cast are equally commendable. Yamini Das plays the role of the mother-in-law with ease and excellence. Her dialogue deliveries are to look out for. Also, Anjana Sukhani who plays the stepmother, is great in her part. Anoop Soni who plays the husband ‘Dileep’ is average.

The cinematography of the series is great. The essence of the city along with the rawness and aesthetics is very well captured. The editing as previously mentioned could have been crispier. Also, there is a little extra use of ‘sepia’ as the colour tone of the series. A little less of this could have lifted up and made the series lively from the existing depressing zone.

Overall, Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd. is a good watch. Especially, if you want to watch something with your family and cannot decide what to pick from a plethora of dark and heavy content. It is a very light and easy a watch that will pair well with your lunch/dinner times.