Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Entertainment Review: Little Things, Season 4

In Indian cinema, and by extension, television, the major conflict in love stories has been class or caste differences, followed by parental/societal disapproval. We still live in honour killing times. So when a web series focuses on an urban couple from different parts of the country and possibly different castes, in a live-in relationship, it would appeal to young audiences.

Which is why Little Things even lasted four seasons, without the usual melodrama and won several awards. The problems in the couple’s lives have to do with careers, distance, fear of missing out, homesickness—all very identifiable to the urban millennial.

Dhruv Vats (Dhruv Sehgal also creator of the show) and Kavya (Mithila Palkar) are a working couple, who live together, though they are frequently apart due to career demands. After the success of the show on Dice Media’s YouTube channel, the series was picked up by Netflix, which gave it a bigger reach and presumably a bigger budget, because no penny-pinching is visible.

It must be difficult to make a long-running series full of small moments, realistic experiences, routine conversations, and it does sometimes tip into boredom, but somehow manages to keep audience interest going in the ups and downs in the story of this couple, as they have to take decisions on how to stay together while living apart and building their own independent social circle. The two actors look so comfortable with each other that social media snoops started speculating on their off-screen relationship. The fourth season begins with Dhruv and Kavya holidaying in scenic Kerala, and goes on to the decisions they have to make if their zig-zagging relationship is to get some stability.

Directed by Ajay Bhuyan and Ruchir Arun, the series is clear about the demographic they want to reach—the English-speaking elite they are portraying in the series. Their friends are people like themselves, their crises are not about making ends meet, but on what would have them happy. Dhruv’s apartment is enviably large for Mumbai, and he is obviously privileged enough to be able to quit a job because he no longer enjoys it. Their parents are cool about the very ‘today’ relationship.

Season 4 is supposedly the last, and maybe it is a good idea not to stretch a likeable series till it loses its charm. But one can see couples like Dhruv and Kavya all around in cities, and one can imagine how their lives could turn out if they decided on commitment. The inevitable boredom of marriage, middle-age angst, kids, maybe divorce and so on—the circle of life. But that is another story and without a good-looking, young couple to anchor it, maybe not so attractive for an audience. It is best to conclude a show at a point when the possibilities of where the modern-day fairytale could lead are endless.

 

Created by Dhruv Sehgal
Directed by: Ajay Bhuyan and Richir Arun
Cast: Dhruv Sehgal, Mithila Palkar and others
On Netflix
Deepa Gahlot
Deepa Gahlot is one of India’s seniormost and best-known entertainment journalists. A National Award-winning fim critic and author of several books on film and theatre. She tweets at @deepagahlot

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