'Bada Naam Karenge' web-series review: Sooraj Barjatya's OTT debut is an imperfect but endearing ode to love and relationships

Cast: Cast : Ritik Ghanshani, Ayesha Kaduskar, Kanwaljit Singh, Alka Amin, Jameel Khan, Deepika Amin, Rajesh Tailang, Anjana Sukhani, Rajesh Jais

Director: Palash Vaswani

Language: Hindi

Sooraj Barjatya has to be the nicest man in Hindi films. The closest he has come to intimacy could be that orgasmic and over the top smooch between Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. Yes, there are villains in his world too- Mohnish Bahl in Maine Pyar Kiya and Armaan Kohli in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. And of course, the girl gang in Hum Saath Saath Hain. But every time he steps behind the camera, he doesn’t forget to add niceness and a tinge of sugary simplicity to the story and the people that inhabit it. Even when his characters scream, you get a sense of an endearing lullaby. What stopped him from making his OTT debut for so long?

And given how we have hijacked all the streaming giants with Anurag Kashyap-esque noir and Vikram Bhatt-esque sex, Bada Naam Karenge comes a breath of sanskaari and Pahlaj Nihalani-esque air. Ayesha Kaduskar could be the 2025 version of Bhagyashree from 1989. She’s pure and pious, and a teetotaler. Ritik Ghanshani is the chalk to her cheese and mocks her purity and traditionalism. Covid happens and chalk and cheese are trapped in one room. Director Palash Vaswani does a decent job of adapting to the environment the Barjatyas have created in the Hindi film landscape and seen meteoric success in. No offering from their kitchens can be complete without a wedding.

The casting decision is interesting. We have seen these people before in similar milieus. So there’s no heavy-lifting or cock-of-the-walk performances. Only if the leads were a little stern and more spirited. The title, derived from that iconic song of Aamir Khan, is both intriguing and ironic. Past lives are exposed and secrets are unearthed but not even a minor second of screech. Writers S.Manasvi, Vidit Tripathi try to amalgamate the values of the 90s and the modernity of today in a show that’s more hit than miss. Now on to the next Barjatya title.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

Bada Naam Karenge is now streaming on Sony LIV