 "Bakaiti Review")
Language: Hindi
Director: Ameet Guptha
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chadha, Aditya Shukla and more
Not impoverished, but middle-class people have their own set of problems. Unlike those under the poverty line, they are not really poor, but their challenges are huge. They are mostly struggling to make both ends meet. Sadly, they have to maintain a certain status in the society, yet they don’t have that kind of disposable income. And that is the story of Kataria Parivaar of Bakaiti web series set in Ghaziabad. They can give basic education to their children, but they can’t afford the kind of education that every ambitious child dreams of, going to a reputed college away from home.
Bakaiti is indeed a story of every middle-class family shown in the most nuanced possible way. Revolving around the Kataria family, the Bakaiti series shows the helplessness of the father, Sanjay (Rajesh Tailang) of the family, who is unable to send her studious daughter for post-graduation to Mumbai despite her getting half the scholarship.
As an advocate, Sanjay is unable to make enough money, but is not willing to sell off the house that his father and he built. He and his wife, Sushma (Sheeba Chaddha) decide to rent out one of the rooms of the house. Now, the problem is that both the kids, Naina (Tanya Sharma) and their cricket-obsessed younger son Bharat (Aditya Shukla), are not willing to share a room. They are used to their own privacy and their own space.
Bakaiti beautifully navigates middle-class struggles. The water motor in the house also plays a very important role in the series. Whenever there is a tense moment in the series, it starts giving the alarm that it is time to switch it off. But not a single member in the family is willing to run up to the terrace to do this chore.
The show also talks about another family that is Sanjay’s ( Rajesh Tailang ) side. Sanjay’s brother, who runs the family furniture business, is desperate to sell the ancestral house because he believes that is logical, but Sanjay refuses. Though both families fight among each other, they come together in times of need. Like all middle-class families, there is always financial tension, but they try to navigate through all the hurdles and stay together. Layered with clashing views and generation gap, the family is together through thick and thin.
No out-of-the-box storyline, but it will touch your heart for its simplicity. The story takes a turn when Naina (Tanya Sharma) goes missing when her father refuses to send her to Mumbai for her post-graduation. We, belonging to the middle class, will understand the feelings of sacrificing dreams because of family situations. And one who has gone through such situations of sacrificing her dreams of moving to a big city for education, being crushed because of financial crunch, will empathise with Naina (Tanya Sharma) all the more. Life can be really cruel if you don’t come from money or circles of power. And being a middle-class in our society is the biggest curse!
Rating: 3 out of 5
WATCH the trailer of Bakaiti here:
Lachmi Deb Roy is the Entertainment Editor of Firstpost, Network18. She reviews films and series with a gender lens. She is a 'Rotten Tomatoes' certified critic. Her interviews are called 'Not Just Bollywood' because she takes a huge interest in world cinema. She has been the winner of the prestigious Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021. OTT over theatrical releases is her preference unless and until it's a King Khan film. She takes interest in fashion, food and art reviews too.