Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives Season 2 tries hard to emulate The Kardashians but fails

Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives season 2 tries hard to be India’s answer to The Kardashians (or The Real Housewives franchise) but fails. It does come close though - but at no point in the second season do you feel like it is India’s answer to The Kardashians. It does make for a good cringe binge - a guilty pleasure much like Koffee With Karan or other run-of-the-mill fluff. The show also makes it clear that it isn’t really trying to move mountains or be intellectual on any front. It is meant to be a simple watch on a hot summer weekend for those who don’t really wish to read dissertations to watch The Rings of Power. What does bother one though, is that the show has the potential to be India’s answer to The Real Housewives but misses the benchmark by a whisker. There are, however, many parallels one can draw between Bollywood wives and their friendly US counterparts - the Kardashians. The Kardashian Konnection Much like the Kardashian Klan, the Bollywood wives aren’t afraid to share their issues with the world - no matter how personal they are. The good, the bad and the ugly - you get to see it all. In the very first episode, we see Seema take out the ‘Khan’ nameplate at the entrance of her house and replace it with a plate with her kids’ names on it. We get a glimpse into how Seema is dealing with her divorce with Sohail Khan. She isn’t afraid to be vulnerable on camera and share private moments with the world - which given just how secretive Bollywood stars are, is a breath of fresh air. Towards the end of the episode, Seema has a tiff with her son Nirvan who is not happy with the move. Compare this to The Kardashians where we see Kim break down on the phone over an alleged leak of her infamous sex tape - something she gets brickbats for even today. Much like Kim, the Bollywood wives are more vulnerable on camera this season. We see them argue, break down on camera and share their vulnerabilities with the world. In one episode, Maheep shares that her husband cheated on her in the early days of her marriage. What’s also refreshing is that the Bollywood wives aren’t really afraid to make fun of themselves. The self-deprecating humour and heightened self-awareness only add to the charm and appeal of the show. The wives know they are not the brightest of the lot - that they are in their 40s, have had botox/other cosmetic surgeries and some are now trying to revive their careers and even spice up their sex life. In the very first episode, we see Maheep pitch the idea of endorsing menopause pills to the ladies - which in itself is an answer to trolls who shame the wives for being ‘too old’ to be glamorous. It only shows that the wives know that they are soon entering their 50s and still wish to be glamorous as ever. The Bollywood wives, in the opening of the show, joke about their cosmetic surgeries and the ‘plastic’ on their face. To give them credit where it is due - even the Kardashians haven’t spoken about their surgeries on record. Compare the Bollywood wives joking about their age and surgeries with Kris Jenner, the Kardashian momager - getting confused between her daughters Khloe and Kourtney in the trailer of The Kardashians season 2. When a producer corrects her, Kris says ‘whatever - the name starts with a K’. Much like Kris, the Bollywood wives have become comfortable in their skin, more so after the first season. In the final episode of the season, we see Ranveer Singh make an appearance and refer to the wives as ‘cougars’ and ‘MILFs’ - none of them seem to be offended by any of it. It only shows that the cast has probably read every mean thing said or written about them and are embracing the brickbats thrown at them - about being old, getting cosmetic surgery and being sex-deprived. It is almost as if they are reclaiming their identity and making the very labels that are used to put them down their own and thus, empowering themselves. Finally, the show also has cameos by several stars - Gauri Khan, Zoya Akhtar, Badshah to name a few. The Kardashians, too, had cameos by Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West, Kourtney’s boyfriend Travis Barker and Pete Davidson who briefly dated Kim. The cameos only add to the star power of both shows. Elitism And Snobbery The only department where Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives 2 fails to impress is the relatability - the show isn’t really relatable to many viewers. The Kardashian sisters - their antics, awkward encounters and funny moments made them seem more human and hence, relatable. The Bollywood wives, on the other hand, tend to come off as being elitist and snobbish at times. Take for instance the conversation between Maheep and her family where she proudly admits she can’t speak fluent Hindi. At one point, Sanjay Kapoor engages in what can be called borderline mockery of his family’s inability to speak fluent Hindi except it feels like the joke is not on them but us. These tiny moments or cracks where the elitism becomes too hard to ignore make the cast seem less relatable for an average Indian. Of course, given the raging boycott campaigns and anti-Bollywood sentiment on social media, these moments are bound to rub a section of the audience the wrong way. Classist snobbery aside, the show and the cast does manage to keep the viewers hooked for the duration of 8 episodes and would have worked wonders had it been less rehearsed and more real. Here’s wishing season 3 is better and finally emerges as India’s answer to The Real Housewives. Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75.  Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .