BOTTOM LINE
Stuck in The Past
PLATFORM
Sonylog
RUNTIME
7 hours + (Approx), 9 Episodes
What Is the Film About?
Rishabh, a Ratlam-based youngster from an industrialist family, settles down in Mumbai for work. He reluctantly gives his nod to a match finalised by his family. When the parents meet to take the marriage proposal ahead, Rishabh is partly shocked and surprised to realise the potential bride is Surbhi – whom he had fallen for, not so long ago. Will their past come in the way of the present?
Performances
To give credit where it’s due, the younger cast and the experienced hands deliver the goods. Both the lead actors – Ritik Ghanshani and Ayesha Kaduskar – are equally good-looking and efficient as performers, laying bare their internal conflicts with convincing portrayals. Kanwaljit Singh (who also appeared in Mrs recently) is ageing like fine wine, playing a familiar role with a touch of class.
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Jameel Khan brings warmth and sincerity to his performance as Surbhi’s father. Deepika Amin is reduced to a crybaby in most parts, while Alka Amin shines in a few scenes. Rajesh Tailang’s potential isn’t used fully in a lopsided role and Anjana Sukhani’s character deserved better writing. Rajesh Jais has a striking screen presence though Chaitrali Lokesh Gupte doesn’t have much say in the story.
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Analysis
Bada Naam Karenge is an apt fit for Rajshri Productions’ foray into the OTT space, adhering to their signature template—a cocktail (or mocktail?) of joint families, palatial houses, music, marriage, melodrama, and the obvious conflict with value systems. The script has all the ingredients of a film, but the long format is an excuse for the creators to go full-throttle with the lavishness and drama.
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Watching a show that revels in its simplicity is a welcome relief – telling a potentially feel-good story of a soon-to-be-married couple and the minor conflicts in their lives. Both the leads Rishabh and Surbhi are youngsters caught between their conservative families and the modern ways of a metropolis. The show is directed as a plea to the elderly to embrace change and adapt with time.
On a story level, Bada Naam Karenge feels like a mishmash of Vivaah and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – the boy from a filthy-rich halwai family is set to get married to a girl from a not-so-rich household. The twist – the boy and the girl have already met before and have stayed together under the same roof briefly in the middle of a lockdown. When the news reaches the families, all hell breaks loose.
The show’s focus is expectedly on the clash between traditions. Over time, however, it moves beyond the key protagonists, showcasing how seemingly perfect families aren’t without their problems. While the Rathis make a mountain out of a mole (about Rishabh), the Guptas are more accepting, appreciating their daughter with her flaws.
Though it has its heart in the right place, one can’t deny that the show operates with a rather conservative lens and doesn’t focus on the ‘tradition vs modernity’ clash with conviction (and is more obsessed with Rishabh and Surbhi’s romantic encounters). In spite of the pleasantness in the ambience, the storytelling lacks consistency and its aesthetic is significantly influenced by modern-day TV soaps.
Bada Naam Karenge struggles to achieve the same effect as Karan Johar’s Rocky aur Rani ki Prem Kahani – a film that called for a change in order so wholeheartedly and gave all of its characters a genuine voice and a personality. The entire conversation around aastha, sanskaar is 2000s in its treatment and the resolution of problems through simplistic monologues doesn’t help either.
What stays with you more after the show is the larger-than-life mansions, the spotless costumes, heavy-handed ‘bhaari’ dialogues than the story or the characters. The supposedly ‘noble message’ of giving women their due in households is more like a bridal wear advertisement than a well-thought-out takeaway.
Bada Naam Karenge starts well, but team Rajshri is too obsessed with ‘tradition’ to do justice to the story and its intent. Moreover, the runtime – of over 7 hours – adds insult to injury.
Music and Other Departments?
Given the kind of appealing musicals that Rajshri has produced in the past – Bada Naam Karenge’s songs are a disappointment’ they’re neither catchy nor melodic. Anurag Saikia’s background score permeates a sense of heaviness into the narrative. The other key technicians – cinematographer Shiv Prakash Rathour, costume designer Karishma Sharma, and production designer Tarpan Shrivastava – deserve a pat on their back for their attention to detail, helping the team deliver a grand, visually pleasing show.
Highlights?
Decent plot
Good performances
Visually pleasing
Drawbacks?
Stuck in the past
Doesn’t have the depth for a 7-hour show
Poor music
Did I Enjoy It?
In parts
Will You Recommend It?
Only if you’re a fan of grand, over-the-top dramas
Bada naam karenge web series review by M9
