The latest offering by Disney Hotstar as their select pick series, PariWar released on 23rd September 2020. Though not in the same league as some of their hard hitting political thrillers or Commando type OTT original series. It is a notch below in production value and story telling but evokes some laughs as it is a satirical outlook on today’s families, where children leave home to pursue their careers and the old parents are left behind in their ancestral homes lonely and longing to be with their children and grandchildren.
PariWar is about Kashiram Narayan’s (a widower living alone in a huge haveli) dysfunctional family of two sons and a daughter. It has an ensemble star cast which is also it’s saving grace. It has veterans like the now lovable Gajraj Rao playing the lonely patriarch of the family, supported by his no good sons namely Mahipal played by the seasoned actor Yashpal Sharma and the second son Shishupal played by none other than Ranveer Sheorey. This old man also has got a daughter named Mandakini lovingly called Guddan. The brothers cannot see each other eye to eye and have an axe to grind as their brides (sisters) were switched due to Mahipal’s obstinacy as the younger sister who had a liking for Shishupal was more beautiful.
The old man wants his family to live together with him and plays a ruse of his illness with the help of his man-friday Babloo. The ruse works. Guddan comes from America and the other two from Banaras and Mumbai respectively. When they realise their father has faked his illness, the son’s want to go back to their work, but the villains of the piece Gangaram (superbly played by Vijay Raaz) and his son Munna seem to have a controlling effect on Kashiram and Guddan respectively, this stops the brothers from leaving immediately till they get to the bottom of the conspiracy. These two also have their demons to fight, like the gangster who is after Mahipal and an obnoxious Boss who is the thorn of Shishupal’s life. Guddan also has decided to come back to India for good as she realise that any love in America is based on deceit and selfishness and she is looking for true love which she finds in Munna.
At the root of the conspiracy is a 40 acre plot of Kashiram which will fetch approximately ₹ 300 million if sold to a cement factory which it seems that Gangaram has convinced Kashiram to donate and wants to usurp it himself in the guise of setting up a widower’s home for destitute men like Kashiram himself. From here the story is about how the brothers go about trying to save the plot and how Gangaram tries to out wit them. How the brothers backstab each other and so on with some subplots.Who will get the better of whom or is this a PariWar’s drama created by the foxy patriarch.
PariWar is a light comedy, satirical in nature with many improbable incidents which could happen in real life, but do bring a smile on your face while watching it. Good for a Sunday binge watch if you have nothing else to do and keeping any expectation aside.
It will keep you light and smiling as there are no over the top comedy scenes or acting. While watching this drama unfold on your screen sometimes you feel frustrated as to how can some adults can be so stupid and get themselves into such situations. As the series is based in Allahabad or Prayagraj as the reference to the city’s recent name change is made very obvious subtlely during conversation between the lead characters, the makers do take you around the city and cover it well you are surprised to note the city overtones are more contemporary rather than the rustic look which we are led to believe about the non-metro cities in India, as we live in the big metropolis ourselves. Then there also characters like the chaatwala, Chitrakoot, who also doubles up as a pandit, a cook, and a physics aficionado. There is also the track about the old man’s childhood lady love Kadambari who turns out to be Neena Gupta shown at the fag end maybe shown as a throwback to ‘Badhai Ho’ a rekindlement to the jodi or maybe the makers have second season in mind.
From what is shown it does seem that the things are a changed in the not so modern India where things are getting more contemporary but the mindsets are yet to change a slow but steady process.
– Reviewed by PAWAN GUPTA
Date of Release: 23 September 2020
Streaming Online on Disney-Hotstar
Cast of PariWar:
Gajraj Rao
Ranvir Shorey
Yashpal Sharma
Sadiya Siddiqui
Nidhi Singh
Vijay Raaz
Credits of PariWar:
Written by Gaganjeet Singh and Shantanu Anam
Directed by Sagar Ballary
Cinematography – Parixit Warrier
Editor Suresh Pai
