Yeh Meri Family : Summer of '98




I watched TVF's recently released dramedy 'Yeh Meri Family' after reading a tweet about it. Then when I was in the second episode a friend recommended it to me just the moment I was about to recommend the same to her. Just like telepathy. Then, I knew this adorable story of a 12-year-old Harshu and his family in The Summer of '98 was a very special one.


Being a 90's kid, I could relate to each and every detail in the series. The siblings' fights were exactly similar down to the very argument on who had to bring the clothes from the terrace and who had to fill up the water bottles and put them in the fridge.


How often as kids, we thought our parents are so uncool till that moment when we realized otherwise! "Papa cool dikhte nahi, Papa cool hain." Planning with friends, being the obedient one when parents fight, and sneaking around the kitchen to find something to eat- this web series took me back to my childhood and relive it all. It brought a smile to my face which stayed there all through the 35-minute-long episodes. Sometimes I cried overwhelmed by the immense nostalgia that certain moments and endearing scenes evoked.


This 7 episode series has found a place in my heart. I would recommend it to everyone who has lived in the 90s. We live life in retrospect and nostalgia. This one offers lots of that. Even the title song is so down to earth- not showy, yet with a potpourri of feels. I sincerely hope that there is a Season 2 to this amazing series.


Mona Singh as the mother was my ultimate favorite among the cast. Mostly because I could almost see my mother in her character- easily venting her frustration and anger, easily shouting at whoever is in the scene and then also easily breaking down when it all got too much to handle. She was so adorable in the saree and that messy bun mothers have while making aloo tikkis and halwa. Even when she locks Harshu in the bathroom as punishment; coaxes him to eat when he's grumpy and also when she bribes him with the idea of a new cycle if he gets 70% in his exams. Love personified. It is just so true that our family is our entire universe.


And I loved the pair Harshu and Shanky. Shanky was the go-to person for Harshu in case of any life-problems that a 12-year-old might have. Shanky had the solution to every problem. And the dialogues had me laughing. Such well-scripted episodes.


The baby sister Dhwani aka Chitthi is such an adorable comic relief in tensed situations. She would compete with her brothers in drinking Bournvita first, teach her stuffed animals to behave well and utter such cute one-liners.


Harshu's father was an awesome character complete with hidden talents. A smart adviser for mutual funds investments in every episode; a person with a big heart and a sizable tummy as well. And yes, he also usually forgot which class his son was in, just like most fathers did. Sameer Saxena is the creator and director of this series- the one who had created The Permanent Roommates and Tripling. I am in awe of this person now.


After so long we have a series that is solely for family viewing. Watch it because it is worth it. A trip down the memory lane about those uncomplicated days when smartphones had not yet conquered our lives; when days were simpler and interesting even without Instastories and status updates; and weekends were about meeting friends and going out on family dinners to the similar family restaurants. It will surely strike a chord with those born or brought up in the 90s in a middle-class family. I was like "this happened to me -and this too -and this too -exactly the same way" throughout. You can almost see your own family in this one. One of the best binge-watch of the year.


Now if you have already watched it and you are waiting for the 2nd season just like me, I recommend you watch 'Answer Me 1988' a 16-episode Korean drama series on similar lines set in 1988. The story of five friends and their middle-class families who have lived in the same neighborhood all their childhood and teenage years. I would recommend this series a hundred and thousand times to anyone who loved TVF's Yeh Meri Family.

Comments

  1. I'm pleased to see that this seems to be available on You Tube, although I didn't check to see if it would play in the United States. We all need wholesome family entertainment - there is so little of that nowadays. I wold be interested in the different cultural perspectives, too.

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  3. Sounds very relatable. It feels wonderful to travel down the memory lane of childhood. Will check it out sometime. :)

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  5. I was wondering if you ever considered changing the structure of your blog?
    Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But
    maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better.
    Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or
    two images. Maybe you could space it out better?

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  6. This is my favourite post from this week because it talks about a series which I absolutely absolutely loved watching over the weekend. Like you, it was all nostalgia for me too for many reasons. It was set up in Jaipur, a place within the region where I lived in 1998. Kota, Bansal Tutorials were the buzz words then. The know-it-all Shanky made me laugh a lot and that big sixer by the father was such a thought changer for Harshu. Harshu was more like my brother in bits and I was the elder brother who could never be perceived to do anything wrong. Aah, there is so much to talk about. I wish we could sit down face to face for a hearty chat over Yeh Meri Family. The only thing I couldn't digest was the melodramatic ending.

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  7. I did not know about this show. I finished TVF's pitchers last night and it was fun. Reading about this show, I am sure I will enjoy it. Thank you for writing about it. I will surely get to it.

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju

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