Premiering on Prime Video on March 17, 2023, with the next two chapters of the lot, Happy Family Conditions Apply Episode 5-6 star the stunning ensemble of actors including Ratna Pathak Shah, Raj Babbar, Atul Kulkarni, Ayesha Jhulka, Sanah Kapur, Meenal Sahu, Raunaq Kamdar, and Ahaan Saboo. The Hindi family dramedy series is directed and created by Aatish Kapadia and Jamnadas Majethia, under the banner of Hats Off Production, the same production house that brought us the classic sitcoms of the early 2000s – Khichdi and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.
Episodes 5 and 6 out of the 10-episode series are out, and each one of them follows the usual sitcom trend of having a runtime under the 30 minute mark. Amazon’s Original Series follows the highs and lows of four generations of the joint Dholakia family living in Mumbai. Despite their respective quirky personalities and the arising dysfunctionalities, the family’s dynamics are just as relatable as they’re humorous.
-Happy Family Conditions Apply Episode 5-6 Review Contains Spoilers-
Conflicted about moving to Delhi for her new fashion designing gig with Napoleon, Tisca is eventually supported by the whole family, and even Sanju comes around. Loads of responsibilities fall back on Pallavi once the newlyweds Suresh and Kwamboka also plan a visit to India. Hemlata is vehemently against the latter joining them, much like in the previous episodes. However, the hierarchy of favouritism instantly shifts in her eyes upon meeting her. She can’t help but fall for Kwamboka’s charms and draws comparisons between her and Pallavi. Like any regular Indian household, the following actions are relatable and realistically hilarious.
Episode 6 keeps up the narrative, but things start to irk Pallavi and Ramesh as the two get pushed down the ladder. Meanwhile, Tisca shares the good news of coming back to Mumbai for good since her office headquarters are shifting to their home ground. Everyone gears up for the Karwa Chauth celebrations, which is when Ayushi proclaims that she has no intentions of getting married, and Sanju nearly slips up and outs the secret of a supposed ‘affair’ amid all this brewing chaos.
The most interesting bit about this show is that in each character you see on the screen, you can relate to someone or the other’s image from your family. In that sense, it reflects what we generally see unfold at our residences, regardless of whether we live in a joint family or happen to visit the extended family branches on certain occasions.
The whole exchange between Pallavi-Hemlata-Kwamboka has such a familiar connotation that you can’t help but sit wide-eyed while chuckling at how socially universal this interaction between a mother-in-law and her daughters-in-law is. The whole sequence of the newlywed couple dropping by a well-established family’s residence hits close.
As soon as they walk in, old doesn’t remain gold anymore, and the pecking order switches in a second. It again goes with the recognisable domesticity of a home wherein there’s a sudden burst of energy and pomp once the NRI side of the family rejoins the native intimate circle. All attention and eyes are on them, and those, who’ve been living here all their lives, are sidelined in time and start feeling insecure about their stand in the household.
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Ramesh and Pallavi’s (Kulkarni and Jhulka) anxiety, as a response to that, hit a bit too close to home for me. Yet the most admirable takeaway at the same time was how the show played it all off lightheartedly without speaking ill of either of the sides of the same coin.
Happy Family Conditions Apply Episode 5-6 Review
The two new episodes build up on the characters introduced at the time of the four-episode premiere of the series. And things were already looking up for the show, which has been established for good as the new title is here to revamp the whole scene of Hindi sitcoms. The cast does wonders to make sure that happens. Moreover, seeing some prominent old faces like Ratna Pathak Shah, Ayesha Jhulka, and Paresh Ganatra, all of who have ruled the similar side of the genre back in the day, is like a reminder that we can still enjoy the old feel-good quality of nostalgia in the new age too.
The format of releasing two episodes is more suited to the contemporary audience that is more accustomed to viewing shows in one sitting. Therefore, putting out just one episode at a time would’ve been unfitting. Watching this series is like a wholesome reminder and acknowledgement of the fact that families (dysfunctionally entertaining) like your own existence, and the same engaging accessibility of this fictional yet close-to-life family tree makes this show one of the most hearty and enjoyable pieces of OTT premieres.
And what can I say? Ratna Pathak Shah may play the ever-nagging grandmother figure all she wants; one can’t bring oneself to dislike her. I’m ready to see what Sanju’s confession is about because it can tilt either side right now, probably leaving us all amazed instead of putting it out there straightforwardly.
More comical chuckles await us in the upcoming episodes of the series. The new episodes are now streaming on Prime Video, while the rest will be released in the counts of two every Friday until March 31, 2023.
Also read: All of our Happy Family: Conditions Apply reviews