Oops! Ab Kya? Review: Light-Hearted Entertainer

In this heartfelt comedy, Roohi’s life turns upside down during a routine checkup when she is accidentally artificially inseminated. Now with a shocking twist in her hand, she must deal with whatever complexities life throws her way while navigating the complexities of love, tradition, and the challenges of modern life.

Produced by Dice Media, the series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 40 minutes. It’s based on the much-loved CBS series Jane the Virgin starring Gina Rodriguez and Justin Baldoni.

Oops! Ab Kya? Review

The daring it takes to make out in the middle of a busy Mumbai street in a personal vehicle while that vehicle blinks its emergency lights is an oversight and showcase of desperation that most of us probably won’t reach. Roohi’s family members talk about her virginity as if that’s a normal thing to do in everyday life and no one seems to be fuming about Roohi being artificially inseminated without her consent. See, there are a lot of moral and legal grey areas here.

First and foremost, I am pretty sure that women who have never had children cannot become surrogates, which Roohi will technically be cited as in this case. I am sure this will result in a high-profile case that lawyers will eat up and I am also pretty sure there are many different things that have to be checked before frozen sperm can be used — most importantly Alisha will need Samar’s written consent to use his frozen sperm.

The reason I am getting into all of this is that the series hinges on this logic of “Oh shucks I inseminated a random woman with someone else’s sperm”. That’s not how this works and I think a message like this can be harmful to the public who might not know the finer details of IVF and surrogacy laws. I know most people might find this to be a funny mishap, but this is a very big and important point of conversation that the series takes a bit too lightly.

Moving on, the series is based on Jane the Virgin, and the American show got its appeal from Gina Rodriguez’s fantastic performance and its distinct telenovela feel. Oops! Ab Kya? is more Indian-fied (for obvious reasons) but there’s still a ton of drama that will tickle most people’s funny bones. The series showcases Roohi as someone who exists beyond being Samar’s surrogate and it’s fun to explore her character before all of this happened. Shweta Basu Prasad is a fun addition to this story and I think she fits right into the character, although she does miss Rodriguez’s feisty nature.

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Either way, the story is crazy enough to be thoroughly entertaining with relatable sequences and honest performances. Everyone is on their A-game throughout and the relationship between the characters is enjoyable to witness. It passes the time easily thanks to how out-there the concept is and although the first episode is difficult to digest, it eventually finds its pace. The conflicts and the emotional ups and downs will draw you in and leave you wanting more. I will also give kudos to the narrator for adding humour to the insanity unfolding on-screen — his presence is humorous and enjoyable.

I think one of the things that I loved about the series is how emotional it gets and how generally nice most of the characters are. Omkar, Paakhi or Roohi’s grandmother — everyone is a sweetheart from start to end. They have their cons, of course, but in the end, they want the best for Roohi and always try to understand her in a more meaningful way. Abhay Mahajan as Omkaar is especially sweet, while Aashim Gulati plays the lust-worthy Samar. Although we know how the storyline goes, it’s still entertaining to see it play out. Jaaved Jaaferi is also there in the series and I must say, that he’s extremely entertaining and Vanraj.

Final Thoughts

Oops! Ab Kya? starts with an unbelievable and somewhat unrealistic storyline and asks us to suspend our disbelief in order to have a good time. Is it a fair trade-off? Somewhat — the series is a breezy and funny watch with good performances that guarantee a good time if you don’t go down to the finer details. Shweta Basu Prasad is no Gina Rodriguez, but she’s a sweet and loveable protagonist whom you want to love regardless of her shortcomings.

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