Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo Review: Created and directed by Homi Adajania, the crime thriller drama series on Disney+ Hotstar is written by Saurav Dey, Nandini Gupta and Aman Mannan. While the dialogues are written by Karan Vyas, and produced by Dinesh Vijan under the banner of Maddock Films. There are 8 episodes in total with a runtime of about 50-55 minutes.
The ensemble cast of the series includes Dimple Kapadia as Savitri/Rani Ba, Radhika Madan as Shanta, Angira Dhar as Kajal, and Isha Talwar as Bijli along with Naseeruddin Shah, Ashish Verma, Varun Mitra, Udit Arora, Deepak Dobriyal as Monk, Kiku Sharda, Monica Dogra as Naina, Jimit Trivedi and more.
-Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
One of the best times to grab the attention of a viewer is within the first 10 minutes of any film or series. If they get hooked right from the start, the chances are they will be staying till the end as well. That’s the kind of impact the series has within the first 10 minutes, a bit brutal but the main objective comes across, that this is not going to be an ordinary story.
On the surface, it is a story about a group of women, which includes the matriarch Savitri, her daughters-in-law, Bijli and Kajal, and her daughter Shanta. They live in a secluded village named Hastipur, amidst the landscapes of desert in the north-west. Savitri, also referred to as Rani Baa by everyone, runs a company named Rani Cooperative, trading in products ranging from medicinal herbs, and balms to textiles.
But be aware because one wrong step will put your life in danger as everything here isn’t what it seems. Turns out, the business is just a front for the biggest drug cartel being run in South Asia. At the helm of it all is Rani Baa, who now seems to be thinking of transferring the responsibility to her successor, who will it be from her oblivious sons to the hardworking daughter in laws or eccentric daughter, is to be decided.
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What makes this series unique is how in series like these, the children of the matriarch are equally power-hungry & ready to kill each other. Whereas, here her sons Harish and Kapil are completely oblivious to everything that has been happening & even when they are roped in the loop, they just fail miserably, which is hilarious to watch. Moreover, the lead characters are not all filled with contempt and revenge which would reflect right on their faces, each character has a backstory giving them a dimension & a layer to the overall plot.
Dimple Kapadia definitely imbibed the fierce character that she needed to portray. Even when the other characters’ regional dialects seem to turn on & off at any time, she carries the role of a Banjaran to the T. Whether it be from the looks and body language to speaking the tongue. If anything that is a bit distracting & even disappointing is how the majority of actors are not able to speak the dialect and looks like they are trying to copy the stereotypical way (definitely should have worked on the language a bit more).
Apart from that, Deepak Dobriyal is just indistinguishable in the series. For the most part, I was not able to recognize that he is the one playing the monk and I think that is enough to know about his impeccable acting skills. His character brings a sense of sinister mystery, as one tries to put the two together about his role & connection in everything.
In terms of storytelling, it is well-paced and the way things are revealed at the right time gives more impact and keeps it engaging. The creators have done a good job of casting Jimit Trivedi as the police inspector, who is trying to expose everything. Compared to worked-up and aggressive officers, his calm, observing yet unpredictable nature, adds a sense of intrigue as we root for him to do well but also don’t want Rani Baa to get exposed.
Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s an interesting watch which will keep you on your toes, especially towards the end. Honestly, for a good minute, I felt disappointed with the direction the series was going. It felt like all this build-up was for nothing, until, another twist comes through and leaves you stunned.
This year seems to be a good one for Indian webseries as they are bringing some new and exciting stories, which are on par with popular shows from other countries. Like the recent Garmi series is a good watch too, if you are looking for some political thriller drama.
Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.