What Is the Story About?
‘Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi’ is SonyLIV’s latest original series, its next rural drama after the impressive ‘Tabbar’, but quite different from the latter.
Nirmal Pathak (Vaibhav Tatwawadi) returns to his hometown of Buxar in Bihar after a span of 24 years. The city-bred, well-educated Nirmal is appalled by the blatant discrimination prevalent in the town, from caste to gender to social discrimination. As Nirmal seeks to uncover the truth behind why his father renounced his home and town, his interference in the age-old practices of the town’s caste ecosystem increases. Which in turn triggers his uncle Makhan (Pankaj Jha), and the local political heavyweight (Vineet Kumar).
Performances?
Vaibhav Tatwawadi renders an earnest performance as the righteous Nirmal. His delivery of dialogue is engaging. Akash Makhija is good as Nirmal’s younger cousin, Aatish. Alka Amin brings dignity to her role of an abandoned wife.
Pankaj Jha is saddled with a one-note character that lacks nuance and personality. The versatile actor is wasted in the poorly-etched out role. Vineet Kumar is suitably menacing as the ruthless politician, who rules his constituency like his fiefdom. The rest of the cast lends good support, especially the actors who play Aatish’s sidekicks.
Analysis
The biggest drawback with Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi is that it suffers from a major ‘Swades’ hangover. Like that Shah Rukh Khan starrer, this series brims with the protagonist traversing the breadth of the countryside in rickety rides, taking in the beauty and the squalor that exist side by side in India’s heartlands. Also, like Swades, Nirmal Pathak arrives on the scene as the upper caste ‘saviour’, to provide deliverance to the downtrodden and suppressed lower castes from the sorry state they live in.
The series starts off really well. The world-building in the first two episodes is detailed and fun to watch. The interactions amongst the family members and friends, the bickering and bantering, the cracking of jokes and leg-pulling, the communal cooking and relishing of ‘litti chokha’, all of it takes the viewer straight to the heart of the real India – the India that exists in its towns and villages. It is delightful to watch and savour, and quite refreshing.
From the third episode onwards, the series changes gears all of a sudden. It enters into harsher, graver, and dare we say, messier territory. The spectre of conflicts raises its ugly head, to mar the happy-go-lucky essence of the story until now. Nirmal takes in all that is happening around him — from patriarchy, to misogyny to caste discrimination, and plunges headlong into the politics of it all. Is there any need for him to poke his nose into business he has no business poking his nose into? Only the writers of the show can answer this confounding question. For us, the answer is a resounding no.
It’s not even as if Nirmal is a habitual do-gooder who can’t help set things right when he sees them going wrong. Nowhere have the writers established this as a character trait of Nirmal’s personality. Then why the heck does he interfere in, and try to straighten every wrong he sets his eyes upon? It gets exasperating to watch the proceedings after some time, solely for this reason.
The writing too nosedives around this stage. From sparkling and delightful, it turns stale and clichéd -it’s almost as if a completely different set of writers have taken over the script. The finale episode is the final straw — it is so utterly inane that one wonders at the absurdity of it all. The season ends on a weird note – neither an enticing cliffhanger nor an effective closure. It ends abruptly, leaving the story dangling in mid-air. Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi consists of only five medium-length episodes – out of which the last two really test one’s patience.
To sum it up, Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi begins with a promising flourish. But somewhere along the way, it goes off the rails and loses steam, meandering messily to the end.
Music and Other Departments?
Rohit Sharma’s musical score is pleasing to the ear. Kunal Walve’s editing is efficient. Girish Kant’s camerawork is lovely. It beautifully captures the sights, sounds and essence of small-town Bihar.
Highlights?
Performances
Cinematography
The world-building
Drawbacks?
Clichéd
Narrative is messy and all over the place
Inane climax
Did I Enjoy It?
The beginning, yes; the latter half, no.
Will You Recommend It?
Not exactly
Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi Series Review by Binged Bureau