What Is the Story About?
Mahesh Pradeep. his medico wife Sudha and their three kids – Kamal, Vinod and Bhanu – move from Ahmedabad to Pittsburgh in search of greener pastures. While Mahesh’s dreams struggle to take off, Sudha’s plans to pursue her profession get derailed too. A series of incidents pits the Pradeeps against their neighbours Mills’. When the latter’s house is burnt down by a mysterious miscreant, all hell breaks loose.
Performances?
Naveen Andrews has a cheeky, enthusiastic screen presence and it sits pretty well with his character – Mahesh Pradeep, who takes life with a pinch of salt. Sindhu Vee gets the authoritarian side of Sudha Pradeep right but is a turnoff with her timing and lacks the warmth in her portrayal that could’ve made a viewer empathise with her.
Ashwin Sakthivel is a natural with humour, playing an oddball character with the right element of mischief and spontaneity. Sahana Srinivasan is aptly cast as the awkward teenager dealing with the first major relationship in her life. Arjun Sriram is impressive as Kamal though the character could’ve been etched better. Megan Hilty, Ethan Suplee and Nicholas Hamilton make for an unusually entertaining on-screen family.
Analysis
Irrespective of its exaggerated celebration of stereotypes and poor cultural representation of Indian ethos, Never Have I Ever worked well as a rom-com and was a welcoming attempt to throw new light on the immigrant experience through a teenage girl’s eyes. The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh tries to do something similar in the garb of a satirical comedy, which yields mixed results and is not fully satisfying.
The show unfolds as the cops interrogate the Pradeeps and the Mills about incidents related to a burnt-down house. Through the interrogations, we look back at the journey of the Pradeeps in the US, the circumstances that forced the family to move to an alien country and their struggles to cope with a newer reality. Interestingly, the adults are as messy and confused as the kids.
While Sudha is disgruntled as her medical license is rejected, Mahesh puts on a happy face even when his entrepreneurial dreams fail to sky‘rocket’. Their younger son Vinod finds his groove in a group of misfits at school. The elder son Kamal has the hots for his English teacher Janice and his sibling Bhanu is hopelessly in love with a neighbour Stu.
The diversity among the characters and how they adapt to life in the US keeps you engrossed. Bhanu is the most sorted of the lot – conveniently changing her colours as per the social norms in the US, only to invite quarrels with an ultra-protective mother, who’s desperate to handhold her children. (the similarities with ‘Never Have I Ever’ are slightly obvious)
The family dynamics and the love-hate relationships among the family of five play out intriguingly. They mock each other’s choices and eccentricities, don’t mind laughing at themselves and stay together as a unit in an hour of crisis. The creators take complete liberty with the tongue-in-cheek humour – centring it on beef, Gods, ayurveda, superstitions, belief systems, casual racism and whatnot.
There are a handful of wacky, dramatic situations with terrific potential for absurdist humour. A school-going kid finds himself in an unexpected love triangle, a boy suspects an incestuous relationship within his girlfriend’s family on a Halloween night, a couple lands in jail for making love in a truck and two men shoot an arrow on the buttocks of an investor. Not all of the ideas work.
A smart-little twist towards the end turns the show on its head but The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh fails to translate its intentions effectively onto the screen. Yet again, the portrayal of India is questionable – showcased as the land of peacocks, palaces, sarees and panipuris. In addition to the inconsistent writing, the issue also lies with the comic timing of the lead actors.
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh has its moments and makes an earnest effort to project a light-hearted peek into the immigrant experience. However, much like the dreams of the protagonists, the show just doesn’t make the cut. It tries to be clever and funny but is devoid of soul and absurd for the most part.
Music and Other Departments?
On the technical front, there’s no scope for complaints – with the costumes, production design, music and cinematography coming together efficiently to stay true to the intentions of the creator Vijal Patel. Linda Perry’s score infuses life and vigour into the narrative the same way as Mitchel Ness’ cinematography, Crystal Siden’s costumes and Andrew Berry’s spectacular set work.
Highlights?
Documenting the NRI experience through a satire
Partly hilarious and interesting
Technically brilliant
Drawbacks?
Exaggerated, largely unfunny situations
Relies on done-to-death cliches and farce for humour
Poor comic timing from the actors
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
Only if a satire on the NRI experience interests you
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh Series Review by Binged Bureau