Last season ended with privileged kid Siddhi (Maanvi Gagroo), perpetually body shamed by mom Sneha (Simone Singh), losing her supportive dad Viju Patel (Fahad Samar).
Also, confused lesbian Umang Singh (Bani J) with daddy issues dumped her superstar lover Samara Kapoor (Lisa Ray) at the altar; divorced lawyer and mom of one irritating kid Anjana Menon (Kirti Kulhari) broke up with married colleague Shashank (Samir Kochhar) after they were caught in the act by his wife; and journalist-author Damini Rizvi Roy (Sayani Gupta) dithered between bedding hunky bar owner Jeh (Prateik Babbar) and breaking up with him.
In Season 3, several more rounds of the same are served across 10 episodes with Siddhi and Sneha coping with the loss of Viju in their own different ways; Anjana coping with ex-lover Shashank at the workplace and ex-husband Varun (Neil Bhoopalam) at home, the annoying kid a little more bratty this time around; Umang coping with her sexuality which swings from new entrant Meher (Shilpa Shukla) to Sean (Jim Sarbh); and Damini coping with her confusion. She wants to live-in with Jeh but not bed him. And while figuring that out, maybe sleep with new client Dhananjay (Rohan Mehra), the charming young politician?
There is a bit more of Kavya (Amrita Puri), the new wife in Anjana’s ex-husband Varun’s life.
And Sneha as a young widow steps out as more than just the anxious mother of an overweight daughter when widower Rajan (Sushant Singh) provides her with his company. Simone Singh gives Sneha the vulnerability of a woman who finds herself single all of a sudden.
The morals of the last millennium gave men the privilege of double standards while women had to stay morally virginal.
The pendulum has swung to the other extreme. Now women who sleep with a client when there’s a boyfriend at home shouldn’t be judged. But a man who has a kissing moment with an ex-wife will have the current wife serving him divorce papers. Not sure why double standards should prevail for either gender but that’s how director Joyeeta Patpatria plays it in the name of feminism. Between writer Devika Bhagat and Ishita Moitra’s dialogues, Siddhi’s stand-up comedy too is all about anger-venting about mom and men without a single chuckle. ‘Golden vagina’ doesn’t quite do it. And lovemaking scenes (of which there are plenty in different combinations) have lyrics like ‘Do it like a boss…eating up the sauce’. Though having a ‘foodgasm’ wasn’t too bad.
When Anjana, Damini, Umang and Siddhi visit Punjab, it’s a bit like the ‘Bollywood Wives’ taking a trip together. And there’s a dash of Hindi cinema with a Holi party fraught with tension a la ‘Silsila’.
But after Sneha goes out of her way to host a lovely 25th birthday party in Italy for her daughter and the entitled birthday girl sulks and throws tantrums, Siddhi does grow up before the end of the season.
By the time the last round is served, the cliffhanger question is, will the four friends’ favourite watering hole be around for another season?
What is needed is a new menu for sure.
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