Bada Naam Karenge is classic Rajshri fare!

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We have seen that Rajshri Productions’ offerings on the big screen (and television) have always been wholesome entertainers and family dramas that thrive on positivity. In more cases than not, circumstances more than human beings are the villains and cause the drama, as with Hum Aapke Hain Koun!… and Vivah.

In Bada Naam Karenge, the title would suggest ambition about materialistic goals, but the series (Rajshri’s first foray into the web, though they have done several TV soaps that I have never watched) is essentially a love story set against the backdrop of two families, based respectively in Ujjain and Ratlam, two small towns of Madhya Pradesh. And the villain is…circumstances again!

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We have seen the efforts made by the banner to keep up with the times in films like Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, Dono and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. In some cases, they have worked, and over here, taking advantage of the censor-free web, this includes parties where drinks are served, and even living together!

No! Don’t get shell-shocked! There are no alcoholics in the film, and certainly no bedroom scenes or kisses. The hero Rishabh and heroine Surbhi, compulsorily housed in the former’s apartment due to the sudden declaration of a lockdown (in India’s Covid era), stay physically away even as emotions greater than mere friendship blossom between them, much like the pre-1957 Hindi movies before Shammi Kapoor entered the scene!

A few years later, we come to know that Rishabh Rathi (Ritik Ghanshani), the boy from a wealthy mithai makers’ joint family and Surbhi Gupta (Ayesha Kaduskar), the girl who had landed at the same party only because a friend who took her along, are the candidates when an official marriage proposal goes through, purely by coincidence, between their respective families. “Naturally”, being youngsters in a joint family with “Indian values”, they have not taken their relationship further in the intervening years and have no objection when their respective parents are looking at hitching them to any suitable prospect.

They, of course, have their own individual ambitions. Rishabh is planning to do his MBA, get a cushy job and then help in expanding the family business. Surbhi looks at a career (probably in Research, she thinks) after doing a Doctorate in Virology. The latter hails from a middle-class family that has elements of openness and moves with the times. So Surbhi has been pursuing her ambitions housed in a Mumbai hostel even as Rishabh is doing his studies in the city because his family can afford to get him a plush apartment there.

Turns out that Surbhi, taunted into gulping alcohol at the party, just plops asleep there (in Rishabh’s bedroom unknown to anyone) and cannot go home the next day because of the restrictions imposed. The two do not have a high opinion about each other and clash on minor issues but soon get to know and then start liking each other.

Apparently, as per the writers, the cardinal sin is to lie to one’s family, and so Surbhi and Rishabh have never revealed this (I would say a sensibly natural thing!) to their clans. As they come together again (in Rajshri fashion, there is a “roka”, then an engagement and finally a planned wedding), they are sure that if they reveal their past acquaintance and bond, their marriage will not happen.

Meanwhile, there are skeletons in Rishabh’s family, where the patriarch and eldest brother, Tauji (Kawaljit Singh) is a callous (for normal people) martinet and the women and even his younger brothers either do not have a say in matters or have to docilely follow him—in certain ways, this is Mohabbatein’s Amitabh Bachchan 2.1!—out of, as is shown, fear rather than love or respect.

A chain of unfortunate circumstances leads to Rishabh’s jealous maternal uncle, Rajesh (Rajesh Tailang), stumbling upon the youngster’s “truth”, and while Rishabh’s family begin to think that their supposedly ideal boy is a “wolf of sorts in sheep’s clothing” (and they have no idea that the girl involved was Surbhi) and wonder what to do, Surbhi’s father comes to know of Rishabh’s “waywardness” by a roundabout way and suffers a heart attack. What happens next?

Bada Naam Karenge is ideal emotional fare for Indian audiences starved of wholesome material on the web. While happy concessions are made towards modernity and there is a fine balance maintained between core Indian values and “today” standards, I, personally, cannot stomach how someone like Tauji is tolerated by even his own clan, his associates and finally his nephew. But I guess those are Indian values (?!) still rampant all over the country.

On the other hand, Surbhi’s parents are lovely upper middle-class people and very supportive. The film clearly shows (in effect) that the upper middle-class flows much more with the times and show a balancing act better than the stuck-up joint upper-class families where one man behaves like a dictator. Do not know if that was the idea of the makers though!

In general treatment, Palash Vaswani (Gullak 2, Gullak 3, Cheesecake—all terrific predecessors) does an excellent job of steering this Rajshri vehicle, deftly skimming through the mix of tradition and upbeat mores, and keeping up generally entertained through drama and humor, classic Rajshri elements and standard filmi tropes.

The showrunner is Sooraj R. Barjatya himself, and I must say that while he has tailored this story to every Indian who loves his kind of movies and is looking for family manoranjan, in a tussle to adapt to Gen Z, he is often lost in the olde-worlde tradition of stretched melodrama (each episode is unevenly paced at anything from 30+ to 55 minutes!) and a lot of fake elongation (no spoilers here!). Clearly, for me, the crisp, non-preachy ambience of Gullak and Cheesecake were missing, as also the brilliant narration of Sooraj’s last (2022) film, Uunchai. A tighter hand on—and by—the writers could have done wonders.

The music (Anurag Saikia) is another major comedown. The songs are dull in most of the lyrics, duller in composition and dullest in vocals, where life was needed. Ironically, Saikia does not heed the excellence (tailored to today’s audiences) of the earlier Rajshri songs, especially of Dosti, Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun!…. which are used frequently in their original forms. The heavy use of guitar both for songs and (especially) the BGM adds to the dullness and monotony and so one Rajshri staple goes awry again after Dono. I feel that strong music (with old flavors clothed in modern orchestral dress, which is what works even today!) is something that the Barjatyas should never jettison.

Bada Naam Karenge’s appeal, however, is boosted wonderfully by its lead cast and some terrific supporting artistes. Ayesha Kaduskar is a star performer—her eyes and quicksilver expressions are plain fabulous and her body language in every situation impeccable. Ritik Ghanshani has a charming smile and is naturally boyish, and yet his character restricts his flowering into a powerful performer.

I loved Deepika Amin as Surbhi’s mother, Alka Amin and Kanwaljit Singh (despite some needless facial contortions) as Rishabh’s eldest uncle and aunt, and Chaitrali Lokesh Gupte as Rishabh’s mother. Jameel Khan puts in a fantastic turn as Surbhi’s father, and Gyanendra Tripathi and (especially) Priyamvada Kant as Surbhi’s brother and sister-in-law are excellent. Another standout player is Pratish Mehta as Monty.

I found Rajesh Jais too stiff, ditto Anjana Sukhani as Rishabh’s maternal aunt. As her husband, Rajesh Tailang makes himself correctly obnoxious, while Nikhil Jaiswal cracks it as Jagatram, the watchman. Seen after a long while is the amusing Manju Brij Nandan as the inquisitive Jyoti Aunty.

On the whole, this is a refreshing change from the expletive-ridden, steamy and violent sagas that abound on the web and for that alone, despite the flaws and its occasional datedness, Bada Naam Karenge is an ideal a good watch. Never mind its passing resemblance to family soaps, which could have been avoided.

Rating: ***1/2

Sony LIV presents Rajshri Productions’ Bada Naam Karenge  Showrunner: Sooraj R. Barjatya  Directed by: Palash Vaswani  Written by: S. Manasvi & Vidhi Tripathi Music: Anurag Saikia  Starring: Ritik Ghanshani, Ayesha Kaduskar, Kanwaljit Singh, Alka Amin, Deepika Amin, Rajesh Jais, Jameel Khan, Chaitrali Lokesh Gupte, Gyanendra Tripathi, Rajesh Tailang, Anjana Sukhani, Saadhika Syal, Omm Dubey, Bhavesh Babani, Priyamvada Kant, Rajesh Tailang, Pratish Mehta, Manju Brij Nandan, Nikhil Jaiswal & others

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