Review: 'Potluck' S2 relives the humor amid the adorable dysfunctionality of Shastris

Potluck Season 2

There is a stark contrast of between Potluck Season 1 and Season 2. No, I am not talking about the content or characters but more than that, I am talking about the arrival period of each season. Season 1 of this show arrived right during the times of a pandemic where it seemed most opportune and Potluck Season 1 became just the perfect easy-breezy watch everyone was craving for.

But now, with the pandemic having subsided to a large extent, we are in times of almost entire normalcy and comes in Season 2. Does the second season manage to make the same amount of impact as the first season did? Having had the chance to watch the entirety of the second season, here is what I thought about it-

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Getting Deeper But Still Not Even Scratching the Surface

I totally get what the makers are going for here. They want to keep the breeziness and sanitation of a show like this alive. But after what was a satisfactory start in Season 1, the development of characters (not all of them) seems under-written. The fake heart attack that Govind Shastri (Jatin Sial) staged in Season 1 is a forgotten story and with the rest of the Shastri family members continuing to have their own struggles to deal with, one only wonders and unfortunately, is kept wondering throughout.

There are instances when the show does delve deeper into the topics that are usually tabooed in a family gathering but the resolution and deviation attached to such situations continues to be convenient. You would expect the tone shifting atleast a couple of times in an eight episode runtime but that doesn't entirely happen.

The Humor Stays & Gets Better

It seemed like a natural call but after the first season being rather focused on the men and their questionable and not-so-questionable decisions, this season shifts focus to the women. The characters of Saloni, Prerna and Akanksha played by Saloni Khanna, Shraddha Talsania and Ira Dubey respectively all get much better character arcs to play with and some of them are better than others. Even the seasoned veteran that is Kitu Gidwani and her rather annoying character in Season 1 of Pramila now gets a deeper understanding and you feel for her and her decisions.

What works perfectly well for Potluck was just what worked in Season 1 as well - the humor. The situations are genuinely funny, the humor is crisp and sophisticated and even in the more slapstick situations, it lands. This is indeed the one aspect that the makers have excelled in maintaining and keeping the laughs coming.

The Verdict

The runtime stays pretty much the same and so does the number of episodes. But just like Season 1, the concept of Potluck fades away faster and even the last couple of epsiodes are meant to build towards a crescendo, it seems hastily staged and poorly written. Fortunately, the performances of almost all the actors in the frame right from Harman Singha to Shraddha Talsania and even the cameo of Siddhant Karnick is what makes this dysfunctional family going along with fun, laughter and togetherness.

Rating - *** (3/5)

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