TVF is back with another season of ‘Permanent Roommates’. The show is one of the first original web series’ to have been made in India, and soon afterwards the OTT generation of today was born. Is this 3rd season worth the wait? Or can you simply skip it? Read the full review to find out.
Director: Shreyansh Pandey
Cast: Sumeet Vyas, Nidhi Singh, Deepak Kumar Mishra, Shishir Sharma, Sheeba Chaddha, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Sudhir Chobeesy
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 5 Episodes, 30-35 minutes each
Mikesh (Sumeet Vyas) has a perfect life, whereas Tanya (Nidhi Singh) feels stuck. She reckons being stuck in her career is what stops her from being truly happy. Her fix for them to move abroad and Mikesh's resistance to the idea is what leads our Permanent Roommates on a bumpy ride. Eventually, they discover that their love and support for each other surpasses everything else. Will their love for each other help them remain permanent roommates for life? Or will they end up ‘taking a break’ and going their separate ways? Will there be any more twists and turns along this bumpy ride? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch ‘Permanent Roommates 3’.
Sumeet Vyas was born to play Mikesh. No one else could have brought that innocence and cuteness to the character. However, this time over he moves over from flaunting his inner machoism and gets into serious emoting. In the penultimate episode, there is a long monologue which he nails to perfection showing you that Mikesh is not just fun and frolic, which he portrays to the world. On the contrary, he too has his own demons which he tries to hide from the world. The perfect balance of emotions and cuteness is what Sumeet Vyas is able to bring into the character this time, and you’ll be left wanting more and more.
In front of Sumeet Vyas’ performance, Nidhi Singh’s act, despite being really good, somewhat feels like second fiddle. While there are barely any shortcomings, her act as the independent woman who’s equally in love with her partner and her job somehow falls a bit flat and monotonous. She gives you the perfect feel of a girlfriend who’s understanding yet independent enough to not give up on her own dreams just for love. Getting that balance was really good.
Deepak Kumar Mishra as Purushottam needs to have his own spin-off web series. He is so damn good. His quirks, antics and sense of humour are so brilliant that you miss it every time he is not there onscreen. Had his screen time been more, he would have invariably turned out to be a more impactful performer than the lead couple.
The writing by Arunabh Kumar, Biswapati Sarkar, Shreya Srivastava and Vaibhav Suman is the best part of the show. While the characters are already famous and known to people it’s the relatability of the situations that make you feel more for the characters now. The way they’ve injected the feeling of young couples wanting to settle abroad while also not being able to let go of the emotional bent towards their parents is so very relatable.
Shreyansh Pandey’s direction is simple and touches the right chords. The way he not only made you feel for the lead couple but also kept the narrative interesting and funny with the interjections of Deepak Kumar Mishra’s character is what makes you not want to leave the show without watching it fully.
The music by Rohan Rohan is another high point of the show. Not many web series in the romcom genre are able to master the songs, but somehow ‘Permanent Roommates 3’ has managed to tug at the right strings. Some of the songs are so apt and so touching that you are made to feel that you’re living the life of Mikesh and Tanya. The background score also dwells on you like old wine.
Nikhil Arolkar’s cinematography is probably the only thing in the entire scheme of things that could have been better. The shooting is very simple and doesn’t make use of too many new-age cinematography techniques. Some of the indoor shots could have been shot in new ways so as to give the viewer a unique experience.
Gourav Gopal Jha’s editing is crisp and to the point. Keeping it limited to just 5 episodes is also a masterstroke. Anything more than what they’ve kept would have made you probably start feeling drowsy in the middle, but thankfully that didn’t happen. It’s taut and keeps you hooked till the very end.
Yes
‘Permanent Roommates 3’ is definitely a show that audiences have been waiting for ages to come. Finally, when it came, it didn’t disappoint. The way the story has been narrated and the way the lead characters have performed make you want to live in their world. You know they’re not the ideal couple, but you know that they’ll figure it out, and that ray of hope makes you want to place yourself in their shoes. Mikesh and Tanya give you that perfect warm hug and a feel-good factor that people in urban cities always fall short of. Overall, it’s a Breezy Repeatable Watch. I am going with 4 stars.