ISI Mark of Small Towns
Bada Naam Karenge | Showrunner: Sooraj R Barjatya | Cast: Ritik Ghanshani and Ayesha Kaduskar
If ever the Indian family needed an ISI mark, it would be provided by the Barjatyas. For over 70 years, they have been chronicling the small- town Indian family. So it was a matter of time before they stepped into streaming to tell their little stories with big hearts, from the tiny dots on India's maps. In Bada Naam Karenge, he is from Ratlam and she is from Indore. Both meet cute in Mumbai where they are studying. He is doing an MBA and she is working towards a doctorate in microbiology. There are all manner of uncles and aunts, cousins and friends, with specific duties and responsibilities. Yet not all is jolly. There are elders who follow strict rules, youngsters who are expected to adhere to them, no questions asked. So, of course, there are lies and subterfuge, long-term hurts and short-term deceptions. Ritik Ghanshani and Ayesha Kaduskar are the youngsters who know each other but pretend to be strangers for their parents who believe they are arranging their match. Told over nine episodes, the series is a throwback to the '90s and its family entertainment. The old-world charm has a sprinkling of contemporary ambition—but there are enough interfering fufajis and unbending tayajis to spoil the party.