A brother-sister duo living together in a posh Bengaluru neighborhood are constantly hustling in personal and professional life, but without much headway. Will they get lucky in their love life, work life and/or sex life ?
39-year-old Vasudha (Lara Dutta) is a single mother, who moves in with her brother Akhil (Pratiek Babbar) in Bengaluru's Jayanagar with her teenage daughter Kay (Shinnova). She left her husband after he was cheating on her and now she's looking to connect with someone, physically and mentally, on a dating app called Kechup that's developed by Akhil, who's also hunting for dates on the same app. As a teenager, Kay is confused with all the choices of young and old men around her.
It's an exciting premise to throw in three people in very different circumstances and phases of their lives, looking for connections. Set in an uber-cool and urbane environment, the show is relatable for today's youth and adults in mid-age, living a thriving life in metro cities where hookups are easy, but meaningful relationships are often a rarity. All the same, it might seem like the characters are dealing with first world problems but the show's inherent fabric is very western and this may alienate the massy audience. What works largely in this Kunal Kohli directorial is the narrative that is light and breezy. It deals with various facets of human relationship in a casual and matter-of-fact way, minus the melodrama.
In performances, it's a Lara Dutta show all the way, as she plays Vasu's desires and dilemnas with ease. Many a women can identify with her character of an independent single mom, who is trying hard to balance her own desires with her career and other relationships. Pratiek Babbar is back in good shape and makes an honest attempt to play a slacking middle-age man Akhil. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra plays the over-the-top and annoying boss of Vasu. His performance feels orchestrated and much like the overall execution of the show, it could have been funnier and more entertaining.
On the whole, 'Hiccups and Hookups' is a colorful and lighthearted family drama that tackles various aspects of modern-day relationship dynamics and everything around it.