Bakaiti Review: Dice Media’s new series Bakaiti walks the well-trodden path of shows like Gullak and Yeh Meri Family. Created by Arnav Chakravarthy, the series boasts a winning lead pair in Rajesh Tailang and Sheeba Chaddha - two fine actors whose mere presence feels like a safe bet. After all, they’ve already elevated one show (Bandish Bandits) with their chemistry, and now they’re paired again in a setting designed to be instantly relatable to middle-class audiences, with no high-stakes drama - much like Panchayat or Kota Factory. Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam Review: The Zee5 Series Falls Short Of Being A Rousing Ode To Women Power. Set in Indirapuram - which may sould like a small Tamil Nadu town, but is an actual residential neighbourhood in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh - Bakaiti focuses on the Kataria family and their everyday struggles. From the outset, we’re drawn into their middle-class chaos: mother Sushma (Sheeba Chaddha) sweating it out in the kitchen, while her immature teenage kids Naina (Tanya Sharma) and Bunty (Aditya Shukla) squabble endlessly. Patriarch Sanjay (Rajesh Tailang) announces he’s renting out one of their rooms to make extra money. The news doesn’t sit well with the kids, especially since they don’t want to share a single room - she’s a neat freak, he’s a walking mess. After a failed attempt to drive away potential tenants, Naina softens her stance when she meets the new lodger, Chirag (Keshav Sadhna), with whom she bonds over novels. Watch the Trailer of 'Bakaiti': But Bakaiti (meaning 'banter' or 'argument') isn’t really a love story. While Naina’s crush on Chirag simmers in the background, the show keeps its focus firmly on the family - their finances, ambitions, and clashes. Sanjay hides his money troubles out of pride, often butting heads with his younger brother. Sushma dreams of starting her own boutique but lacks both moral and financial support from her husband. Naina hopes to attend a prestigious Mumbai college, while Bunty prefers cricket to textbooks. A running motif involves their water motor, whose automated voice repeatedly warns that the tank is about to overflow. The family, too distracted by chores and bickering, never turns it off. It’s a neat metaphor for the way they also postpone important conversations - like Sanjay admitting he can’t afford Naina’s college fees, or Bunty hiding his poor test results - until tensions spill over. 'Bakaiti' Review - Finding Warmth in Familial Squabbles True to its title, Bakaiti thrives on squabbles - between Sanjay and his brother over their home, Bunty and Naina over their living habits, and countless other petty disagreements. Yet beneath the constant banter is an unspoken truth: when push comes to shove, they close ranks and stand by each other. That’s the charm of middle-class families - they fight, they make up, they protect each other, even if it’s wrapped in flawed logic like 'your uncle wants you out of the house, but he means well' or 'your father raises his belt at you, but he means well too.' [caption id="attachment_7036366" align="alignnone" width="600"] A Still From Bakaiti[/caption] As someone from a struggling middle-class background myself, I’m wary of how certain shows romanticise such hardships. There’s nothing wrong with injecting warmth into these portrayals, but it’s important to acknowledge the problematic parts too. Take Chirag telling Bunty there’s no shame in cooking - a nice sentiment, but Bunty has never seen his father help in the kitchen; that's why he feels cooking is below him. Someone could have quipped that there. Or Sushma needing her husband’s 'permission' to start a business, even when she doesn’t need his money. The series finds its emotional peak in episode five, when Naina learns the truth about her parents’ handling of her college plans. Her hurt isn’t just about money - it’s about being kept out of the conversation entirely. While her reaction is whiny at times, the moment deserved more narrative weight than the convenient resolution it gets. 'Bakaiti' Review - Cloyingly Predictable and Also Undercooked And that’s Bakaiti’s Achilles’ heel - its sweetness makes it predictable, and it often wraps up conflicts too neatly. Tracks like Sushma’s bid for independence or the Chirag subplot feel underdeveloped, the latter disappearing abruptly to refocus on the Katarias. Nanaji (Ramesh Rai), the hearing-impaired grandfather addicted to his phone, pops in for a few wisecracks but feels disconnected from the main story. [caption id="attachment_7036364" align="alignnone" width="2024"] A Still From Bakaiti[/caption] Bunty, meanwhile, is a missed opportunity. Rather than an endearing bundle of mischief, he’s reduced to a whinier counterpart to Naina, who plays videogames at his grandfather's last rites and wonders why everyone is so upset at the event. Teenagers needn’t be this obtuse or insensitive. The series could have better spent its runtime deepening these threads instead of dedicating conspicuous product placements. Yes, I managed to 'catch' the masala brand; I can't help it if it is being repeatedly shoved in my face. I also couldn't ignore Sushma’s sister-in-law’s jab about food adulteration - is that some sly rebellion about being forced to having to indulge commercial branding? 'Bakaiti' Review - Final Thoughts Bakaiti succeeds in capturing the messy, bickering warmth of middle-class family life, anchored by Rajesh Tailang and Sheeba Chaddha’s effortless chemistry. It tries to find charm in the frailties of middle-class lives, but it is too predictable and easy-going for its own good. Conflicts resolve too neatly, and some subplots are undercooked. The show’s avoidance of deeper critique - whether about patriarchal norms or performative product placements - leaves its realism feeling selective, instead relying too much on the romanticisation of their issues. Bakaiti is streaming on Zee5.