Decoupled Review: In short is Hardik Mehta Netflix series, which stars the talented Madhavan, created and written by Manu Joseph, that deliver a good blend of realism, and flawless fun, despite some unnecessary acts that could have been avoided. It is all about a relationship faltered under the enormity of incompatibility and unmet expectations dealt in a humorous manner.
Decoupled intro set’s a good tone, and what one can expect from the a story of a man and his wife who realise that they aren’t made for each other and, with their marital liaison hitting rough weather, they are determined to make their separation more difficult than their marriage.
It is loaded with a big dose of common sense and the ‘battle opposite sex’ with the series dealing realism, and seeks to articulate the subject of separation in a fun manner.
The affluent Gurgaon couple decide to go their own ways but do not know how to break the news to their 12-year-old daughter and to the woman’s parents in Mumbai. Their primary concern is to insulate their daughter but they also debate the timing of the announcement of their decoupling, of the change of the woman’s Facebook relationship status and of the moves that they must make to look beyond the marriage.
Decoupled Review: A flawless fun entertainer backed by Brilliant Madhavan
The man, Arya Iyer (R. Madhavan), is a pulp fiction writer forever playing catch-up with Chetan Bhagat (who, as himself, pops up at regular intervals to show the protagonist his place in the popularity pecking order).
The envious Arya picks Bhagat’s book off the top perch on a bestsellers rack and replaces it with his own book not once but twice – once in a Gurgaon bookstore, and then at the Delhi airport. He is caught in the act on the second occasion by his rival himself, who says something about Arya being an alumnus of BITS Pilani and, therefore, not in his league.
Arya’s estranged wife, Shruti Sharma Iyer (Surveen Chawla), is an entrepreneur looking for a fresh fund infusion in her venture capital firm. Her marriage has been on the rocks for three years, but she continues to live in the same house as Arya to conceal the truth from their daughter Rohini (Arista Mehta). Shruti woos a Korean tech billionaire (Darren Eric Scott) to boot because it is good for business.
“You are such a disaster,” Shruti shrieks after Arya is nearly assaulted by a bunch of villagers for uttering a four-letter word. He indeed is a disaster. Arya is an extremely unlikeable guy all right, but that isn’t what is wrong with the character. Neither is R. Madhavan’s performance to blame for how the role he plays turns out. Arya Iyer, as a hero of a marital distress drama, simply isn’t convincing.
Decoupled has unnecessary acts that turn Arya Iyer into a caricature – a gentleman without a single gentle bone in his body? He invites trouble for himself, be it from a CISF jawan at an airport gate, a man offering namaaz in a prayer room in the terminal building, his pa-in-law (Akash Khurana) or a group of women he mistakes for transgenders in ways that strain credulity.
On other hand, Shruti, who, mercifully, is neither victim nor villain, is a woman who pulls no punches as she aggressively paints her ex-husband-to-be into a corner. Yet, she does not fully evolve into a character easy to be invested in and enthused by. She seems to be merely going through the motions – we cease to care one way or the other – as the couple deal with the factors responsible for the marriage running aground.
Decoupled, has the backing of strong performances by Madhavan and Surveen Chawla, a noteworthy background score from Rachita Arora and well done camerawork by Piyush Puty.
Arya and Shruti are here and they’re ready to leave us in splits. Literally 😳#Decoupled is now streaming on Netflix 🙎♂️💔🙍♀️@ActorMadhavan @SurveenChawla #AristaMehta #HardikMehta @manujosephsan #VikramadityaMotwane @chetan_bhagat pic.twitter.com/TfYzd8hBV7
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) December 17, 2021
Arya and Shruti are surrounded by a slew of stereotypes – a ‘poverty’ economist (Mir Afsar Ali) who, you’ve guessed it, is Bengali and swears by Amartya Sen, a ‘festival’ filmmaker (Aseem Hattangady) who salivates at the prospect of directing a show for Netflix, a flight attendant (Sonia Rathee) who is in an unseemly haste to jump into bed with Arya, an ex-girlfriend (Freisha Bomanbehram) whose hips do not lie and a life coach (Puja Sarup) who counsels Shruti on how to make the best of a bad deal.
Completing the picture is Guru Agni (Atul Kumar), a one-time CEO of a grocery start-up who is now a savant with female followers seeking fulfilment. He holds forth on orgasm and ovulation with the acuity of an edit page column by Chetan Bhagat.
Decoupled seeks to turn everything into fun – liberal thought, anti-intellectualism, climate activism, Islamophobia, the plight of migrant labourers, the anguish of refugees and even a woman who has put on weight around the waist, over-enthusiastic waiters and a sweaty driver (when talk hinges on the class divide, can Parasite be far behind?).
It is fun watching messed-up middle-aged men who have sex on their minds because they probably do not get much action and who arrogate to themselves the task of determining not only what women want but also what they ought to want. But that is what Decoupled offers despite the many women, including sundry mistreated housemaids..
Take one example. Arya, in the middle of a conversation with a streaming platform executive (Dilnaz Irani) at an upscale Gurgaon club, thinks he has the right to poke fun at the woman’s urgent need to visit the ladies’ room. “I know exactly the kind of effect a seven-star toilet has on a woman… it is like reuniting a refugee with his homeland,” he says. No justice here for women, refugees and those born on the wrong side of the tracks.
That Decoupled, may not kick the right notes, despite the brilliance of Madhavan. You dive into it and you will find it quite shallow. But the light in the dark is a well-written show with a humourous yet insightful take on failed Indian marriages.
Actor Madhavan is flawlessly funny throughout the show and Hardik Mehta done a fantastic job as the director. The intro of every episode is cherry on top! Decoupled
