If there is one word which describes new ALTBalaji show, as the title FourPlay suggests, is sex. There is no skin show or making out but there is enough innuendos to make this content suitable for 18 years and above only.
Director Sanjana Khattar has taken the basic plot – of couple misunderstanding and attempt to use friend’s pad for a sexual rendezvous- from her hit play (by the same name) turning it into a 6 parts web series.
The lean and fit looking Gaurav Chopraa is really cool as the flirty BBC, his gyaan to partner and friend Rajesh Khattar (Raj about how his (Raj) wife Pooja was cheating on him is really funny. Real and screen couple Rajesh and Sanjana represents the 40 year odd generation for who s*x is no longer as important as before . The way Raj and Pooja baulk when asked about their last s*x encounter is so common place.
Full marks to Gaurav for agreeing to essay such a colorful character as it goes against the very grain of Indian TV leads. Agreed he had played the same character in the above play, but the digital medium is much vaster in impact. The GST joke as a part of the pun on his name routine is quite topical.
BBC’s dumb blonde type wife Brinda(Kubra Sait) too is having fun with her power yoga guru. She also encourages Pooja to spice up her s*x life. The latter’s talk of wearing attractive lingerie is the hidden desire of many married women, yet they hesitate wondering what will hubby think?
The game is made more interesting, courtesy interior designer Jo (Nitin Mirani) who wants an empty pad to make out with house help Chilly (Cyndy Khojol) . Her wrong usage of Hindi and English is also heavily loaded with sexual overtones. Whenever Joe comes, BBC and Raj seem to be embracing each other making him come to the conclusion that they are a gay couple. Kashmira Shah, who completes the cast, is very fit for the show given her real life bold avatar.
The scene where the yoga guru barges into the room when Pooja is about to make out with Nitin as rebound is hilarious. Also the scene when Raj contemplates on what he had done by walking out on his wife and threatening to find a “youngie thingie” is something what most men will identify with.
ALT Balaji is pulling all stops to make the narrative very voyeuristic, even episode tag lines ( Threesome) are quite racey. To be honest sexual jokes beyond a point get boring for there is nothing else to hold your attention. Ideally it should have been wrapped up in four episodes.
In a way such shows are the Indian answer to American s*x comedies like Two and a Half Men. It was refreshing to see Indian married women opening up about their sexual desires and taking steps to fulfill them. There is no moral quotient here for when men have extra marital affairs, even that is wrong.
To play safe they have not shown kids as that would open a Pandora’s Box, but that’s what happens when you play with forbidden fruit.
To those who crib about s*x selling on web, we are no one to judge viewer’s likes and dislikes especially when it is subscription driven. And too be fair to ALT Balajii, they don’t merely have only unabashed sex shows, but also offer thinking concepts like Bose and Haq Se as well.
We would rate it 3 out of 5 stars.