Little Things, Season 4(Netflix)
Starring Mithila Palkar, Dhruv Sehgal
Rating: *** ½
For the last five years Kavya and Dhruv have been part of our lives. Their little-little problems, little-little fights and little-little relationship issues gave the Little Things franchise an inner power and energy to outsource its appeal to a cross-section of 20-somethings who found a deep connectivity with the couple and their relationship issues.
Now in Season 4 , the grounded franchise bids its not-so-tearful farewell.At the end of Season 4, Kavya and Dhruv are happily engaged, and engaged in a post-midnight conversation over elaichee chai and antacids on what their future holds for them . How much of the responsibility would the two of them share when they have a child? Such hypothetical questions made me fearful for the future: not Dhruv-Kavya’s but the future of the series. We really don’t need to know any more about this couple, They have made peace with their differences.God bless them.
A lot of the Franchise’s feisty charm came from the chemistry between the lead players. Dhruv and Kavya are by now, not just a onscreen couple going from cute to catty .They are part of our lives. One minute they are loveydovey the next minute they seem lost in their own individual universe. Isn’t that how it is in real life?
When Season 4 begins Kavya and Dhruv are holidaying in Kerala. At the end of the holiday ,I was not sure what the vacation did to their relationship but it will certainly do a wealth of good for Kerala tourism. There are no specially interesting encounters in the Kerala sojourn except a grumpy tourist guide whom Dhruv, ever-judgmental, hates on sight. She soon has him eating out of her hands, literally.There is also an interesting lunch apppointent with Dhruv’s boss and his foreigner life which doesn’t go the way it is expected to. The unexpected is always welcome in Little Things.
Once back in Mumbai, Season 4 begins to splutter and choke like a guest that has overstayed its welcome. In one of the later episode a cornea scratch provides the much-needed dramatic impetus. I don’t know whether it is intentional. But Dhruv comes across as an essentially selfish half of the partnership, trying hard to be caring and cool. But we can see how much effort it takes him to think beyond himself.
When Dhruv in a fit of anger(he admits to temper-management issues earlier in Kerala during a boat ride) accidently hits Kavya in the eye, he continues to rant about his broken souvenirs from Kerala rather than attend immediately to Kavya’s damaged eye. I was reminded of the “caring” husband in the French film Force Majeure who fled with his mobile phone when his family’s life was threatened.
There are indications that this relationship may collapse under the burden of selfabsorption. I hope it’s not true. But really, we’ve seen enough of Kavya and Dhruv and wish them all the best. Wish we could say the same about the supporting cast.Talented actors like Loveleen Mishra(as Dhruv’s mother) are buried in the rubble of relegated relaltionships as Dhruv and Kavya examine with verbal vigour the dos and don’ts of a modern urban relationship.They come across as real relatable and committed to making their relationship work.
Little Things will always hold a unique place in the OTT clutter. It gave us vivid glimpses into a modern relationship. What we saw wasn’t always as smart and funny as the makers of the series thought it to be. But there was enough chutzpah here to chew on while it lasted. Incidentally Dhruv Sehgal is billed as ‘creator’ of the series. Dear God!