First of all, kudos to Producer Rashmi Sharma and Star Plus to have thought of a concept and story line that borders around the burning issue of COVID-19 that has taken the entire Nation and mankind by storm. And to touch upon this issue and come up with an extremely joyful, light-hearted romantic drama show is in itself a great move!!
Lockdown Ki Love Story in a nutshell is a concept that can only bring smiles!! A total family show which talks of the culture clash between the families of an Allahabadi boy and a Mumbai-bred girl who are very much in love.
The biggest plus point of the show lies in its characterization. The stark contrasts given to the boy’s family when compared to the girl’s family in their behaviour, thought process and beliefs makes viewing all the more exciting.
Dhruv Jaiswal (Mohit Malik) who is a simpleton from Allahabad works in Mumbai. He has found his dream girl in Sonam Goel (Sana Sayyad) who is totally bathed in Mumbai culture from head to foot. The two of them aim to get married and have taken consent of their families. Sonam’s idea to have a pre-wedding shoot in Allahabad brings Sonam and her family to Dhruv’s place.
At this juncture, the Nation faces a total lockdown as proposed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. This puts to a screeching halt the activities planned by Sonam and Dhruv as part of their shoot plan.
All that the two families are left to cope up with under one roof, only indicates to a huge mismatch when it comes to the way in which the two families think.
Moving to Dhruv’s family – Shashikant Jaiswal (Vijay Kumar) is rooted to his culture and beliefs. Wife Nutan Jaiswal (Jayati Bhatia) literally calls the shots in the house, but is also restrained and respectful as a wife. Ashutosh Tiwari and Deepika Upadhyay play Dhruv’s elder brother and wife. Ananya Agarwal plays the younger sister of Dhruv. Ananya Khare plays Dhruv’s bua Sheetal who is again rigid in terms of culture.
Rakesh Kukreti is Prathap Goel, the patriarch of the Goel family. Kashish Duggal Paul is Subhadra Goel, Sonam’s mother. Nazia Hasan and Ravin Makhija are Sonam’s siblings. Prathap is a typical Mumbaiite who believes in living a sophisticated life with a carefree attitude. His wife has had her share of trouble living with the man, and has felt neglected. She wants her daughter to get into a loving and caring family.
Dhruv is a simpleton who respects elders to the ‘T’. He is his parents’ pride and very well knows that he has to follow his parents’ footsteps at every walk of life. He tries his best to balance between his culture-rigid mother and the high-spirited Sonam and her thinking. Dhruv loves Sonam a lot but also wants to make sure that she fits into the ‘dutiful daughter-in-law’ bracket that his parents wish for.
Sonam is a free bird. She believes that she should not hide anything to convince a person. She does not agree to the age-old customs of a girl to-be-wed needing to know everything to manage her house. She is an ever-smiling, pleasing girl who is totally in love with Dhruv. However, she finds his thoughts not connecting to hers with respect to the family baggage and expectations that he carries.
Moving to their love story, one word to describe it is ‘amazing’!! The two of them have love written all over their faces. They might have been brought up differently, holding different thoughts, but their understanding is spot on. They are a couple who you will love to watch on TV!!
The concept on the whole is a sheer entertainer. The lovey-dovey moments of Dhruv and Sonam are delightful to watch. Their scene on the terrace where they get caught red-handed, their tea making scene, and the manner in which the two of them look at each other, talk to each other are so endearing. As a viewer, you are sure to fall in love with them!!
Talking of performances, this has to be a role Mohit Malik fans were waiting for!! After playing the emotional father of two girls in Kulfi Kumar Bajewala, Mohit has proven his versatility again by going all-out in the romance zone. He’s looking his best. Of course, his expressions as the lover boy are stunning.
Sana Sayyad as Sonam Goel, again a role that is a total contrast to her last appearance in Divya Drashti. Sana is a sheer delight to watch. A very good performer, she is winning hearts for sure.
Above all, the chemistry of Mohit Malik and Sana Sayyad rocks and their love story during lockdown is certainly the best thing to have happened for TV during lockdown.
Jayati Bhatia is an amazing actress and she proves it all over again. The mother-son bond is beautiful to watch. Vijay Kumar is again a terrific performer. His dialogue delivery makes his role so very special. Ananya Khare is again magical as the Bua. Give her any role and she can steal the show and she proves it again.
Rakesh Kukreti looks magnificently handsome in this role. He is doing a good job. Kashish Duggal Paul looks splendid and is good in her role.
Shot under one single roof as of now, owing to the lockdown concept, the makers have given their best in terms of quality.
Overall, an engaging love story caught amidst culture clash. This show is promising and will do well with word of mouth. Brilliant performances will also add value to the show.
IWMBuzz.com credits Lockdown Ki Love Story with 3.5 stars.