Title: Oops! Ab Kya?
Directors: Prem Mistry & Debatma Mandal
Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Ashim Gulati, Jaaved Jaaferi, Sonali Kulkarni, Apara Mehta, Abhay Mahajan, Amy Aela, and others
Where: Streaming on JioStar
Rating: 3.5 stars
In the grand tradition of absurdly entertaining mix-ups, Oops! Ab Kya? takes a borrowed premise from the American romantic comedy drama—Jane the Virgin, which in turn was an adaptation of a Venezuelan telenovela— and infuses it with a distinctly Indian flavour, complete with generational wisdom, societal expectations, and a generous sprinkling of melodrama. The result? An eight-episode joyride that oscillates between comedy, chaos, and contemplation, never quite losing its grip on the audience, even when the plot occasionally veers into predictable terrain.
At the heart of this dramedy is Roohi Jani (played with remarkable ease by Shweta Basu Prasad), a 27-year-old hotel duty manager whose life is governed by a promise she made to her grandmother, Subhadra (Apara Mehta). Having witnessed her own mother, Paakhi (Sonali Kulkarni), navigate single parenthood, Roohi has been raised with a strict moral compass—the metaphorical piggybank of her virginity, zealously guarded under Subhadra’s watchful eye. But as fate (or rather, medical negligence) would have it, Roohi finds herself impregnated with the last saved sperm of her employer, the hotel magnate Samar Pratap Singh (Ashim Gulati), triggering a spiral of unintended consequences.
What follows is a delightful tug-of-war between Roohi’s personal ethics, modern love (her patient, detective boyfriend Omkar, played by Abhay Mahajan, deserves a medal for emotional resilience), and the complex interplay of tradition and choice. The decision to keep the baby, though riddled with uncertainty, gives the series a beating heart—one that pulsates with warmth, wit, and familial entanglements. Roohi’s attempt to assess Samar and his wife Alisha (Amy Aela) as suitable parents for her baby injects the narrative with both humour and poignancy, while a parallel subplot involving her long-lost father adds another layer to the generational discourse.
The show doesn’t just rest on its comedy; it cranks up the drama with subplots that could give an old-school Bollywood masala film a run for its money—murder, deception, double-crossing, triple-crossing (because why stop at just two?), and enough twists to leave you mildly dizzy, offering just the right balance of emotion and absurdity.
Casting is undeniably one of the show’s biggest strengths. Shweta Basu Prasad is effortlessly charming carrying the series with her impeccable performance. Sonali Kulkarni and Apara Mehta bring gravitas and warmth, making the mother-daughter-grandmother trio the emotional nucleus of the story. Amy Aela brings depth to Alisha, and Ashim Gulati’s charismatic yet conflicted Samar adds layers to his role. The supporting cast is refreshingly natural, making even exaggerated moments feel endearing rather than forced. Together, they ensure the series remains engaging and emotionally resonant.
However, the show isn’t without its flaws. Some dramatic flourishes lean too heavily into soap-opera territory, and the final episode, rather frustratingly, rushes through its resolution. But these imperfections don’t take away from the show’s core appeal—it is, at its heart, an engaging, well-intended, and emotionally rich story that keeps you invested till the very end.
So, Oops! Ab Kya? Just be prepared for a wild, slightly unhinged, and thoroughly entertaining ride.
