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Chumbak Review Finds Old-School Humor Amid Questionable Comedy
Chumbak is a comedy show about families who live close together in Mumbai.
They constantly visit one another and interfere in one another’s lives.
The show has many unusual characters and lots of loud jokes.
Some characters are an actor who dresses in drag, a forgetful older man and a not-very-smart model.
The reviewer says parts of the show are genuinely funny.
The humor is similar to older Indian sitcoms such as Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Khichdi.
However, the reviewer thinks the show handles dementia too lightly.
Chumbak is available to watch on Netflix.
Chumbak follows five families living in a tightly connected Mumbai colony where privacy is nearly nonexistent.
The large ensemble includes Neena Gupta and Deven Bhojani as a couple coping with early-onset dementia.
The sitcom uses loud, chaotic, farcical humor reminiscent of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Khichdi and older Indian comedies.
The review praises the show’s fast banter and occasional genuine laughs but criticizes its treatment of dementia as a comic quirk.
Chumbak streams on Netflix and includes storylines involving a pet python’s funeral, a costume-party arrest and suspected infidelity.
- Who
- The show features an ensemble cast including Neena Gupta, Deven Bhojani, Amyra Dastur, Anant Vijay Joshi, Sumeet Raghavan and others; it was created by Aatish Kapadia and J D Majethia.
- What
- Chumbak is a sitcom about five families whose lives are closely entangled in a Mumbai colony.
- Where
- Chumbak Colony, a fictional group of row houses in Chembur, Mumbai; the show streams on Netflix.
- When
- Why
- The review examines the show’s old-fashioned comic style, ensemble characters, farcical plots and treatment of dementia.
Comic Nostalgia
Concerns About Comic Treatment
Overall tone
Comic Nostalgia
The show has fast banter, an innocent sense of togetherness and moments of genuine humor that recall older Indian sitcoms.
Concerns About Comic Treatment
Its loud, chaotic style and exaggerated gags can feel old-fashioned, especially after more restrained comedies such as Panchayat and Gullak.
Dementia storyline
Comic Nostalgia
Kuku’s forgetfulness provides some of the show’s comic moments and contributes to its farcical style.
Concerns About Comic Treatment
The review argues that portraying the difficulties of caring for someone with early-onset dementia as a cute quirk is inappropriate.
Farcical plots
Comic Nostalgia
Absurd situations, including a pet python’s funeral and a costume-party arrest, add to the show’s comic mayhem.
Concerns About Comic Treatment
The increasingly improbable plots and stereotypes, including the dimwitted model and drag-based humor, may limit the show’s sophistication.
Key facts
- Format
- Sitcom
- Setting
- Chumbak Colony in Chembur, Mumbai
- Main premise
- Five families constantly interfere in one another’s lives
- Notable storyline
- Rajni cares for her husband Kuku, who has early-onset dementia
- Creators
- Aatish Kapadia and J D Majethia
- Streaming service
- Netflix
- Review assessment
- Silly, loud and occasionally genuinely funny, but questionable in its treatment of dementia
Quotes
Rajni Merchant
A resident of Chumbak Colony who cares for her husband Kuku and considers divorcing him.
“About time I live for myself,”
rediff.com
Sources
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