The Expression Hub

Genre: Drama

No. of episodes: 10

Presented by: The Zoom Studios

“Sons are the anchors of a son’s life.”

Sophocles

Apologies for the late blog post . This one was supposed to be a Mother’s Day special. But thanks to my familial priorities, I could not write this one on the day it was supposed to be written. Guess some celebrations ring late in my case :p Well, I have guilt-trapped myself up for this one but its okay sometimes it is just better to be super late than never.:p Well, it might seem like I am in a mood to throw a lot of puns. Maybe who knows 🙂 As long as you are consistent and are able to deliver your content to the people whom you feel are accountable to then I feel you are doing good. Though honestly, as I sometimes self reflect I do feel I need to work upon my self-discipline skills also a bit especially when it comes to delivering content on time . I hope to work upon that and make sure that I do take in my writing commitments as seriously as I take my other endeavors too. Fingers crossed that I will make a serious breakthrough in this one as well.

So, a happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely mothers out there(sincerest apologies once again for the super late wishes). You all just rock and can go to any lengths to ensure the well-being of your children. I really really admire the patience, the sacrificing nature of putting others need before thyself and always trying to be a good role model to ensure that your children are their best versions right from their childhoods. Maybe that is why the role of a mother is more eminent in the family life. Not that fathers are less prominent and have a less important role to play after all they are the ones who look after the finances of the house in majority of the cases though times have changed . But a mother is supposed to be the first teacher of her child and is responsible for the moral upbringing . There are two types of a mother-child relationship, I personally feel. The first type is that where there is just a superb understanding between the two and the relation seems a breeze. This one I feel is the most beautiful relation as things just sail smoothly due to the mutual understanding between the two. However, there comes another type. This one I don’t know how many of you encounter but it is a relationships which is a pretty challenging one. Some days you feel your relationship is like a breeze and some days you just feel why does this bond even exist. Well, if you fall in the first category, huge kudos to you for having that camaraderie. But if you fall in the second category, you do find yourself wondering why can’t you too have the same understanding and maybe long for love as the love which you might have received might either have been not too expressive or a strict type one or maybe might have not just existed. Its disheartening to fall in this category but I do feel that this makes us way independent and proud of ourselves though we wish things would have been a way better while expressing ourselves. But this I guess applies to all kinds of relationships. Just want to tell you guys one thing that even if we might have not received love in any form, it is very important that we do not let ourselves feel bad for the love which was never received or felt unconditional love you need to radiate the love which you never received by radiating that love on yourself and be proud of having survived a lot even though you felt like you could not. Feeling validated by the people you love or are a part of your life is an important part as it gives you a sense of belonging. Yet it is okay to not have someone validate you as long as you are good in your eyes.

The reason why I chose to give a long discourse on this topic was I understand what it feels like not receiving the love which you are supposed to receive from the people who are supposed to be immediate family but do not feel like one sometimes or a lot of times. The reason is simple- family need not always be defined by blood. There are people out there who express love and give you the support which you need to remove that iota of self-doubt that resides in us or the feeling that maybe we are not good enough. You are and you will always be your biggest supporter even if the odds are not in favor is a reminder we need to give ourselves.

Nonetheless, the pick of the week is a beautiful story about a unique mother-son bonding which is based on mutual understanding . There might be a little ups and downs in the relationship, but the bond which they share is heart melting.

Synopsis: The pick of this week in the magical world of web series is called ‘The Mom and Co.’ This one revolves around a single mother who raises her son single-handedly after the demise of her husband. However, she has had a dream of starting her own business venture in the field of cooking as she is supposed to be a person who has magic in her fingers. Now, that her son is all grown up, he tries to shoulder the responsibilities of the house by working in a well-known firm. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, he loses his girlfriend first and then his job. Though, he gets a job in another firm, he is not satisfied with the way his life is panning out. Before losing his job, his colleagues and friends at the earlier firm were fans of his mother’s delicious cooking skills. The boy however never having tasted his mother’s cooking does not consider the same. One day, however at his new job, he decides to taste the tiffin his mother prepares for him everyday and he too falls in love with it . He decides to take his friend’s suggestions seriously and tells his mother about the same. His mother is overjoyed on hearing the same as it has been a dream for her to start her culinary business. This dream of hers was coming to fruition. Thus, begins the journey of a tiffin service which is aptly titled as The Aai’s Kitchen. The journey of the tiffin service seems a bit challenging at first, but when a food blogger enters their life, things seem to pick up the pace. The question is will the business started by the mother-son duo be able to run their tiffin service smoothly or will the business crumble? Will their unique partnership rock or will they have roadblocks in the journey they began?

Assessment: This one is a piece of fresh air as it tries to explore a relationship between a mother and a son in a unique perspective. The story line tries to make us understand the journey of a single mother and how she raises her son with tact and understanding. Her son feels that she might have taken some impractical decisions in the past due to which they might be having to face tough times. But once he realizes the truth, he appreciates his mother’s wisdom and eventually sees her in a new light. Also, initially, he is reluctant to take a risk . But when he starts to see the fruits of the risk taken, he becomes ambitious and confident. Though he is shown to make mistakes, but he is also shown as a son who really loves his mother.

Neelima Azim shines as Suhasini Joshi. Ayush Mehra makes a good attempt but literally finds himself messing up the Marathi accent as Aditya Joshi. Shreya Gupto as the food blogger too shines. So, it is not Aditya Joshi who steals the show but Suhasini Joshi and Shreya Mukherjee who steal the spotlight. Another character which I really found interesting was that of the childhood friend Sudhir Deshpande. Though he makes a late entry in the show and not much is revealed about him but he does add an interesting twist in the story. Though I did find the character of a government official named Godbole shown in the show too irritating. But I guess government officials who are used to do work for the sake of doing work are annoying in nature.

Other irritating factor was a character who was supposed to be a colleague of Aditya but later on is shown to lead the HR department of a well known pharmaceutical company. Even after being a HR to a well known company, the way he is shown to disrespect his colleague just because he had had him fired due to a low assessment score is somewhat tough to digest. But I guess the intention of the makers of the show was to show a figment of human behavior. The only missing aspect I felt was that the final decision was not revealed by the management of the company. Another interesting aspect I liked about the show was the names of the episodes. All the episodes that are named are related to cooking and its aspects. Hats off to the creativity of the writers of the show for coming up with such innovative episode names.

The view: Overall,a good show to watch if you are looking forward to a show that reflects a beautiful relationship between a mother and a son who initially is reluctant to start up an entrepreneurial venture but eventually supports his mother’s dream. The character of Aditya is shown to be that of an obedient son but sometimes too suspicious to doubt his mother. While on the other hand, Suhasini is shown to be the mother who has the right emotions at the right place. Though, she loves her son dearly but she is also shown to give her son the space he requires or is shown to be upset when her son makes a mistake to belittle her efforts. However, she is also shown as a mother who is super proud of her son’s management skills thus not causing her to worry much. The food blogger Shreya is also shown as a pretty mature person who is not hesitant to call a spade a spade. She tries to put Aditya in his place if he messes up. Thus, portraying the epitome of the perfect independent woman. The story line is interesting but has some gaps or can say some parts are missing. Had these parts been filled up, then believe me it would have made the show more interesting. A drama with not too over the top emotions that is to put it in the language of cooking “with just the right amount of tadka and masala” is how I would sum up my experience of the show. So, do give it a watch . I am sure you too will enjoy this one. Waiting to hear from you about your experiences about the same. If you have any suggestions about what you feel should be given a feedback for, do let me know the same. Would be happy and open to review your suggestions as well. Till then lots of hugs and love.

Baap Dialogue: I will manage. (Suhasini on taking the challenge of cooking large quantities of food)

Que: What is the name of the secretary of the society in which Aditya resides?

a. Mr. Kannan

b. Mr. Chatterjee

c. Mr. Phalke

d. Mr. Iyer