Presented by Small Town Film, 'Sutliyan...Rishton Ki Ek Anokhi Bunai' is a story about a simple family and their relationships with one another, which change over time but remain intertwined. Much like the trailer, the first episode sets a tone that suggests the show will be a light-hearted look at families going through a difficult time. However, it appears that each episode has been abruptly cut at the end.
The writing by Sudeep Nigam and Abhishek Chatterjee is simple and straightforward, which is the USP of this eight-part series. 'Sutliyan' deals with the everyday struggles of life after losing your loved one, and how the mundane little things make our life beautiful and worthwhile to live, to which everyone can relate. The episodes, which last about 20-25 minutes each, are well-crafted and keep you invested throughout.
The story revolves around Supriya (Ayesha Raza) and her grown children-eldest son Rajan (Shiv Panditt), daughter Ramni (Plabita Borthakur), and youngest son Raman (Vivaan Shah). Supriya is still struggling to manage her day-to-day responsibilities after her husband died of covid. She gets help from kind neighbours-a kirana store owner, Trilok aka Loki (Suneel Sinha) and his daughter Dipanita (Niharika Lyra Dutt). But on the inside, she is lonely and even upset with her children because they did not come to attend their father's last rites. Supriya has spent her entire life reliant on her husband, but she is now attempting to carve out her own path by launching Sutliyan, a handmade macrame business.
In the opening scene, when these siblings meet, it is clear that they are guilty of not being there for their ageing mother sooner, and their grief is palpable. However, the moment they enter the house there is an air of discomfort that comes along with them.
All of the characters feel real, and one can immediately relate to them and their backstories. Ayesha Raza as the family matriarch is the showrunner. She has an uncanny talent for making everyone understand her mental anguish. Quite naturally, Shiv Panditt inhabits his character of a businessman who is willing to sell their family's land to pay off his debts. With the titular role, Disha Arora as Rajan's wife, and their son Raksh (played by Swastik Tiwari), who is both annoying and endearing, make their presence felt. Plabita Borthakur is impressive as an over-thinker and sensible Ramni, who thinks of her mother's behaviour as odd because she is acting normal after such a tragic loss. Raman, who lives in his own universe, is played convincingly by Vivaan Shah.
'Sutliyan' is a sincere attempt to convey the importance of families while dealing with real-life events and the nuances of family relationships. This heart-warming family reunion is well worth your time!
