Oops Ab Kya?

Roohi (Shweta Basu Prasad) is 28 years old and still a virgin owing to a promise she made to her grandmother (Apara Mehta). Subhadra's apprehension comes from the fact that her daughter and Roohi's mother, Paakhi (Sonali Kulkarni) had a teenage pregnancy, a fact that brought social shame in a conservative society. But having mended ties with her once estranged daughter, the three now live as a close knit family, bingeing on their favourite television soap together, every evening. Omkar (Abhay Mahajan) Roohi's boyfriend of three years is deeply committed to her and agrees to wait till they are officially hitched.

It's all pretty hunky-dory till Roohi's visit to gynae for a check-up leaves her pregnant! In a case of mistaken identity, she is artificially inseminated by the one of the last few 'good sperms' of a man who turns out to be her boss, Samar (Ashim Gulati). While Roohi's first reaction is to opt for an abortion, Samar who has survived testicular cancer and his wife Alisha (Amy Aela) try to convince her to be a surrogate mother, so they can adopt the baby, putting her in a dilemma. But that's not the only thing that adds chaos to her life.

While Omkar tries to be supportive of her decision to carry the baby to full term, Roohi finds herself getting increasingly attracted to Samar. To complicate matters further, Samar and Alisha seem to have hit a dead end in their marriage. And in the middle of all this ensuing drama, there is some more when Roohi finds out the identity of her father, who she never knew of. On the other hand, Omkar, an Intelligence Bureau detective unearths some uncomfortable truths about Samar's family, while investigating a drug smuggling case. As personalities Samar and Omkar are as different as chalk and cheese and almost at each other's throat most times.

Oops! Ab Kya? The official adaptation of the series, Jane The Virgin, pretty much follows the same trajectory, with a few changes. Overall, the narrative is a pot-pourri of emotional highs and lows, drama and comedy. While the series humours the common tropes of soap operas quite effectively, it goes over the top quite often. Also the over-explanation by the narrator robs the show of some of its charm. And there are some cringe moments too ('Gullak' as a metaphor for virginity being one) and the jokes don't always land. But that said, it does tear into societal norms and hypocrisies while sticking to its quirky, chaotic vibe.

The series has good, dependable performances by seasoned actors Apara Mehta, Jaaved Jaffrey and Sonali Kulkarni. Shweta Basu Prasad is impressive as Roohi, going through a gamut of emotions as her life goes from perfectly planned to topsy-turvy. Abhay Mahajan as the no-nonsense, committed Omkar and Ashim Gulati as the suave Samar hit the right notes.

Overall, Oops! Ab Kya? Is a mixed bag though it makes for a decent, breezy watch. And of course the cliff-hanger ending ensures there will be a season 2.

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