Oops Ab Kya review: An ambitious adaptation that fails to find its own voice!

This adaptation of Jane The Virgin tries hard but ultimately falls short, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of plotlines and rushes to juggle them, leaving many aspects underdeveloped. 

The premise of a young virgin woman getting pregnant through accidental artificial insemination is, of course, dramatic—one for the ages. However, anyone familiar with Jane The Virgin knows this is only the starting point of a satirical comedy-drama that, while borrowing from beloved telenovelas, adds its own unique flair. It’s easy to see why Jane The Virgin resonates with Indian audiences—after all, telenovelas share a lot with Indian TV soap operas, from dramatic twists to traditional values. The grandmother urging her granddaughter to stay a virgin until marriage is a familiar trope that holds great potential in the Indian context, making Dice Media’s decision to adapt Jane The Virgin a commendable one. However, condensing twenty-two episodes into just eight proves to be a bane for the show as it breezes out even those aspects that needed more despite 40-minute long episodes!

In Oops! Ab Kya?, we follow Ruhi (Shweta Basu Prasad), whose life, including her single mother Paakhi (Sonali Kulkarni), religious grandmother (Apra Mehta), and her long-term boyfriend Omkar (Abhay Mahajan), spirals into chaos when Samar’s (Aashim Gulati) stepsister accidentally impregnates her with Samar’s baby instead of his wife Alisha (Amy Aela). As if that weren’t enough, a series of murders and investigations lead Intelligence Bureau Officer Omkar to uncover illegal secrets at Samar’s legacy five-star hotel where Ruhi also works. Each twist and turn, like gold-digging wife and scheming mother-in-law, are revealed in an over-the-top, melodramatic style reminiscent of Indian serials. Intertwined with real-life themes like single motherhood, surrogacy, trials of fatherhood, sexcapades, middle-class dreams, ambition, and the tension between traditional and modern values.

Jane The Virgin found its relatability in being this spoof of high-pitched telenovela-like drama and grounded, satirical commentary, often voiced by a narrator that echoed the viewers’ thoughts that Oops! Ab Kya? tries to replicate it! It focuses on exploring how three generations of Mumbai-based Gujarati women navigate societal expectations while figuring out what they truly want, especially in terms of babies, marriage, and even sex. The storytelling constantly shifts between past and present, with slapstick comedy, dramatic reveals, and changing camera angles, similar to Jane The Virgin, that made a whole language out of critiquing telenovelas while imitating to be the same but just better. For instance, the eight episodes here are titled as spoof names derived from famous Indian TV serials!

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However, the show’s attempts to mimic its source material too closely reveal cracks in its inability to follow its own ingenious originality. Hence, the gimmicks like love triangles, finding long lost relatives and crime twists feel more like hijacked than supported by excess or context.The cast even seems chosen for their resemblance to the original characters, with Aashim Gulati evoking Justin Baldoni and Shweta Basu Prasad channeling Gina Rodriguez. While this is commendable and the actors perform admirably yet this makes comparisons inevitable. As it's good watch Shweta in such a comic role yet she lacks the physical comedic prowess of Rodriguez, and though Aashim has Baldoni’s look, he doesn’t quite match his presence. This begs to raise the question that is the show just trying to inject “Indian flavor” to an otherwise American-latin sitcom dramedy that might resonate because of it's rootedness resonant to Indians? For instance, Amey echoes a good Katrina Kaif factor or Apra Pathak (whose TV's famous mother-in-law) for that Indian twist but not for long. In that sense, only Abhay Mahajan stands out, with his Marathiness!

Ultimately, the show tries to juggle too many plots and subplots—romance, second chance in love, heartbreak, corruption, illegal drugs dealing, medical negligence, and syndicate—without giving each the space to breathe. Where Jane The Virgin felt fresh and experimental, Oops! Ab Kya? feels like an uninspired adaptation, too focused on catching up with its predecessor instead of crafting its own distinct voice as a satire. Despite its good intentions and occasional highlights, the show never quite captures the essence of Jane The Virgin, failing to become the comfort watch that balances humor, drama, and resonating for Indian audiences that crave for a good sitcom in this dearth of it! 

Oops! Ab Kya? is currently streaming on JioHotstar!

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