Diwali Diwali review: When home is where the heart is

Produced by Terribly Tiny Tales (the makers of Musafir Cafe), the film is directed by Ritesh Menon and written by Ritu Mago. It puts across an interesting idea: sometimes, when you try to make life easier for your loved ones, you only end up making it tougher for them.

But what Ansh sees as convenience and comfort is precisely what makes his middle-class parents uncomfortable. To discard the familiar, however inconvenient it may be, for the unfamiliar is never easy. Yet, the resistance is not necessarily to change itself, but to the feeling of having to reject a way of life that has shaped you.

​A family at odds

Ansh hasn’t been home in three years. An engineer living in Norway, the only things that establish his NRI status in the series are a shot of him eating a burger and, later, his waving a bar of chocolate from a foreign brand, calling it Norway’s best confectionery, along with a bottle of Scotch whisky that he describes as Norway’s sought-after spirit. But the idea is to overlook these little glitches because there are more pressing matters at hand.

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The Sunday calls home are more of a chaotic assignment for his family than something to look forward to. They have to move to a swanky condominium to show off their plush surroundings rather than appear on camera from their humble, dilapidated room in a crowded neighbourhood on a street simply called the Camp. His latest call, on a Saturday rather than a Sunday, sends the family into a tizzy as they rush to their 27th-floor apartment to take the “international call”.

For a moment, the viewer wonders if they are trying to fool their son into believing they lead a posh lifestyle. But the truth is that apartment 2704 is the spacious home Ansh bought for his parents before moving away.

Then Ansh announces that he is coming home for Diwali. You would expect the family to be ecstatic, but the news causes further mayhem for them. The Sikkas, along with their 14-year-old daughter Mahi, hurriedly move into the condominium yet again, ready to put up a front for their son.

A house that isn’t home

​Despite the comfort and state-of-the-art interiors of their apartment, the middle-class Sikkas haven’t warmed up to the place. Their aloof neighbour, Anita, politely turns down Sukhi’s offer of kheer (rice pudding), intended as a housewarming gesture and an attempt to get to know her neighbour, citing lactose intolerance. On the other hand, the gregarious Goggi is politely snubbed by Jethmalani, a corporate big shot and dog parent, who says he is very conscious about boundaries.

Cut off from the familiar motley crew at the Camp, where banter and bickering are part of everyday life, the Sikkas find the quiet and isolation difficult to deal with. They move back to their old home, only returning to the condominium to take the “international call”.

But Ansh’s arrival and his insistence on hosting a Diwali party in their luxury apartment become another source of stress. As he calls in decorators and caterers, he asks his parents to invite the residents of the complex, unaware that they barely know anyone there.

​In search of a ‘better life’

We also get an insight into Ansh’s psyche. Growing up in the lanes of the Camp, he has watched friends leave with their families, moving into bigger homes in better localities. Their changing living conditions became symbols of their improving financial circumstances. Ansh’s father once jokingly tells him that if they were to move away too, who would welcome those who had left when they returned?

Now back home, Ansh not only wants to sell their hole-in-the-wall home in the Camp, but also imposes his idea of a better life on his parents. That is, until the truth comes out and he feels his efforts have gone unappreciated and his parents are being ungrateful. His sister is quick to remind him that his definition of happiness need not be theirs. And, as someone who is no longer even part of their ecosystem, what would he know?

Diwali Diwali turns the usual parent-child dynamic on its head. We often see stories where parents feel their efforts, even those made in what they think is their children’s best interests, go unappreciated. Here, it is the child who feels the pinch. But at its core is a simple question: what is it that makes a home?

​A festival of bonding

For some, it is a status symbol, defined by a posh pin code and opulent interiors that are hallmarks of affluence. But for many, a home, irrespective of its space, size or shape, is where memories are made. And sometimes, those memories become your greatest source of strength.

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As they say, “Home is where the heart is”. And this simple message is put across poignantly in this slice-of-life drama, which explores the dynamics between generations and the different ways in which they understand happiness, comfort and belonging.

Manoj Pahwa lends his affable charm to Goggi, a father who goes along with his son’s wishes, often at the expense of his own emotional turmoil, until he can no longer sever the ties to the community that has shaped him. Mihir Ahuja (of Operation Safed Sagar fame) brings a degree of earnestness to Ansh, a young man whose intentions may be well-meaning but whose understanding of his parents’ happiness is clouded by his own idea of progress.

Diwali Diwali is a chhota packet that doesn’t create a big dhamaka, but lends a gentle spark through its simple, heartfelt exploration of what makes a house a home.