Review: Saas Bahu Aur Bhoot: When Family Drama Meets a Ghostly Twist!
The way audiences consume entertainment has changed dramatically, with television and traditional OTT platforms no longer being the only destinations for scripted content. YouTube has increasingly emerged as a powerful showcase platform, particularly for short-format and easily accessible entertainment. Horror-comedy, too, has found a strong connect with Indian audiences because it combines the thrill of the supernatural with the comfort of humour. Saas Bahu Aur Bhoot taps into this changing viewing habit with a familiar Indian entertainment formula—the quintessential saas-bahu conflict—but gives it a quirky supernatural twist. Instead of simply presenting another story around domestic friction, the show introduces a ghost into the equation, creating an unusual situation where the ghost is not the one frightening the family; rather, he finds himself caught in the chaos of the family.
The story begins in 1976 at an old, deserted bungalow called Deemak Dhaam, where a ghost has been trapped inside a glass bottle for nearly 40 years. Desperate to regain his freedom, the ghost promises to serve anyone who releases him for seven years. His long-awaited freedom finally arrives when a new family moves into the bungalow. The household consists of a typical, strong-willed saas, a sharp and outspoken bahu, their family members and a servant who knows the secrets of the house. Curiosity leads the saas and bahu into a locked room, where they discover the mysterious red bottle. Their tussle over it results in the bottle breaking and the ghost being released. But freedom quickly turns into a fresh nightmare when the ghost realises that his seven-year promise has made him a servant to the very saas-bahu duo whose constant arguments are more frightening than any supernatural force.
The screenplay keeps the narrative simple and focuses on situational comedy arising from the central premise. The dialogues work best when the saas-bahu exchanges become increasingly chaotic and the ghost becomes an unwilling participant in their domestic battles. Director Sanket Shrirang Chakraborty wisely avoids making the show overly serious or frightening, instead using the haunted bungalow as a playground for family humour. Paran Gala and Prachi Ghildiyal share a lively chemistry, with their comic timing and constant one-upmanship driving much of the entertainment. Pankaj Upadhyay is particularly effective as the hapless ghost, whose expressions and reactions create some of the show’s funniest moments. Moh. Mudassir, Sahil Tyagi, Mahendra Kumar, Melanie Pace and Ravindra Kumar add further colour to the ensemble. At around 20–25 minutes per episode, Saas Bahu Aur Bhoot works as light, accessible family entertainment—more interested in making audiences laugh than giving them genuine scares.
Rating: ***1/2
By Keerti Kadam