In one of the scenes from the latest season of TVF’s ‘Tripling’, the three siblings Chandan (Sumeet Vyas), Chitwan (Amol Parashar), and Chanchal (Maanvi Gagroo) are sitting in the rain, finally sinking into the fact that their parents are actually separating and their childhood home, a common place for them to land, will soon be just a memory. Chanchal assures her brothers that they will be in touch and will meet once or twice a year. It was more of self-assurance, the last thread to tie on to for her. Not sure how to go about it, Chandan asks whether they should make a WhatsApp group. The scene hit home on so many levels, how siblings who have spent most of their lives together and were once inseparable become distant as they get busy in their lives without even realising. Love stays but the bond starts getting weaker.
This season of ‘Tripling’ is not about a trip, it is more about homecoming, the circle of life, and self-realisation for the three siblings. Unlike the last two seasons, the focus is not the stories of the three Cs but their ever-so-cool and in-love parents. The third season doesn’t have funny situations like the first season, there are very few funny one-liners but it has an emotional connect that keeps you hooked. Special mention to TVF for always being successfull in emotionally connecting with the audience that too with funny and lighter scripts.
The season starts with the three siblings getting to know that their parents are separating and they rush to their home in the hills –Ama’s place. All three of them are struggling in their lives – Chandan is struggling to write his third book after his second book’s failure. Chanchal and her husband Pranav are busy in court cases and property disputes and Chitvan is getting ready for a legal battle to get the rights of his ex-girlfriend’s kid.
Kumud Mishra and Shernaz Patel as Charu and Chinmay are effortless and a treat to watch as a couple who are still in love after 35 years but want different things in their lives and don’t want to accommodate their life according to the other one. At the start, their decision looked bizarre not just to their kids but to the audience as well but as the shows move on, with the three siblings even viewers also come to terms with the couple’s choices.
Though all the characters are played almost perfectly, the season belongs to Amol Parashar when it comes to acting. Amol has some of the best moments of the series and he aces every single scene. From a carefree, irresponsible boy in season one to an adult who finds solace in a child, and his beautiful bond with the child is beyond understandable to the world as well as the people around him. Amol speaks with his eyes in the second last and last episode and one can see his pain and loneliness through it.
The three siblings love their parents but like any other person in the world have casual entitlement towards them. Charu and Chinmay were non-interfering parents who were always there for their kids albeit from a distance so that they can learn life lessons from their experiences, but when the table turned their children’s reaction though predictable was a letdown after a point for the parents, especially the father (Kumud Mishra).
In one of the most important scenes of the show, Chinmay (Kumud Mishra) explains how the current generation wants their parents to understand their unconventional choices, but when it comes to the parents, they should follow the conventional roles defined for them and should not follow their dreams.
The end scene depicts how life comes a full circle with Chandan instructing his father to give him a call every few days as he starts his six-month-long bike trip and Chitwan giving his mother money for her new step in life.
Directed by Neeraj Udhwani and written by Sumeet Vyas and Arunabh Kumar, Tripling Season 3 is far from perfect and has many shortcomings, a few situations are not convincing, a few setups look forced but it has its beautiful moments and what starts as a little unconvincing storyline ends up in being an emotional ride, a reflection of somewhat your own family and your bonds with your siblings. Despite drifting apart what lies in the core is the love for your family and the memories that anchors it.
