Little Things

When romantic relationships are depicted in fiction, there are usually two distinct paths that are trodden.

There are writers and film makers who concentrate only on darker aspects. There is an in-depth exploration of the interminable agony following by an examination of myriad reasons causing the anguish. These works often find the distinction as high art because it is the ‘unvarnished reality'.

There are other creators who contrive the brighter side of life. Two attractive and happy people meet, opposites attract, there are perfunctory impediments and soon they end up living happily ever after. These are pejoratively called candy floss rom-com.

Both schools of narratives are equally erroneous because relationships are not always filled with occurrences of either agony or ecstasy. There is seldom much drama or comedy. 

Most couples who co-habit are usually occupied with routine activities. It's cooking a meal, being concerned that the maid didn't turn up, cleaning the house, buying groceries, paying bills, watching TV, travelling by public transport, struggling to meet office deadlines and maintaining the balance between the personal and professional.

Hitchcock once said, “Fiction is life with the dull bits cut out.” There are very few who manage to create works that are riveting despite the seemingly ‘dull bits’.

The works of R K Narayan managed to discover the profound in the most seemingly mundane occurrences.

The ‘Before’ trilogy certainly accomplished that feat, so did many of Woody Allen’s films such as Annie Hall, Manhattan, Anything Else and so did Clint Eastwood’s The Bridges of Madison Country.

Emphatically achieving the is an almost unachievable feat of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary is the web series Little Things.

Little Things is a total triumph whose foundation is laid by its strong writing. 

It is the riveting depiction of mundanity in the lives of Dhruv and Kavya not only relatable but memorable. There are not always doing something. At times they are lying next to each other in bed saying nothing particularly insightful, but that is life.

They are lively, laidback, and full of fun as they spend a great deal of time playfully pulling each other’s legs. There are so many relatable moments all through. 

We see them spending hours deciding what movie to watch on Netflix but the exercise of choosing exhausts them and ends up watching nothing. They plan ‘fun Sunday’ but sleep it off the most of it, we have been there. They plan a nice dinner at a fine restaurant at the end of a working day but one of them is always late.

There is agony, bitterness, insecurities, jealousy, rage, loneliness, doubt,  temptation and so much more. Months of repressed anger and frustration erupt like a volcano at the unlikeliest of situations. At times their differences in attitudes and perspectives seem like things may be taken to the brink. 

The plots, situations, and dialogues seem so real that as a viewer you feel that it is all just happening and someone who happened to have a video camera chose to filmed it.

There are profound life lessons and philosophy embedded within for those looking, but the skill of the writers is such none of it seems contrived. 

Little Things is the perfect name for this series, because that it perfectly captures the seemingly ordinary moments that make life extraordinary.  

The fact that every aspect of this series seems real is also a triumph for the production designers, the costume designers, the cinematographer, editor, the make up artists, background score composer,  the individual who chose the songs all through the episodes and everybody else.

The principal actors are a huge reason that all of this material comes to life.

Chemistry is between actors cannot be taught or developed, it just happens. Mithila Palkar and Dhruv Sehgal most certainly have that spark that makes this Little Things very magical.

Sehgal is excellent as Dhruv, we see him evolve over the seasons from being a young man exploring his ambitions into a confident man who knows what exactly he wants.  Sehgal delivers so effectively that it doesn’t seem like a ‘performance’.

Mithila Palkar is not just a fine actress but a great star who lights up the screen. She has that quality that superstars have of being relatable like the girl next door despite being stunningly beautiful.

Her most expressive countenance makes her a rare talent who can convey volumes without even uttering a syllable, watch her perform superbly during the quieter moments of the series. The camera lingers on her face and you almost feel she is expressing her feelings with words.

Perhaps it is her personality and her infectious laughter that may cause the impression Kavya is merely a ‘bubbly character’ i.e. a version of Mithila hence it didn’t require much acting. This could also be regarded as a great compliment because great acting is when the acting doesn’t show and the actor becomes.

But Kavya is a complex character, she is ambitious, focused, driven, and very tough, while also being kind, caring and funny. Mithila Palkar does marvelously in during the lighter moments and she is equally adept during the intense moments.

To sum it up she depict every aspect of her character flawlessly as she became Kavya. It is worth repeating, that it doesn't seem like acting.

It is not the question of if but when Mithila will attain superstardom. Hopefully, she will be presented with material such as Little Things that are worthy of her immense talents, maybe she will develop something herself.

This is a show that deserves to be watched, if you haven't you can begin from right here