Moving in with Malaika: First Impression - Malaika Arora discusses all things personal, but what's new?

As Malaika Arora sets out on her new trip, she is supported by her close friends and family. Later, during a casual conversation with Farah Khan Kunder, they talk about Malaika's history and present.

It's tough to judge a 16-episode-long reality series based on just the premiere episode, and to be honest, it's unfair. Gone are the days when people believed that the first impression was the last impression. But when you have a quintessential diva like Malaika Arora, who promotes self-love, you might want to get into it.

The iconic "Chaiyya Chaiyya" girl of the past 24 years has been making headlines since we can remember. She shot to fame with the beautiful "Dil Se" song opposite Shah Rukh Khan, which is among the most loved songs of all time. This song launched Malaika's career in showbiz, as well as a long-standing friendship with Farah Khan Kunder.

Moving in with Malaika is basically Arora talking about her personal and professional lives, which viewers should be able to see beyond the headlines and her Instagram page. The Disney+ Hotstar series, like any reality show, begins with a leaf taken from the book, which can be harsh.

In Malaika's case, it was a car accident in April of this year. Close-up shots of her sitting in the car, unsure whether to start it or not, make it almost plausible. Amid all that, her best friend Kareena Kapoor Khan, her beau Arjun Kapoor, her close friend Neha Dhupia, and her mother Joyce Arora give a piece-to-camera talking about how Malaika is brave enough to take this step of letting people know her up close and personal. These celebrities appear multiple times, and it's almost like they seem to be repeating the same stuff in different words.

There are only a few topics that people expect Malaika to address, and no surprise, she does them all in the premiere episode itself. Well, if she can't address it by herself, we have Farah jumping from one topic to another, be it talking about the initial announcement of "She Said Yes" or even her future plans of getting married to Arjun Kapoor and having more children. Not just that, they even take a trip down memory lane and discuss her marriage and eventual divorce with Arbaaz Khan. All of these sound meatier, and people might expect juicy stuff, but alas, don't have too high expectations.

There's also a discussion about Malaika's need to think more on the acting front, and the whole sequence seemed very much scripted. Well, the show is written by Hussain Dalal (yes, the dialogue writer of Brahmastra) and Abbas Dalal. At the end of the day, how real is a reality show? The facts are very real, but the execution can be defined as a scripted reality show.

This is just the beginning, and each episode is watchable for 30 minutes if all you want to know is more about the personal lives of people to whom you are distantly related.

Moving in with Malaika has gotten an okayish start, with a lot of topics uncovered in the first episode itself. We must wait and see what the remaining 15 episodes will contain, as well as how Malaika Arora and the producers manage to keep the public's attention.