Eternally Confused and Eager for Love review: An Indian and relatable version of How I Met Your Mother is here

3/5

Ray (Vihaan Samat) is a nerdy young man navigating adulthood and the perilous realm of 21st-century romance. He accomplishes this with the help of "Wiz," a representation of Ray's inner voice (voiced by Jim Sarbh), who tells us what Ray can't speak out loud. Ray goes through a series of work-life escapades and indecisions to figure out if he wants sex, love, or a relationship, and he ends up "Eternally Confused and Eager for Love".

We have to admit that the Indian OTT space finally got the sitcom that it had been lacking since its inception. And the pioneers of the same have to be the Akhtar siblings – Zoya and Farhan! Eternally Confused and Eager for Love is just how it sounds. The series explores the life of Ray (Vihaan Samat), who has returned home from Singapore after higher studies. He wants to explore the hook-up and dating culture in India, which has been inspired by the West but not in execution.

Ray is very much like Ted Mosby (the popular character from the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother), who tries his hard luck in finding a partner and keeps on failing. The series mostly explores the borderline people who belong to both the millennial and the Gen Z eras.

Several instances will remind you of HIMYM, including having a wingman or a close friend like Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders). Here the role is played by Dalai as Riya.

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love has a perfect set-up with aesthetics all around it and also an interesting supporting cast. Over the years, we have seen Rahul Bose and Suchitra Pillai play characters who are desperate to fall in love and find it too hard to do so. Now they play Ray's parents, who are sorted and keeping up with their next-generation son. The scenes between the trio are so much fun, and they are not kept just as passing characters. In each episode, we see a few "Vishesh Tippani" and comments by them that are quite relatable and leave you in splits.

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love is significant in today's times for the plotline it has chosen. There's a guy named Ray who reeks of Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry's character from Friends), especially the famous dialogue, "I'm hopeless and awkward and desperate for love."

He has an alter ego, Wiz, voiced by Jim Sarbh, and damn, that's the show-stealer altogether. It's just interesting to hear Sarbh's voice giving the weirdest and most obnoxious reactions and advice, which is Ray talking to himself.

Speaking of the leading star of the series, Samat is pitch-perfect as Ray, with his introverted nature and desperation to find a mate. You feel for the guy who is looking out for a casual outing, thanks to the constant puppy face made by the actor.

In all senses, Bose and Sarbh keep up with the laughter quotient of the series and possibly leave you in splits in several instances.

Director Rahul Nair had earlier said it has autobiographical elements about his life after he returned from New York to India. Well, then we can say there's no surprise at all. Similarly, the younger generation, whether they deny seeking a partner or not, surely must have faced situations similar to those Ray constantly sees in the series.

To be honest, what I enjoyed most about the show was the timing of its release. When the content is just getting heavier and more to the point, we want something breezy and lighter to watch.

What could be better than a sitcom? We have had entertaining series of the genre on TV, including Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Khichdi, Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashmah, and more. But the OTT space has been lacking the same.

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love is an entertainer, but it just goes with the flow. The series doesn't dash through a lot of waves, making it a linear storyline. Although it's a situational comedy, there's just one plot that stretches through eight episodes. That can come off as a bore for many. However, it's a good break from the usual thriller and drama genres, which have been just blasted all over the OTT platforms.

It's a relief to watch 20-minute long episodes that navigate through Ray and Wiz's viewpoints. But is his "privileged" life so interesting that it can keep you hooked on it for all the episodes? Well, there's no assurance of that.

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love is that kind of show that you can keep on playing in the background while you scroll through your phone like there's no tomorrow.

If you're looking for a break from the high-on-drama, brain-consuming content on OTT, then Eternally Confused and Eager for Love is for you. Samat plays the perfect amalgamation of Mosby and Bing from How I Met Your Mother and Friends, respectively, making his plotline quite relatable.