PremiumOops! Ab Kya? review: Shweta Basu Prasad-led series is fun but rushed Jane the Virgin adaptation that packs too much into too little
Oops! Ab Kya? is a fun yet rushed adaptation of Jane the Virgin, blending chaos, comedy, and drama. Shweta Basu Prasad shines, but the packed plot leaves key moments undercooked. A breezy watch!
Last Updated: 11.33 AM, Feb 20, 2025
Oops! Ab Kya? story:
A young woman's life takes a surprising turn following an accident with artificial insemination in the humorous yet touching serial Oops! Ab Kya? As she deals with the complications of love, tradition, and modern living, her life is thrown into a flurry of comedic, confusing, and emotionally charged scenes due to her unanticipated pregnancy. The unusual blend of humour, emotion, and chaos in Oops! Ab Kya? is created by the story's central theme, which is an exploration of ties between three women across generations. Each woman is dealing with her own set of family expectations and identity struggles.
Oops! Ab Kya? review:
A few years back, I began watching Jane the Virgin, the telenovela, which just made me addicted to it in no time. The series featuring Gina Rodriguez and Justin Baldoni in the lead roles is definitely binge-worthy for the plot twists it brings towards the end of every episode that you choose to watch the next one without thinking twice. Now, Jane the Virgin has got a Hindi adaptation titled Oops! Ab Kya? starring Shweta Basu Prasad and Aashim Gulati in the lead roles. Now, when you squeeze a 22-episode-long season into a seven-episode season, does it create the same impact? Let's find out...
Since daily soaps in India are telenovelas, Oops! Ab Kya? would have capitalised on the original series' format. The show's plot twists, coupled with the sound effects and multiple reactions enhanced by camera angles, have captivated us throughout our growing years, and many of us continue to do so today. Jane the Virgin absolutely worked due to the satirical format it adapted, which was anyway an add-on for the Americans watching it, as telenovela hails from Latin America.
Having watched the original series and knowing what's coming next greatly influenced my viewing of the adaptation. However, what also lacked entirely while watching Oops! Ab Kya? was the essence that was needed for a storyline like this. The series showcases three women who deliver powerful performances: Apara Mehta portraying the matriarch, Sonali Kulkarni portraying her daughter Paakhi, and Shweta Basu Prasad portraying Roohi, who represents the next generation. These three generations of women live under the same roof with different ideologies but share the same amount of love for each other.
Therefore, featuring a virgin protagonist who becomes pregnant through artificial insemination is sure to captivate your attention. And it did, but at the cost of the series limiting themselves too much and not beyond to show how obnoxious the set-up can be.
There's a moment when Roohi gets to know she is pregnant, and the people around her eventually all take it with a pinch of salt and just become mere spectators and commentators. There also comes another moment that the series delves so much into the twists it does bring about every now and then; it forgets its main purpose, which takes a backseat in a van and not a car.
But I will definitely say that I had a lot of laughs while watching and what also works for the show are the actors who have been roped in to step into the iconic roles played in the original. Having Shweta take on this genre after showing her intense performances in more dramatic roles is a welcome change, for sure. The actor's depth and stability are essential in a show where the protagonist faces a dilemma she wasn't prepared for.
Roohi demonstrates that breaking the taboo of surrogacy and single motherhood can occur when there is ample support and not constant criticism. After learning about her accidental pregnancy due to medical negligence, having been a Hindi show, we could have expected some more drama, but the moment just passes on to the next twist, as they had to pack a lot in just seven episodes.
However, the Madh Island Hotel has been the constant location throughout the series, which itself makes it one of the major characters of the show. Every possible subplot, from a drug-dealing business to a love story breaking and another blossoming, is depicted there. Moreover, even the plot twists faced by Roohi's mother and her grandmother, which change their fate entirely, take place in the hotel itself..
On top of that, Roohi works at that hotel, which is owned by Samar (Aashim Gulati). Oh well, casting someone that looks like Justin Baldoni is a must, isn't it? In one scene, a character remarks that Samar bears a striking resemblance to Baldoni, perhaps serving as a necessary reminder. He also goes through the turmoil of actually being the biological father of the child who wants to leave his wife Alisha (Amy Aela) for cheating on him.
Moreover, Roohi is already in a committed relationship with Omkar (Abhay Mahajan), an Intelligence Bureau officer who is also at the hotel most of the time because he is working on an undercover operation. So for the investigations of murder, hidden identity, drugs, and what all not, makes him also a permanent residence of that hotel.
Take it from me: writing about the series is tedious only because so many things have been packed in a short span of time that it still leaves wanting for more..
However, despite having crime as the backdrop, it's the sweetest moments that overpower the show. We have Paakhi (Kulkarni) and Vanraj (Jaaved Jaaferi) having a past love story that comes to life after nearly three decades. Practically, even in the fictional world, everything that is shown quickly takes its own time. This makes the series cook a lot with flavours, only to not make them delectable every now and then.
The seven episodes will end quickly, so take your time and watch them. However, be patient, as this is just the beginning of a lengthy story with much more to come. Well, we can hope that multiple seasons are indeed churned out of Oops! Ab Kya?
Oops! Ab Kya? verdict:
Oops! Ab Kya? is a heady cocktail of chaos, comedy, and twists, served in a shot glass instead of a full tumbler. While it tries to stir emotions and shake up stereotypes, the hurried pacing sometimes spills over, leaving moments undercooked. Shweta Basu Prasad shines, but the series itself juggles too many ingredients, making it a breezy yet slightly uneven binge.