What’s it about?There’s humour in every household, and that has been proved by sitcoms across the world and over many years, what with Seinfeld, Friends or our very own Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai. Ghar Ki Baat Hai also explores the silver lining in every tiff, argument or problem that the Yagniks face. In the words of producer Red Chillies Idiot Box’s head, Shah Rukh Khan, the show is a tribute to the successful ‘80s sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and therefore derives many of its characters from its predecessor. The family — mad cap, naturally — comprises of a simple Rajdeep, his shopaholic but loving wife Radhika and her unmarried, unemployed brother, Kakku. The show, through their daily lives, therefore explores the quirks of every family member and their bitter-sweet attempts to coincide without mishaps.

Who’s in it?The new blue-eyed boy of comedy in India, Sumeet Raghavan plays Rajdeep as if he were Sahil from Sarabhai; one wishes he would add more to the character. But actor Raj Babbar’s daughter, Juhi Babbar’s on-screen debut as Radhika looks impressive. Swapnil Joshi as Kakku is interchangeable with any comedy actor in India. Thrown in are eccentric Punjabi neighbours - Jayati Bhatia and Deven Munjal — and Ali Asgar who steps into the rather large shoes of Satish Shah in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi.

What’s Hot?It scores over every single saas bahu show, without doubt. Even the laughter challenges fall short, for whatever little humour that Ghar Ki Baat Hai has is simple and familial— thanks to the sensibilities of the team headed by veteran Aziz Mirza and Anant Mahadevan, as opposed to the slapstick these Challenges offer.

What’s not?The show, at the most, draws a few smiles. And is especially a let down when parallels are drawn between the old and the new version. Many episodes heavily borrow from the original but somehow fail to recreate the humour. After a while, one is tempted to change the channel, even the elders who are watching it for the sake of novelty.