Jun 26, 2026 9:00pm IST
‘Perfect Family’ Review: Manoj Pahwa, Gulshan Devaiah’s Family Therapy Session Doesn’t Shrink Your Expectations
They’re a “loving unit” to everyone around them. The “Perfect Family” of the title, as it were. But this chronicle of the lives of Gurugram’s Karkarias begins when they are compelled to undergo family therapy and counselling sessions after the grandchild of the family, Daani Karkaria (Hirva Samir Trivedi), suffers from an anxiety attack at school and attacks her classmate with a compass.
Even viewers who might not be aware of terms like emotional healing, therapy, self-harm, unhealthy coping and generational trauma will find resonance with the issues discussed in the series.
Somnath Karkaria (Manoj Pahwa) is a self-made entrepreneur with a sweet shop. His son, Vishnu (Gulshan Devaiah) struggles to climb the corporate ladder and suppresses his deep-rooted fears through meditation. His wife, Neeti (Girija Oak Godbole) has her own set of insecurities and childhood angst. With all their differences and bitter quarrels, the family still inherently cares for each other.
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Performance-wise, the Pahwas and Devaiah are terrific. Oak Godbole also does a fine job. As Megha, Neha Dhupia fits the role of a counsellor to the T, though it does not demand much from her in terms of histrionics.
Palak Bhambri, the writer, reveals the psyche of the main characters through a series of therapy sessions under Megha. “Perfect Family” relies on a bit of comedy to drive the drama, which occasionally reminds us of “Kapoor & Sons.” The highlight of the series is its exploration of the generational trauma between fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters.
Director Sachin Pathak has done a fine job in extracting good performances, narration and pacing of the series. Every character gets a solid backstory to justify their trauma, which helps in a better understanding of their present actions. On the flip side, the screenplay is rather predictable.
Keeping with the theme of the series, cameraman Arun Kumar Pandey focuses on close ups shots to show the internal turmoil of the protagonists. Parikshhit Jha, the editor of the series has done a good job keeping every episode to a maximum of 30 minutes.
“Perfect Family” sends out a relevant message on the deep impact of generational trauma offering hope to viewers that there’s always scope to heal. The series produced by Pankaj Tripathi has its heart in the right place showing how family can be one’s biggest strength if members are willing to put in self-work and team work.
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