Chutney Sambar review

Chutney Sambar Story

Rathnasamy runs Amudha Café in Ooty, a restaurant famous for its sambar. While he lives a quaint life with his family in the hills, his life is cut short after he succumbs to a heart attack. On his deathbed, he reveals to his son Karthik that he had lived with a woman named Amudha (Deepa Shankar) before marrying his mother and that he has a son with her. Karthik promises him that he will meet his stepbrother. Karthik sets out to find his stepbrother Sachin (Yogi Babu) and bring him to Ooty to conduct the final rites of Rathnasamy, who runs a road-side eatery in Chennai that is known for its chutney.

Chutney Sambar Review

When Chutney Sambar was first announced with Yogi Babu, there was concern that the series should not become another testament to the many ways to body-shame the actor and evoke laughter through it. Unfortunately, Chutney Sambar does succumb to this to some extent, but Karthik is quick to point out that Sachin (Yogi Babu) should not be body shamed, after which other means are used to make you laugh. While some one-liners work well, the series shifts gears and becomes a family drama with a unique premise and potential, in true Radha Mohan’s style.

Chutney Sambar is stamped with Radha Mohan’s signature. There are plenty of characters who do not wish ill for anyone and situations are responsible for the drama. There are also familiar faces like Vani Bhojan and Elango Kumaravel as part of the cast. For the most part, Chutney Sambar is set in Ooty after Sachin is whisked away from Chennai to participate in Rathnasamy's final rites. 

The late hotelier’s wife and daughter, house cook Sophie (Vani Bhojan), are kept in the dark about Sachin’s whereabouts, with Karthik, his brother-in-law, Ilango (Nithin Sathya), and helper Peter (Elango Kumaravel) struggling to maintain the secrecy of his identity. 

Radha Mohan also weaves in other secondary characters to create an emotional connection and keep you invested in the series, which helps keep the format thriving for its multiple climaxes. 

But the series does not carry the charm that most of Radha Mohan’s films do. Even as the filmmaker sticks to one potential conflict and navigates his screenplay through it, the series feels out of sync when it introduces the primary parties through their specialty dishes. 

Of course, the intention seems to be symbolic: how chutney and sambar, the two complementing side dishes, belong together. There seems to be more potential that is left unexplored. 

Some jokes also don't work. Such as when a child refuses to urinate in a toilet because he has been told that snakes can come out of the commode. So, he carries a bucket and urinates in it in front of others. Such scenes can become uncomfortable to watch.

Another problem is the evident classism. Sachin runs a roadside eatery while Karthik belongs to a well-to-do family. There is a lot of contrast in the way their families are shown. For instance, in one scene, when Sachin is drinking with the Anglo-Indian Peter, he points out that it is the first time that he is drinking with an English-speaking person.

Chutney Sambar Verdict

Chutney Sambar is a passable series that, thankfully, does not become a snoozefest thanks to its outdated arcs. Radha Mohan makes an earnest attempt to serve up a platter of delicious characters who come together for a hearty meal. There is a good reason why each character exists and they get their due by the end of the series. Yes, not everything works for the series, but despite its flaws, Chutney Sambar is a one-time watch that you can put on while doing your chores.

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