Vedd Rawtaani’s rom-com 'Suraj Aur Saanjh' is a worth-watching series on YouTube

YouTube is an endless universe of content. So, if a short film or an episodic show manages to capture our attention, it is either desperately mass-friendly or a fine offbeat presentation.

A five-episode series on Pocket Films’ YouTube channel Vedd Rawtaani’s rom-com Suraj Aur Saanjh is an entertainer with a layered storyline. The episodes are short, with the fifth episode the only one with a running time of more than 20 minutes.

The story revolves around two contrasting characters. Saanjh is a depressed alcoholic divorcee (Anjali Anand), who lives alone. Unable to discard the memories of her married life, she feels low and attempts suicide.

Suraj (Anil Charanjeett) is a bank official and her sister’s boss. He is an eccentric character obsessed with Bollywood films who cooks brilliantly, wears strange dresses (see the series to know what!) and lets out loud farts without feeling uneasy about it.

He needs a place to stay during the lockdown, and finds it in Saanjh’s house after her sister Minal (Garima Yagnik) requests for help for her boss. What follows is a story in which a relationship evolves through interaction between the protagonists.

Saanjh hasn’t been able to get rid of her love for her former husband Vivek (Avinash Sachdev), who had cheated on her when they were married. She cannot appreciate Suraj's passion for Bollywood movies and resents his conduct in general.

Suraj is a deeply caring human being who can feel the inner pain of Saanjh. He tries to work out ways to make sure that her former husband returns to her wretched life, sees films with her and organises the best celebration of her life on her birthday.

The protagonists bond well with time. What happens in the climax?

Suraj Aur Saanjh’s greatest strength is Charanjeett’s performance. He holds the series together by playing a character that is strangely dressed for the most part – and can be rather irritating too.

His mimicry is fabulous, and he produces several gut-busting moments by copying everybody right from Shah Rukh Khan to Paresh Rawal. Anand is excellent, too, making the viewer laugh as well as reflect on her misery and loneliness with an uninhibited portrayal of her state of being.

Writer Krishna K Agarwal does a fantastic job of showing the relationship of two individuals who come together under unusual circumstances. Maker Rawtaani is in complete control and ensures fine performances from his actors. Of course, the chemistry shared by the two actors is first-rate, making the series eminently watchable.

Suraj Aur Saanjh will find appreciative viewers, many of whom are spending a lot more time watching online shows than they did before the pandemic struck the world. Check it out to watch the story of a relationship as it grows during the lockdown that changed our lives.