MUMBAI: ALTBalaji’s Home premiered on Aug 29 and is produced by Pintoo Guha, Rupali Guha, and Ronald D’mello of Film Farm Productions and directed by Habib Faisal.

The show is based on the real and much talked about incident of the Campa Cola Compound Case in South Mumbai. The Campa Cola Compound was constructed on land leased to Pure Drinks Ltd in 1955, which was permitted by the BMC in 1980 to develop it for residential purposes. During the construction period, the authorities issued notices to the builders to stop work. The builders paid the penalty required and resumed work. After the construction was completed, the buyers occupied their apartments without any obstruction. The BMC took it upon itself to then raze the illegally constructed homes.

From the concept to the story, the show is simply addictive—easy flowing, relatable, and emotional. Home seamlessly flows from one episode to another and will make you binge watch all 6 episodes. While the larger story written by Neeraj Udhwani talks about the ‘home’ threatened by demolition, the screenplay takes the show to another level by including episodic subplots and showing how each character reacts to the situation. Simple moments of the show, for example, morning chai being made by Annu Kapoor and him ironing his own shirt, add to the element of realism and subtly send a progressive message without being overtly preachy.

The characterizations are real and well defined. Whether it is the husband–wife equation or the father–son relationship, Neeraj successfully manages to showcase these without compromising on the pace of the episodes.

Moreover, the performances are outstanding. The show has been aptly cast and the actors share great chemistry. Annu Kapoor, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Anmol Prashar, and Parakshit Sahani, along with each character, big or small, deliver brilliant performances.

Director Habib Faisal is known for making slice-of-life stories come alive in films like Ishaqzaade and Do Dooni Chaar. Once again, his work makes for a riveting watch. The pace and edit are smooth, and the cinematography enhances viewer experience without overdramatizing the show.

The production values of the show are excellent. One can see the effort put into the detailing of every scene, locations, props, and even the costumes. They are all in sync and add to the overall feel of the show.

The only shortcomings are the music and sound design, which have scope for improvement.

Considering that Home is on Ekta Kapoor’s ALTBalaji, expectations are sky high. And Home certainly strikes home with its stellar cast, able direction, and entertaining narrative.

We give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

★★★★★ Masterpiece

★★★★½ Remarkable

★★★★ Great

★★★½ Very Good

★★★ Good

★★½ Average

★★ Soulless

★½ Bummer

★ Snooze fest

½ Failure