Chutney Sambar first impression review: All about the first two episodes of Radha Mohan and Yogi Babu’s series

For those familiar with Tamil cinema, Radha Mohan is no new face. His characters feel like members of our households. From Karthik and Archana’s love story in Mozhi to an innocent father grappling to come to terms with his only daughter falling in love in Abhiyum Naanum, there is a sense that Radha Mohan’s characters are not mere fragments of someone's imagination but are people who exist among us and, if we're lucky, may meet in our lives.

Chutney Sambar first impression review (episode 1-2)

In a similar fashion is the director’s latest web series, Chutney Sambar, which also happens to be his first web series. Premiering on Disney+ Hotstar on July 26, Chutney Sambar, much like Radha Mohan’s previous works, primarily builds its drama through several characters. But this time, we see more of the drama being evolved in a way where half the characters know the whole truth and the others are dismissive of it.

Radha Mohan uses the first two episodes of his series to set the premise of Chutney Sambar. There is Amudha Café in the quaint town of Ooty, which is known for its lip-smacking sambar. Just as things seem to be going fine, we get to know that the cafe is run by the patriarch of the house, Rathnasamy (Nizhalgal Ravi), who passes away. But before passing away, he entrusted his son, Karthik, to find his stepbrother and reunite with him. 

This sets the stage for Karthik to go to Chennai and find Sachin (Yogi Babu), who is the elder and illegitimate child of Rathnasamy and Amudha (after whom the café and Rathnasamy’s daughter are named). It turns out that Sachin runs a famous food stall and is known for his popular chutney. Of course, all does not go well when Sachin learns of his new-found family. But he is somehow whisked away to Ooty to perform the final rites of his father.

Also read: Director Radha Mohan Interview: Chutney Sambar cannot happen without Yogi Babu | EXCLUSIVE 

Chutney Sambar on Disney+ Hotstar

Even though Yogi Babu has proved to be a prolific comedian, it is unfortunate that people still body shame him to evoke laughs. While Chutney Sambar does this at some points, it also makes self-aware statements when Karthik asks fellow characters and Sachin not to resort to body shaming. 

However, one can only hope that the episodes that follow will not draw quips from Yogi Babu’s appearance. There are also evident classist differences being played out between Sachin and Karthik and Co., given how the former runs a street push-cart while Karthik is the owner of a popular restaurant. 

At one point, while sharing drinks with an Anglo-Indian Peter (Elango Kumaravel), Sachin even says that it is the first time that he is sharing a drink with an English-speaking person. Even as these one-liners work, we will have to wait to see how the series tackles the relationship of both parties.

Also read: Chutney Sambar 2024: Release date, trailer, crew, cast, OTT platform and more

Radha Mohan makes sure his regular cast, like Vani Bhojan, Elango Kumaravel and others, are part of the series. The first two episodes neatly establish each character and we can see that all of them have a clearly defined purpose in the show. They are all also given the necessary amount of funny dialogue to keep you invested in the series and where it is going. 

Chutney Sambar verdict

With four more episodes yet to be released, it is too early to judge Chutney Sambar. One has to wait and watch to find out what Radha Mohan has in store for us in the upcoming parts. But having said that, and knowing Radha Mohan’s style of humour, one hopes that the series is as memorable as his films and that it does not get lost in the plethora of OTT content available to us.