Mind the Malhotras S1:E4

Meet the Malhotras

After another couple friend of theirs files for divorce, Rishabh and Shefali get nervous and visit a marriage counsellor, Gulfam. He’s a quirky, Urdu speaking, Delhi elite who asks them to try role playing to spice things up, but things don’t go as planned. Later, Rishabh decides to order pizza for dinner, but Shefali and their twin daughters scuttle his plan as they are scared of gaining weight.

Mother-in- Law

Shefali and Rishabh return home after a night out and Shefali is horrified to see that Mummyji, Rishabh’s mother, has re-decorated their living room. This causes Shefali to spend most of their next session complaining about her mother-in-law and drawing parallels between Rishabh and his mother.

Correctile Dysfunction

Radha and Shyam, a young couple, move in next door to Rishabh and Shefali. When they visit the Malhotras to get some ice cubes, the women seem to be long lost sisters while the men can’t get past their mutual awkwardness. Later, during their session with Gulfam, Rishabh brings up Shefali’s tendency to make them look like a picture-perfect family which often becomes too much to handle.

Good Parenting

Rishabh doses off during their counselling session after waking up early to watch an India-Australia test match. This annoys Shefali who believes that Rishabh is more interested in sports than in his kids and gives his parental skills a very low grade. Later, Rishabh and Shefali try to implement Gulfam’s advice and give constructive criticism to their kids but end up annoying them further.

Out of Control

Dia brings her boyfriend home and writes a script for her parents to prepare them for the visit, but things don’t go as planned. Meanwhile, Jia wants to go to a celebrity dietician to become ‘Size Zero' and works as a receptionist at a gym to save up money for this. But her overthinking parents land up at the gym and decide to get her fired.

Just Another Day

Shefali complains to Gulfam about Rishabh forgetting her birth date. Jia’s new boyfriend, Gopal, appeases her parents and they decide to open an expensive bottle of wine to celebrate. But Shefali realizes that Gopal is too perfect and that his family who must be very accomplished might think that Jia and her family are beneath them. So, Rishabh and Shefali decide to break up Jia’s relationship.

Money Matters

During their weekly session, Shefali brings up Rishabh’s financial worries. This dredges up a childhood memory of Rishabh’s when his Swiss vacation was cancelled due to his father’s losses. As Rishabh and Shefali introspect about their spending habits, they come up with some innovative ways to cut expenses some of which don’t go well with their kids.

A Mid Life Break

Right before his 40th birthday, Rishabh finds out that he’s lame after Jia makes him take an online test to judge his coolness. This sets off a midlife crisis in him. Two weeks later, Rishabh and Shefali return to Gulfam’s clinic after vacationing in Bangkok, when Rishabh complains about Shefali not buying him a gift on their holiday. Soon, Gulfam tells the couple that he’s leaving for Costa Rica.