Cast: Pankaj Kapur, Mona Singh, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Ayesha Kaduskar, Sartaaj Kakkar, Gurpreet Saini
Director: Ajay Bhuyan
Creator: Shiirshak S Anand
Platform: ZEE5
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 5 Episodes (Approx. 35–40 mins each)
Rating: 3/5
What happens when a family obsessed with screens is forced to look up at each other, at life, at the world beyond the glowing rectangle? That’s the core of Thode Door Thode Paas, a light-hearted, bittersweet web series that explores what happens when technology takes a backseat and family comes to the fore.
Retired naval officer Ashwin Mehta (Pankaj Kapur) returns home after years only to find his family living parallel lives present under one roof, yet worlds apart in spirit. His older son Kunal (Kunaal Roy Kapur) drowns in his numerology charts, Simran (Mona Singh) juggles her boutique and family, while the younger ones Avni (Ayesha Kaduskar) and Vivaan (Sartaaj Kakkar) are lost to social media and gaming marathons.
Tired of the silence that screams louder than conversation, Mehta throws down an unusual challenge: a digital fast for six months, with a reward of one crore for each family member who succeeds. The offer seems ridiculous, but so does the thought of facing each other without a screen to hide behind. What follows is a journey that’s funny, frustrating, and unexpectedly tender.
Pankaj Kapur is, as always, quietly magnificent. With that familiar calm gravitas and twinkling mischief in his eyes, he turns Ashwin Mehta into the kind of patriarch we wish we had firm yet affectionate, stern but never cruel. He anchors the chaos with effortless ease, becoming the emotional spine of the show.
Mona Singh is the heartbeat of the family, balancing humor and warmth in a role that feels lived-in. Her chemistry with Kapur is gentle and unforced -a rare portrayal of mutual respect between generations.
Kunaal Roy Kapur lends dry wit and authenticity as the numerologist son, while Ayesha Kaduskar and Sartaaj Kakkar bring credible teenage angst to their roles. Gurpreet Saini, as the wayward younger son, adds comic relief without slipping into caricature. Together, they form a believable, if sometimes exaggerated, family portrait.
Directed by Ajay Bhuyan, Thode Door Thode Paas feels less like a critique of modern life and more like a warm nudge ,reminding us that connection isn’t found in notifications, but in presence. The storytelling is straightforward, occasionally sentimental, but always sincere.
While the writing sometimes stretches believability the family’s total “digital detox” includes absurd rules like handwashing clothes and cooking chutney on a stone — these exaggerations serve the show’s purpose: to make us laugh at how dependent we’ve become.
The humor is gentle rather than sharp, the conflicts mild rather than dramatic. But that’s also its charm, it’s not trying to shock or sermonize. Instead, it wants to comfort, to make you smile, and maybe to put your phone down for a while.
What truly shines in Thode Door Thode Paas is Pankaj Kapur’s commanding yet tender presence, which anchors the entire narrative with warmth and quiet authority. Mona Singh beautifully complements him, bringing emotional grounding and relatable grace to her role. The series exudes an old-school charm, offering a family-friendly tone that feels refreshingly simple in today’s cluttered OTT space. Its nostalgic callbacks to a pre-digital world — landlines, bicycles, handwritten notes add a lovely touch of sentimentality. Above all, it succeeds because of its sincere storytelling and heartfelt intent, reminding viewers that connection doesn’t always need Wi-Fi.
While the concept is endearing, it sometimes feels stretched across five episodes when it might have worked better as a compact, two-hour film. The narrative leans into idealistic scenarios, expecting complete digital abstinence in ways that feel more symbolic than practical. Moreover, though the emotional undercurrents are present, the show only skims the surface of deeper family dynamics, choosing comfort over confrontation. As a result, Thode Door Thode Paas stays pleasant throughout, but misses the chance to dig deeper into the very emotions it seeks to celebrate.
Thode Door Thode Paas isn’t groundbreaking but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a small, sincere show about family, love, and learning to unplug before life passes by in a blur of screens. It’s the kind of story you watch on a lazy weekend with your parents, maybe while secretly checking your phone and that’s okay. Because somewhere between the chuckles and the sighs, you realize what the series is trying to tell you: being “a little close, a little apart” is fine as long as hearts stay connected.