Four Years Later review: A protracted relationship saga

Four Years Later

Title: Four Years Later
Cast: Shahana Goswami, Akshay Ajit Singh, Kate Box, Taj Aldeeb
Creator/Director: Mithila Gupta
Rating: 2.5/5
Runtime: 8 eps

This relationship drama that jumps timelines frequently from ‘four years earlier' to ‘four years later' is about a 30 something couple Sridevi( Shahana Goswami) and Yash (Akshay Ajit Singh). They meet the arranged way, go their separate ways, then get back together again, get married, face difficulties in their married life because of distance - he is in Australia doing his PG in anesthetics and she is in the hometown Jaipur, living with the in-laws. They are together again when she finally makes it to Australia after four years of waiting - only to find that their relationship has to go through some turbulent times because of some hidden fault lines that get exposed in the course of time.

At 8 episodes this is little too drawn out and gets even more tiresome because of the frequent crisscrossing between timelines.

Sri has to stay behind because Yash's father believes and Yash concurs, that she will be a distraction and would hamper him in earning his degree. Reconnecting after living four years apart, they both have hidden secrets that could affect their marriage. How they deal with it is what matters here.

While Yash feels crushed under the pressures of his work, studying for exams and family obligations, Sri manages to develop a flourishing friendship with Gabs, owner of a beach side cafe. Their individual needs clash with couple goals and getting back into the frame of togetherness proves tricky without compromise.

When tragedy strikes and grief takes over, will the two reconnect or drift apart?

Produced by the team that created the Australian series Colin From Accounts, ‘Four Years Later' takes an intimate look at reconnection while depicting life's complexity through its characters' struggles. Cultural influences, professional pressures, emotional pain, separation, immigrant experiences are explored through the lens of Yash and Sri's married life. The series focuses on the relationship between the two as it evolves over distance and time.

‘Four Years Later' is rather slow paced and uneventful and its exploration of love through the two principal characters is hampered by a patchy script. The meandering screenplay takes a longtime getting to the point. It's the two main leads who grab your attention though. Shahana Goswami makes Sri her own with an authentic passionate performance that has gravitas. Akshay Ajit Singh also manages to ably convey Yash's conflicts. ‘Four Years Later' may not be novel or entirely entertaining but it manages to be touchingly sincere in its attempt to showcase profound realities that most relationships navigate.