Permanent Roommates 3 actor Vyas says slice-of-life comedies aren’t hailed as much as crime dramas, owing to their lack of scale
Sumeet Vyas and Nidhi Singh lead Permanent Roommates
There is something about Permanent Roommates’ lead couple Mikesh and Tanya that makes you root for them. Actor Sumeet Vyas, who leads the slice-of-life series, attributes it to the fact that they have kept the show simple and relatable. Over its past two seasons, the Amazon Prime Video offering has traced the ups and downs in the lives of Vyas’s Mikesh and Nidhi Singh’s Tanya, thus showcasing modern-day relationships. Asked how he makes his character relatable when the world around is fast changing, Vyas says, “We have to do right by the characters. I still remember what it felt like doing the first two seasons. It’s all in my emotional memory, and I went back to it. A lot of this show revolves around simple conversations. They have to be done in that moment, without any baggage.”
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The recently dropped third season, which sees the couple considering moving to Canada, has won praise. Though popular, it’s noteworthy how the series has never quite garnered the craze that Mirzapur or Sacred Games did. Point this out to Vyas, and he reasons, “It has always been the case with scale more than the genre. If you see viewership of crime shows vis-à-vis that of Gullak, Panchayat or Permanent Roommates, they are the same. But crime is a genre that draws you. Drama actors have always been lauded more than comedic actors. But comedy isn’t a lesser art form. Sometimes, sitcoms don’t get the lauding they deserve, but the audience’s love comes eventually.”