Aahana Swrup
Created by Vijal Patel, ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh’ is a sitcom with a unique mystery element that revolves around the haywire adventures of an Indian family after their arrival in the States. The Amazon Prime show follows Mahesh Pradeep, his family, and their neighbors as a federal agency conducts a whodunnit investigation into a surprising criminal matter. Consequently, the narrative invites the viewers into the lives of the Pradeep family, including the matriarch Sudha, her dreamer husband, Mahesh, their similarly optimistic kids, Bhanu and Vinod, and the cryptic oldest son, Kamal.
Between this cast of compelling characters, the show remains ripe with an array of engaging plotlines that showcase different aspects of the immigrant experience. Simultaneously, the situations the Pradeeps often find themselves in present scope for universal relatability, allowing for broad themes of family, friendship, and life to shine through. As a result, after following their peculiar narrative, fans may find themselves invested in the characters and their origins.
Vijal Patel’s Real Life Inspires The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh
Like many comedies, ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh’ finds its strength through a grounded narrative that allows its characters the capacity for relatability despite the absurd situations they may find themselves in. Yet, in the case of this show, that relatability stems from an actual, tangible basis in creator Vijal Patel’s real life. He is known for his creative contribution to various beloved projects, such as ‘Black-ish,’ ‘The Kids Are Alright,’ and more. However, for this project, the showrunner wanted to create something that authentically reflected his own personal experiences. For the same reason, Patel equipped the real-life story of his family’s move from Ahmedabad to Pittsburgh in 1982 as the base inspiration for the premise of ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh.’
Consequently, the show ends up harvesting quite a lot of direct inspiration from Patel’s life, translating realistic instances to the screen through an authentic lens. From the dynamic between the Pradeeps and their all-American neighbors to their run-in with a blizzard—several aspects of the Pradeep family’s experiences remain rooted in real-life instances. In fact, even their central federal investigation finds a real-life counterpart in the creator’s family’s experiences with police officers. As such, a lot of the show remains informed by the real-life experiences of eight-year-old Patel after his family’s move to the States.
At the same time, the show also makes good use of creative liberty, luxuriating in the art of storytelling. Therefore, while the characters and their storylines are reminiscent of Patel’s family and their lived experiences, the former aren’t biographical counterparts of the latter. While discussing the show and its origins in a press release, Patel shared, “This show is from a very personal place and explores the many facets of the immigrant struggle. As my parents say, the pain got funnier over time—like wine.” In that way, ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh’ almost presents a pseudo-realistic comedy that is mostly based on its creator’s experiences.
The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh is in Touch With Modern Immigrant Experiences
Even though a real-life instance informs the narrative of ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh,’ there’s a significant disparity between the show’s inspiration and its contemporary setting. On their part, Vijal Patel and his creative team remained conscious of the same fact. For the same reason, they intentionally worked toward crossing that bridge to bring a more authentically updated version of an immigrant Indian-American family. The same manifests in predictable ways, such as the modernization of the parental characters, opening up space for more updated family dynamics. Simultaneously, it also paves the way for more authentic transparency in realistic themes.
As such, the show doesn’t shy away from the more mature realities of everyday life. Themes that may be considered less family-friendly, like sex and drugs, remain relevant to the narrative of the characters in relation to the cultural shift they experience. In speaking about the same topic with Nerds of Color, Patel expanded, “Modern immigrants aren’t the same immigrants we used to see. So we started writing them (The Pradeeps) as an Indian family—a real family. So we were okay with cursing and a little bit of darkness. I’d like to reframe that as reality. It’s not sanitized of anything.”
Consequently, the show achieves a heightened sense of realism in its depiction of the Indian-American immigrant experience, allowing for authentic representation. Still, the show doesn’t lose its wholesome depiction of the Pradeeps and their lives. Instead, it ensures a well-rounded and relatable depiction of real life. Thus, it remains evident that the show also draws from multiple wells outside of Patel’s experiences in chiseling out the on-screen lives of the Pradeeps. As a result, ‘The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh’ finds various threads of relatability as its comedic narrative fictionalizes the real-life story of Patel and his family. Ultimately, the show’s connection to reality shapes its unique identity.
Read More: Best Family Movies on Disney+
