As I watched the promos of Itti Si Khushi and got a glimpse of its characters, I immediately felt a sense of familiarity. The storyline seems quite reminiscent of the popular international series Shameless. Just like Shameless, this show appears to center around a dysfunctional family where the father struggles with alcoholism and irresponsibility, while the mother is absent, leaving the children to fend for themselves.
The most striking similarity is the character dynamics. We see the eldest daughter step into the role of caretaker, managing household responsibilities, looking after her siblings, and trying to keep the family together despite the father's neglect. This mirrors the role of Fiona in Shameless, who sacrifices her own dreams and personal life to raise her siblings in the face of constant chaos created by their drunk, absentee father.
While the setup may feel inspired-or even adapted-from Shameless, the flavor is adapted to Indian television sensibilities. The characters are portrayed with a more sentimental, melodramatic tone in line with traditional Hindi serial storytelling, where emotions and family bonds are highlighted more strongly than dark comedy. Shameless often explored raw, gritty themes with explicit social commentary and unabashed humor, whereas Itti Si Khushi seems to soften those edges, leaning into emotional drama suitable for the prime-time Indian TV audience.
That being said, the resemblance is hard to ignore. The trope of the drunken, irresponsible father, the abandoned children trying to survive, and especially the eldest sister becoming both protector and provider make the parallels very clear. For viewers who are familiar with Shameless, the similarities might make Itti Si Khushi feel less original. But for Indian audiences who may not have seen the original, it might still come across as a fresh and emotional family drama.
Overall, my first impression of Itti Si Khushi is that it feels like a reimagined, localized version of Shameless, with the same foundation of broken family dynamics but presented through the lens of Indian cultural values and television aesthetics. Time will tell whether the show is able to carve out its own identity or if it will remain in the shadow of its obvious inspiration.
