7 days ago
‘Four Years Later' review: An emotionally resonant show about love tested by distance
Four Years Later is a sympathetically crafted and emotionally dense Indo-Australian show that explores the fragility of love stretched across distance and time. Created by Mithila Gupta, who co-directs with Mohini Herse and Fadia Abboud, the Lionsgate Play series follows a long-distance marriage that quietly frays under the pressures of migration and cultural displacement.
The English-Hindi language show centres on Sridevi (Shahana Goswami) and Yash (Akshay Ajit Singh). Their story begins in Jaipur. A traditional arranged marriage introduction develops into mutual attraction. Almost immediately after the wedding, Yash departs for Sydney to pursue a medical traineeship, leaving Sri behind to live with his conservative family.
The previously free-spirited Sri is compelled to sacrifice her personal aspirations, while Yash struggles to adjust to a new culture while driven to meet the high expectations set by his domineering, unbending father. The relationship survives through voice messages and video calls, as Sri waits for the day she can join Yash in Australia.
When Sri finally moves to Sydney, she finds a partner consumed by the pressures of work, cultural alienation and mounting debt. As Yash becomes increasingly absorbed in his responsibilities, Sri begins to explore Sydney, forging a friendship with cafe owner Gabs (Kate Box). In the midst of this, the couple must confront the emotional gulf between them and ask whether love is more important than self-fulfilment.
Shahana Goswami's performance is the emotional backbone of the eight-episode series. She portrays Sri with striking nuance – at once restrained and deeply expressive. Her gaze carries years of longing, regret and rediscovered strength, never overstated yet profoundly affecting. Goswami captures the transformation of a woman caught between cultural obligation and personal growth.
Akshay Ajit Singh delivers a solid, believable portrayal of Yash, an emotionally repressed and reticent man uncertain of how to reconnect with his wife, at times torn between duty and a quiet desire for something more. Their rich, lived-in chemistry is marked by attraction and suppressed emotion.
The visual contrast between Jaipur's vibrant chaos and Sydney's cool modernity enhances the emotional landscape. Even the most mundane domestic moments are charged with unspoken tension, thanks to sensitive direction.
Four Years Later also touches on the casual racism and microaggressions that both Sri and Yash face in Australia, as well as how traditional gender roles continue to shape the immigrant experience. It highlights how cultural values can weigh heavily on intimate relationships.
At times, the series falls into a repetitive rhythm – each episode revolves around a single dramatic event or emotional revelation. Some of the English dialogue feels stilted.
However, the strength of Goswami and Singh's performances elevates even the weaker scenes. The show avoids excessive exposition, instead trusting viewers to interpret the emotional undercurrents themselves. Still, after taking the audience on a four-year journey, the resolution feels hurried and a little incomplete.
Despite its tendency toward emotional overload, Four Years Later succeeds because of its honesty and cultural specificity. The show resists neat conclusions or easy catharsis. Love here is not static. Marriage, too, is shown as something that can either unravel, endure or morph into unexpected forms.
The distance between Sri and Yash is not just geographical. It's shaped by the weight of becoming different people in different worlds.
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