Category: Hindi Webseries Reviews

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Love Storiyaan: Heart-Warming Tales Of Love

These stories of resilience leave the viewers with a feeling of happiness. The show works best since real-life couples narrate their stories.

These stories of resilience leave the viewers with a feeling of happiness. The show works best since real-life couples narrate their stories.
  • Main Cast: Aekta Kapoor, Ullekh NP, Nicholas Jonathan Kharnami, Rajani Karki Chhetri, Farida Saha, Sunit Kumar Saha, Rahul Banerjee, Subhadra Khaperde, Dhanya Ravindran, Homayon Khoram, Tista Das and Dipan Chakraborty.
  • Director: Hardik Mehta, Vivek Soni, Shazia Iqbal, Rahul Badwelkar, Akshay Indikar, Archana Phadke, Collin D’Cunha
  • Producers :Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Somen Mishra
  • Music Director: Shantanu Dutta, Sangeet Haldipur, Siddharth Haldipur, Sarang Kulkarni, Anurag Saikia
  • Cinematography: Rakesh Krishna Bhilare, Linesh Desai, Harshvir Oberai, Piyush Puty, Rohin Raveendran
  • Rating: 3.5
  • Published in : Southfirst

Love stories always make for a great watch, irrespective of their format. They make your heart skip even if you are not a romantic, at heart.

The basis of Love Storiyaan are the stories featured in India Love Project, an initiative by journalists Niloufer Venkatraman, Priya Ramani, and Samar Halarnkar.

Through the six episodes, directors Hardik Mehta, Vivek Soni, and Collin D’ Cuha, among others, touch upon various social and political constructs that hinder love.

The Love Storiyaan

The first story, “An Unsuitable Girl” (an interesting spin on Karan Johar’s “An Unsuitable Boy”), focuses on a Malayali man and a 40-year-old Punjab writer who is also a divorcee.

Hardik Mehta directed it.

The second story, “Love in the Air”, is about Shillong-based radio jockeys Nicholas J Kharnami and Rajan K Chettri.

The last four stories are more political in nature.

For example, Shazia Iqbal’s “Homecoming” is about a Kolkata-based couple who fell in love at the height of the Bangladesh Liberation Movement in 1971.

The fourth is “Raah Sangharsh Ki”, directed by Akshat Indikar. The political aspect comes out even more strongly in this tale of an inter-caste marriage between Brahmin IIT graduate Rahul Banerjee and Dalit girl Subhadra Khaperde.

They meet at the demonstration of Narmada Bachao Andolan.

The fifth one is “Faasley”. Director Archana Phadke focuses on the love between a Malayali woman and an Afghan man. They meet at a college in Russia and eventually end up together.

A situation arises when the woman moves to war-torn Afghanistan. This short talks about numerous challenges; one of the difficulties involves making ends meet in a war-torn Afghanistan.

Lastly, there is “Love Beyond Labels”. It is about the first transgender couple who got married in West Bengal.

Director Collin D’Cuha showcases their journey from seeking help to creating history.

Analysis

There is a template that these six episodes follow.

We begin with the couples in the present day. From here, it is about how they met and fell in love.

At times, there are old pictures, videos, and dramatised recreations. There is nothing per se wrong with this template, but the recreations do not have the same impact as the real-life couples talking about their love and the hurdles they overcame.

Keeping aside this aspect and the shaky staging at places, the directors have done a brilliant job of capturing the emotional core. They are helped by heartfelt narrations.

All the stories have their high points. For example, the first one has an adorable Malayali man. His scenes of trying to build a connection with the kids of his partner have a lot of warmth.

Love Storiyaan docu-series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video
‘Love Storiyaan’ docu-series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. (X)

Helping him in this relationship are two dogs who play an important role. Dog lovers are going to have a feast.

My favourite segment of this docu-series is “Raah Sangharsh Ki”.

The love story between a Brahmin man and a Dalit activist has some hard-hitting moments. The scenes of Subhadra, in particular, stand out; like the one where she talks about casteism.

There are some strong moments of sarcastic humour too that raise chuckles. The viewers clearly understand that Akshat Indikar is in awe of Subhadra’s fearlessness.

In “Faasley”, Archana Phadke does a good job of recreating the war-torn Afghanistan.

The narration of falling in love with the common interest of Bollywood movies brings a smile to the viewer’s face.

There are also some bits where the woman talks about the large Afghan family of her husband and how they jelled with her, thus making her overcome the initial awkwardness.

Collin D’ Cunha’s “Love Beyond Labels” is a fitting end to this web show.

The director intermingles the concepts of sexuality and gender with ease. This is one of my other favourite segments.

The couple coming to terms with their bodies have some impactful dialogues.

Verdict

Love Storiyaan is a treat for those who like intimate love stories. This celebration of love should be on your watchlist. The docu-series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/love-storiyaan-docu-series-review-heart-warming-tales-of-love/

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Aarya Season 3 (Antim Vaar): Sushmita Sen Delivers A Ferocious Performance In This Bumpy Yet Engaging Finale

The fast-paced narrative coupled with the interpersonal relationships make this show worth watching.
  • Main Cast: Sushmita Sen, Ila Arun, Sikander Kher, Viren Vazirani, Aarushi Bajaj, Pratyaksh Panwar, and Vikas Kumar
  • Director: Ram Madhvani, Kapil Sharma and Shraddha Pasi Jairath
  • Producer: Endemol Shine India and Ram Madhvani Films
  • Music Director: Vishal Khurana
  • Cinematography: Kavya Sharma
  • Rating: 3
  • Published in: Southfirst

The final part of season 3 begins with Sushmita Sen’s Aarya getting further entangled in the web of crime. The heroin has been caught by the cops and Aarya is desperate to get it back.

Nalini Sahiba (Ila Arun) and Abhimanyu (Shashvat Seth) are after her, besides a Russian drug dealer, Mikhail. On one hand, you have Aarya devising ways on how to deal with her new enemies, and on the other, she has lost the trust of her three children and the cracks are becoming wider.

Adding to the spice is ACP Khan (Vikas Kumar). He is on an intense hunt to find evidence against Aarya and finish the drug empire. The rest of the story is about whether Aarya can win back her children’s trust and what will be her end.

Much like the previous seasons, the biggest strength of this finale is the dynamics of Aarya with her offspring. While leading the business empire, Aarya is a formidable boss lady whom you don’t want to mess with. But with the children the matter is different.

There is a vulnerability and helplessness that comes out strongly. It is in these scenes that the show shines the brightest.

Fantastic Sushmita Sen

Sushmita Sen is fantastic in showcasing the various nuances. The actress shines the best in the portions where Aarya is down and out. The character of Aarya is no Mother India. She has her flaws, and some of her actions are questionable.

Among the youngsters, Aarushi Bajaj does most of the heavy lifting, her love story with Dhruv (Bhupendra) has some nice moments. The confrontation scenes between Aarya and the daughter have come out strongly.

Ila Arun, as Nalini Sahiba, also makes a strong impact. She is menacing without trying too hard. Shashvath Seth though goes way over the top with his antics. Sikander Kher as the loyal Daulat is fair. The same applies to Vikas Kumar. He continues to be earnest as a determined officer.

As mentioned above, the show has a fast-paced narrative. There are twists and turns at regular intervals with scenes of double-crossing. This keeps the viewers engaged. The use of tabla and Sanskrit shlokas as part of the background score also packs a punch.

What makes the finale a bumpy ride is the character of the son Veer (Viren Vazirani). The viewers had felt sympathy for him in the first part of the third season but here he comes as irritating with little to do.

He repeatedly talks about how his mother is responsible for the death of his fiancée Roop. This becomes tiresome after a point. Similarly, the writing comes with its share of loopholes.

Final take

Aarya Season 3 (Antim Vaar) is a treat for Sushmita Sen fans. It is great to see the actress doing solid work by getting roles she wouldn’t get in mainstream cinema. Both Aarya and Taali are reminders of how Sushmita Sen deserves better movie roles.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/aarya-season-3-antim-vaar-web-series-review/

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Karmma Calling: An Impressive Raveena Tandon, But A Feeble Tale Of Revenge

Main Cast: Raveena Tandon, Namrata Sheth, Varun Sood, Viraf Patel, and Vikramjeet Virk Director: Ruchi Narain
Producer: RAT films
Music Director: Relish
Cinematography: Bhushankumar Jain
Rating: 2/5

For any revenge drama to work, one aspect is of utmost importance; the viewers should feel a certain tension for the protagonist —whether or not she/he will achieve the goal. There should be moments where the protagonist is on the brink of loss.

For those not aware, the web series Karmma Calling, now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is based on an American TV Show called Revenge (2017).

In this desi adaption, Raveena Tandon plays Indrani Kothari. She is a former actress and now a huge socialite in Alibaug. However, her life changes drastically with the entry of a mysterious young girl named Karma Talwar (Namrata Sheth).

The arrival of Karma turns many lives upside down. She has a score to settle with Indrani and the people connected to her.

In simple terms, Karmma Calling focuses on a young girl’s quest for retribution.

Redeeming factors

Namrata Sheth in Karmma Calling
Namrata Sheth in ‘Karmma Calling’. (X)

One of the few redeeming aspects of Karmma Calling is Raveena Tandon’s performance. OTT has opened a new space for senior actresses with author-backed roles; this web show is another example of the same.

Raveena pulls off the grey shades well. She also does well in the scenes showing the fragility of Indirani. Rohit Roy Bose, as Karma’s father, has an extended cameo. He only appears in the flashback, but still, he leaves an impact in the limited screen time.

The cinematography and the costume design are also appropriately glossy.

Director Ruchi Narain does a good job of exploring the politics of high society.

Loopholes in the web series

Varun Sood in Karmma Calling
Varun Sood in ‘Karmma Calling’. (X)

A major problem with Karmma Calling is the badly-written screenplay, particularly in the revenge portions.

For example, Karma is introduced as an orphan who acquires a lot of wealth. But there is no explanation of any shorts about how she ends up with so much money.

Additionally, no information is given about how she maintains a spacious house with no job other than plotting.

Even the scenes of Karma creating havoc in the life of Indrani and those connected to her leave little to no impact. A major reason is the easiness with which she executes her plans.

Namrata Sheth tries her best to rise above the lazy writing, but her rawness as an actor is visible.

The supporting characters also leave a lot to be desired in both writing and performance.

Viraf Patel plays a rich gay man who is a paternal figure for Karma. He is annoyingly over the top.

Varun Sood and Devangshi Sen, as Indrani’s rebellious children, make for good eye candy. But performance-wise, they come across as too stiff.

Final take

This revenge saga is terribly undernourished and can be easily given a miss.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/karmma-calling-web-series-review/

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Indian Police Force: Rohit Shetty’s OTT Debut Is Strictly For Those Who Enjoy His Brand Of Action Movies

Timepass…

2.5

Indian Police Force (Hindi)

  • Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Vivek Oberoi, Mayyank Taandon, and Nikitin Dheer
  • Directors: Rohit Shetty and Sushwanth Prakash
  • Producer: Rohit Shetty
  • Music: Lijo George-DJ Chetas
  • No. of episodes: 7
  • OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video

Rohit Shetty is a director primarily known for making two kinds of movies.

On one hand, there are the likes of Singham 1 (2011) and 2 (2014), Simmba (2018) and Sooryavanshi (2022). In these films, the leading men are presented in a massy way, flouting rules and encouraging extrajudicial action.

Then there is the Golmaal franchise (since 2006), Bol Bachchan (2012), and Chennai Express (2013). Here, the comedy strictly falls under the slapstick type, with a focus on wordplay rather than intelligent humour.

Rohit Shetty’s films have never been highly acclaimed, yet they have been massive money spinners except for Circus (2022).

Now, the director has made his OTT debut with the Indian Police Force, which is co-directed by Sushwanth Prakash.

The web series falls very much under his radar. In fact, on certain occasions, the series has a huge hangover of Sooryavanshi.

Synopsis

Sidarth Malhotra in Indian Police Force
Sidarth Malhotra in ‘Indian Police Force’. (X)

Indian Police Force begins with a series of bombings by the terrorist unit Indian Mujahideen. The bombings take place in Delhi on the occasion of Delhi Police Raising Day.

Kabir (Sidharth Malhotra) is a top officer in the Special Cell unit of Delhi Police. Vikram (Vivek Oberoi) is his senior. They both are entrusted with the task of weeding out bombers.

The mastermind of the bombings is the mysterious Zarar/Haider (Mayyank Taandon).

Zarar looks like an ordinary man from the outside with an innocent persona, but deep down, he hides many secrets.

As the plot progresses, Kabir and Vikram are joined by Tara (Shilpa Shetty) from Gujarat ATS.

There is some professional tension between Tara and Vikram. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the Delhi police and Zarar.

The web series also looks at the sacrifices made in the line of duty by the numerous police officers.

USP of Indian Police Force

A big USP of Indian Police Force is how the back story of Zarar has been handled.

Sooryavanshi also featured a back-story about the actions done by Jackie Shroff’s Omar — the bad guy. But here, it has been fleshed out far better.

There is a touching love story between Zarar and Fareeda (Suchitra Bandekar). The moments between Mayyank and Suchitra have a certain tenderness.

As a result, Zarar comes out as a flesh and blood human being rather than just a Jihadi sprouting youngster. Mayyank Taandon does a brilliant job of portraying the varied nuances.

Performances

Among the cops, Shilpa Shetty is easily the best of the lot. The actor pulls off her part with élan.

Despite lesser screen time, Shilpa has a commanding presence, particularly in the scenes with Siddarth Malhotra.

Sidharth Malhotra’s act of Kabir is an extension of the patriotic roles he portrayed in Shershaah (2021) and Mission Majnu (2023). He does well in the action bits, which have some chases. But he overdoes the intensity in the serious scenes.

Vivek Oberoi is an absolute miscast. His character comes across as unintentionally funny. His dialogues evoke more laughter than touching a patriotic chord.

Sharad Kelkar has an extended cameo appearing in the sixth episode. The actor makes a significant impact.

Isha Talwar is seen in the role of a dead wife. Her character is only there to show the romantic side of Kabir, but it does not have any emotional heft.

Girish Kant and Raza Mehta’s cinematography is in perfect sync with the genre. They capture the numerous cities and landscapes efficiently through their lens.

A big problem with the Indian Police Force is that it gives the ‘been-there-and-done-that’ feeling. For those who have watched Rohit Shetty’s cop movies, there is nothing earth-shattering they will find here. Also, the trademark car flying sequences have been tiresome.

Final take

Indian Police Force is just about passable. The show can be best called a timepass actioner.

Perfume (Telugu)
Cast: Che Nag, Prachi Thaker, Abhinaya, Bushan, Rayala Harischandra, Meer, and Krishna Teja
Director: JD Swamy
Producers: J Sudhakar, Shiva B, Rajeev Kumar B, and Srinivas Lavuri
Music: Ajay Arasada
Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes

3.5

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Killer Soup: Abhishek Chaubey Cooks A Delicious Meal With An Ode To The Works Of Both Shakespeare And Virginia Wolf

An impressive OTT debut by Abhishek Chaubey.

3.5

Killer Soup (Hindi)

  • Cast:  Manoj Bajpayee, Konkana Sen Sharma, Nassar, Sayaji Shinde, and Lal
  • Director: Abhishek Chaubey
  • Producers: Honey Tehran and Chetana Koshwik
  • Original Score: Benedict Taylor and Naresh Chandavarkar
  • No. of episodes: 8
  • OTT platform: Netflix

Abhishek Chaubey has proved to be more than a worthy protégé to the master filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj. Starting from Ishqiya in 2010, he has created a space for himself in the industry.

Abhishek Chaubey’s movies have never been part of the big clubs, but he has earned a certain respect among moviegoers.

A case in point is 2016’s Udta Punjab, which ruffled many feathers for its honest portrayal of the drug situation in Punjab.

Now, he has made his OTT debut with Killer Soup, which has been anticipated for more than one reason: The lead actors, Manoj Bajpayee and Konkana Sen Sharma, who have proved their proficiency by playing distinct roles in both movies and web shows.

Additionally, the subject of Killer Soup is based on some real-life incidents. There is an uncanny similarity to a murder that happened in Telangana. A woman called Swathi Reddy killed her husband and burned his body with the help of her lover Rajesh.

Well, without much ado, let’s check the synopsis.

Synopsis

Manoj Bajpayee in Killer Soup
Manoj Bajpayee in ‘Killer Soup’. (X)

The setting of Killer Soup is the fictional town of Mainjur in South India. The story opens with the happy photographs of husband and wife Swathi (Konkana Sen Sharma) and Prabhu (Manoj Bajpayee). And then, we move to their daily routine, which includes Swathi preparing paya soup.

On the other hand, Prabhu chooses what to wear from his huge collection of printed shirts. Swathi aspires to open her restaurant where the star dish would be the paya soup.

Prabhu makes lofty promises to Swathi but does nothing substantial to help her achieve her goal. He maintains an image of a god-like man.

Swathi leads a double life. She wears a burkha and goes outside to meet two people. One is the woman who teaches her cooking, and the other is her lover Umesh (Manoj Bajpayee again).

Things turn drastically at the end of the first episode when Prabhu catches Swathi and Umesh.

From here begins a roller coaster of a journey where Umesh ends up replacing Prabhu. What follows is a delicious mix of a dark comedy and an investigative thriller.

Analysis

Konkona Sen Sharma in Killer Soup
Konkona Sen Sharma in ‘Killer Soup’. (X)

One of the things that stand out in Killer Soup is the mix of different languages.

All the characters alternate between English, Hindi, and Tamil. The vocabulary and diction have an authentic feel and don’t sound jarring at any point.

Abhishek Chaubey does a wonderful job of creating a lived-in world.

Anuj Rakesh Dhawan’s cinematography needs to be commended.

Killer Soup also has some impressive social commentary through the character of Konkana Sen Sharma.

Swathi is someone who has a single-minded ambition of opening her restaurant. There is a visible desperation in her need for respect and social stature. Here, the viewers are reminded of Sobhita Dhulipala’s Tara from Made in Heaven (2019 and 2023).

Swathi is not the only one who wants to have an identity of her own. Her niece Apeksha (Anula Navleker) dreams of getting enrolled in a fine arts school in Paris to escape her controlling family.

Shakespearean touch

Abhishek Chaubey's directorial Killer Soup
Abhishek Chaubey’s directorial ‘Killer Soup’. (X)

Abhishek Chaubey has also done a good job of incorporating the Shakespeare elements.

Hassan (Nassar), a cop, is on the cusp of retirement and wants to end his career on a high.

Aiding him in this investigation is the ghost of a private detective Kiran Nadar (Bagavathi Perumal). This ghost is visible only to Hassan and gives him valuable support whenever the senior officer is in the doldrums.

The director has used the technique of magic realism in the scenes where Hassan interacts with the ghost. Some viewers will feel a sense of absurdity but it is also equally fun to watch.

The characters of Swathi and Umesh have also been humanised. For example, Umesh has pangs of guilt and expresses his frustration of being in the shoes of someone else.

In the case of Swathi, there are occasions where she does come across as a lady Macbeth with her manipulative ways but at the same time, she has a genuine fondness for Apeksha that comes out on more than one occasion.

The supporting characters have also been written with a lot of care. The best examples of this are Sayaji Shinde and Nassar. Sayaji Shinde is a delight to watch as a no-nonsense man. He is the elder brother of Prabhu.

Nassar as the determined cop brings in a lot of integrity to his scenes. The actor also leaves you in splits in his interactions with the ghost.

Performances

As far as the lead actors are concerned, Konkana and Manoj Bajpayee are simply magical together and individually.

Konkana pulls off the different moods with absolute panache —going from loving to scary without any fumble.

Manoj Bajpayee is also wonderful, particularly as bumbling Umesh, who has no control over what is happening around him.

A slight flaw in the Killer Soup web series is the role of Malayalam actor Lal’s Lucas. Lucas is hinted to be a rebel leader before working for Sayaji Shinde’s Aravind, but the characterisation feels sketchy.

Lal makes a solid impression, but a better characterisation would have enhanced the performance.

Also, the editing leaves something to be desired at places.

Verdict

In all, Killer Soup is definitely a dish worth tasting. Abhishek Chaubey has made an impressive digital debut.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

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Cubicles Season 3: An Engaging Slice-Of-Life Drama That Perfectly Captures The Drudgery Of Corporate Life

A breezy watch! 3.5

Cubicles Season 3 (Hindi)

  • Cast: Abhishek Chauhan, Naveen Shetty, Badri Chavan, and Niketan Sharma
  • Director: Divyanshu Malhotra
  • Producers: Shreyansh Pandey, Vijay Koshy, and Chaitanya Kumbhakonum
  • Music: Arabinda Neog
  • OTT platform: Sonyliv
  • No of episodes: 5

From the outside, the life of a corporate employee appears to be very envious with the high salary and the glossy office. However, these jobs come with a lot of stress.

There are inevitable office politics and situations where your equations with colleagues are severely affected.

One way to narrate a story like this is to glamorise things; the other way is to present a show that villainises everyone and everything.

Cubicles web series falls under the third category, where you have a balanced and realistic outlook.

Synopsis

Cubicles Season 3 is based on office politics of a corporate job
‘Cubicles Season 3’ is based on the office politics of a corporate job. (X)

For those who have not seen the first two seasons, the plot primarily revolves around the life of Piyush Prajapati (Abhishek Chauhan). The first two seasons were about his journey in Synnotech Innovations.

The first two seasons portray the highs and lows of his professional career and how he navigates the different aspects of life — related to both work and personal friendships.

The web show struck a chord with the audience, particularly the IT employees.

Naturally, there are certain expectations from Cubicles Season 3 and director Divyanshu Malhotra does meet those expectations.

In Cubicles Season 3, Piyush Prajapati is promoted as a team leader. He now has the task of leading a team comprising his close friends. These include Suniana (Ayushi Gupta), Gautam (Badri Chavan), and Naveen Shetty (Niketan Sharma).

In simple terms, Cubicles Season 3 showcases the struggles of Piyush in nurturing personal connections and meeting the demands of his elevated position.

Characterisation

A big plus for Cubicles Season 3 is how the director maintains the entertainment quotient while, at the same time, giving a deep insight into the power struggles and politics that inevitably come with these high-profile jobs.

In the five episodes, Divyanshu Malhotra touches upon some important themes, including work-life balance, career aspirations and the importance of human connection in this fast-paced and competitive world.

These themes never come across as heavy-handed, thanks to the focused direction.

The director also deserves credit for how he has designed the characters of his colleagues. They have their own stories that run parallel to Piyush.

For example, Niketan Sharma’s Naveen Shetty has embraced parenthood in Cubicles Season 3, and often, the viewers see him doing a juggling act that leaves him frustrated.

Additionally, he is also not very happy with the salary. As a result, there are scenes of him taking a half-day leave in search of a job in another organisation.

Performances

The chemistry between the four friends is wonderful and will remind many working professionals of their colleagues.

Badri Chavan’s Gautam is mostly used for comic effect. He reminds you of those colleagues who crack jokes to uplift the team’s spirits. The humour does not always land, but still, he is fun to watch.

Abhishek Chauhan, as the team leader, plays his part to perfection. There is a certain relatability in the way the character has been designed.

There is a visible frustration in the scenes where Piyush makes sure his friends take him seriously and the actor does not miss a single beat.

Niketan Sharma does a brilliant job of portraying the different shades of his character.

The one actor who sticks out like a sore thumb is Nidhi Bhist. She played an important part in the first two seasons. But here, she is severely underutilised.

There is no major scope for cinematography here. But still, the office design along with the cubicles is good to watch.

The web series has also been well-edited with a crisp running time.

Final take

Cubicles Season 3 is a breezy watch that should be on your watch list irrespective of whether or not you have been a part of a corporate job.

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The Freelancer-The Conclusion: Tame Ending Plays A Spoilsport In This Otherwise Gripping Rescue Drama

Mohit Raina delivers an explosive performance. Kashmira Pardeshi effortlessly brings out various emotions of fear, hope, and vulnerability.

Has its issues but you’ll enjoy!

The Freelancer The Conclusion (Hindi)

  • Cast: Kashmira Pardeshi, Mohit Raina, Anupam Kher, and Ayesha Raza
  • Director: Bhav Dhulia
  • Producer: Neeraj Pandey
  • No. of episodes: 3
  • OTT platform: Disney+ Hotstar

For those who haven’t seen the first season of The Freelancer, the story is primarily about a newly married girl struck in ISIS-controlled Syria. The web series is based on the novel “A Ticket To Syria” by Shirish Thorat.

Alia (Kashmira Pardeshi) is manipulated by her husband and in-laws and taken to Syria. She does not know the real identity of her new family.

However, after a while, Alia realises that the terrorist outfit has brainwashed her husband and in-laws.

On the other hand, ex-police officer-turned-mercenary Avinash (Mohit Raina) shares a close bond with Alia from her childhood. He takes it upon himself to bring her back from Syria, no matter the dangers involved.

Avinash instils confidence in Alia to hang in there and not lose hope.

And now, The Freelancer —The Conclusion, the second season of The Freelancer, is about how Avinash carries out this dangerous operation with the help of his friends and fights his inner demons.

Analysis

The Freelancer The Conclusion poster
A poster of ‘The Freelancer-The Conclusion’. (DisneyPlusHS/X)

A strong aspect of The Freelancer —The Conclusion is the technical department.

The production values of the web series are fantastic.

The recreation of ISIS-controlled Syria has an authentic feel.

The action sequences have been well choreographed.

Director Bhav Dhulia is also successful in maintaining a good pace.

Of course, Alia gets eventually rescued, but you are still tense about how she will come out safe. There is one moment in particular when everything seems lost, and the viewers feel tense about the safety of Alia.

Unlike the first season, the scenes of Avinash and his wife (played by Manjari Fadnnis) suffering from the aftermath of their son’s death have come out much better.

A good example is the scene where the husband and wife finally find closure and decide to move on.

Mohit Raina & Kashmira Pardeshi are show-stealers

The Freelancer The Conclusion web series
‘The Freelancer-The Conclusion’ web series is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. (DisneyPlusHS/X)

The character arc of Anupam Kher, who plays the mentor-cum-guiding force of Avinash, has not seen any growth. But still, the senior actor has a pleasing presence.

It is Mohit Raina and Kashmira Pardeshi who majorly shoulder the acting department.

Mohit Raina delivers an explosive performance both in action scenes and serious ones.

Kashmira Pardeshi carries off from where she left in the first season without hiccups. She effortlessly brings out various emotions of fear, hope, and vulnerability.

What does not work for The Freelancer — The Conclusion is the staging of the final operation. Here, the director makes it look like an absolute cakewalk.

Also, the show needed some good emotional moments between Avinash and Alia after the final rescue.

From the beginning, the viewers are made to believe that this rescue operation is personal for Avinash. But that does not come across strongly in the final portions due to the sketchy writing.

Verdict

The Freelancer — The Conclusion has its issues, but there is enough to enjoy, especially if you are a fan of Neeraj Pandey.

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The Railway Men: Aditya Chopra Hits A Sixer With This Gripping Saga Of Unsung Heroes

Presents a realistic picture.

The Railway Men (Hindi)

  • Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Babil Khan, R Madhavan, Divyenndu Sharma, and Juhi Chawla
  • Director: Shiv Rawail
  • Producer: Aditya Chopra
  • Music: Sam Slater
  • No. of episodes: 4
  • OTT platform: Netflix

The Bhopal Gas tragedy of 1984 is one of the darkest chapters in Indian history. Thousands lost their lives, and thousands are still suffering from the severe aftereffects.

As the title suggests, The Railway Men limited web series focuses the lens on the little-known heroes of the Indian Railways and how they had put their lives at stake to save as many lives as possible on that fateful night.

There are four main characters in the web show. Iftekaar Siddiqui (Kay Kay Menon) is the station master of Bhopal Junction. Imaad Riaz (Babil Khan) is the newly joined locomotive pilot.

R Madhavan plays the Central Railways GM. Divyenndu is a thug who wants to take advantage of the chaos around them but contributes to the rescue mission.

Meanwhile, Journalist Jagmohan Kumawat (Sunny Hinduja) runs a crusade against the American company Union Carbide — even before the gas leak — and warns the locals against the impending danger. This, he does, in spite of the attempts to silence him.

Synopsis

Babil Khan in The Railway Men
Babil Khan in ‘The Railway Men’. (NetflixIndia/ X)

Through the four episodes, director-cum-co-writer Shiv Rawail presents a horrifying picture of the tragedy.

The Railway Men web series hits the ground running for the first time. The director doesn’t mince any words in throwing light on the moral corruption within the political landscape, including how the chief of the Union Carbide factory got away without any punishment. This he does successfully through the character of Sunny Hinduja.

What also works for The Railway Men is the strong emotional connection that Shiv Rawail builds through his characters.

The subject of the Bhopal Gas tragedy is a difficult subject to handle for any director, let alone a debutant, but the newbie more than lives up to the challenge.

The limited web series has quite a lot of close-up shots of poison emanating from people’s mouths. These scenes are difficult to watch, but they leave a solid impact on the viewers’ minds.

A realistic portrayal

Kay Kay Menon in The Railway Men
Kay Kay Menon in ‘The Railway Men’. (NetflixIndia/ X)

The web series also presents a realistic picture of the aftereffects of the gas leak.

Of course, as viewers, you do feel happy when the four men together save some lives. But the series is also a reminder of how things are still bleak for those who survived that night.

The production design of Rajat Poddar is another plus for the series. He does a splendid job of creating an authentic atmosphere.

The Railway Men also briefly touches upon the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, along with another brief subplot about a group of women who were going to participate in a swimming competition.

The angle involving the anti-Sikh riots has been well integrated, but the other one doesn’t really work.

Performances

R Madhavan in The Railway Men
R Madhavan in ‘The Railway Men’. (NetflixIndia/ X)

The performances of all the actors are top-notch, starting with the excellent Kay Kay Menon. The actor is at his usual best, portraying the determination and courage of Iftekaar.

Divyenndu Sharma portrays the dual-shaded personality of his character well. He delivers some punchy one-liners.

Babil Khan is also flawless. He perfectly adopts the Bhopali dialect. He is one of the men who dies on that tragic night.

R Madhavan has a late entry, but the actor is authoritative in all his scenes. There is a solid monologue involving Madhavan, where he delivers with his usual panache.

Juhi Chawla plays the solo woman representative of the government. She is good in her brief role.

Here, it has to be said that the women characters could have been more impactful.

Final take

The Railway Men is the first web series that YRF has produced. Let’s hope that Aditya Chopra continues to bankroll more web shows on various subjects.

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PI Meena web series: A lethargic detective drama with an annoying protagonist

PI Meena (Hindi)

  • Cast: Tanya Maniktala, Parambrata Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Vipin Sharma, Harsh Chhaya, and Vinay Pathak
  • Director: Debaloy Bhattacharya
  • Producer: Daniel Varghese
  • Music: Amit Chatterjee
  • No. of episodes: 8
  • OTT platform: Prime Video

For any detective/investigator story to work, two things are of primary importance, Firstly the audience should feel that the protagonist is having fun in solving the case. Secondly, the dangers that he/she faces should make the viewers anxious about what will happen next.

Earlier this year, Vishal Bhardwaj delivered a pulpy thriller titled Charlie Chopra & the Mystery of Solang Valley. It was a thoroughly enjoyable web show with an excellent Wamiqa Gabbi.

The setting of Solang Valley also became a major character itself, thanks to the cinematographer Tassaduq Hussain.

Unfortunately, PI Meena doesn’t even reach 5 percent of what the Vishal Bhardwaj directorial had achieved or even the Sujoy Ghosh directorial Jaane Jaan where the hill station Kalimpong was a significant part.

The protagonist in PI Meena comes across as too brooding with no sense of fun and the city of Kolkata fails to become a major character.

Synopsis

PI Meena web series Amazon Prime Video
‘PI Meena’ is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. (X)

As the title suggests, Tanya Maniktala plays a private investigator named Meena. She is haunted by a tragic past involving her brother Joy who is in a coma.

On many occasions, we see Meena pouring out her angst to him.

Though Meena works as a private investigator, the cases only involve unfaithful spouses and rotten fiancés!

Pritam Sen (Harsh Chhaya) is her boss. He has a swanky office and powerful connections as well with higher levels of power. However, this doesn’t make any sense given the kind of cases they get.

Parambrata’s Chatterjee’s Subho Roy is Meena’s partner in crime and also a romantic interest who is very concerned about her. Subho Roy also has aspirations of getting into politics, though his interest in politics isn’t exactly about serving the nation.

The story takes an unexpected turn when Meena witnesses a bike rider named Partho Dey (Sawon Chakrobarthy) being knocked down by a truck. Surprisingly it doesn’t occur to Meena that she should take a picture of the departing truck.

Anyway, she takes the wounded Partho to the hospital and also files a police complaint.

Partho’s mother (Zarina Wahab) believes that her son has been murdered and this isn’t a simple case of hit and run.

Meena decides to dig deeper into the case and the investigation takes her to Littnong where she meets Dr Andre Rakshaw (Jisshu Sengupta).

There is also the track of the virus outbreak running simultaneously. Revealing anything more wouldn’t be appropriate.

Parambrata and Jisshu Sengupta shine

Parambrata Chatterjee and Jisshu Sengupta are solid in their performances.

Parambrata’s charming act is a major relief, particularly in comparison to Tanya’s constant brooding.

Subho Roy isn’t a complete saint or a sinner and Parambrata does a good job in bringing out these nuances.

Not a lot can be revealed about the character that Jisshu Sengupta plays. But it is a role which has many secrets.

At one point, he advises Meena to seek something more when she is in a big web of confusion. Jisshu Sengupta is brilliant in keeping the audience guessing about his actual intentions.

Drawbacks

Tanya Maniktala as PI Meena
Tanya Maniktala as PI Meena. (X)

There is no denying the gravity of Meena’s past, but on many occasions, she comes across as an unreasonable schoolchild who is annoyed with everything and everyone.

At no point do the viewers feel that Meena is having fun in solving the case. The constant frown on her face irritates the viewers.

Projecting intensity is different from coming across as bad-tempered and this is where director Debloy Bhattarchya and Tanya falter big time.

Actors like Vinay Pathak and Zarina Wahab are hardly there. They have been utterly wasted.

Another big problem with the series is its depiction of Kolkata. The city never feels like a major character. As a result, the viewers feel that the plot could have been set anywhere and didn’t particularly need this place.

The loose editing also plays a major spoilsport. The episodes could have much crisper and eight episodes feel too long for this story.

After a decent beginning, the web series goes in many directions like the journalist girlfriend of Joy among other things. But these tracks only add to dragging down the proceedings.

Final take

To sum it up, PI Meena is a good cure for insomnia.

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Aarya Season 3 Part 1: A binge-worthy web show propelled by Sushmita Sen’s roaring performance

Leaves you wanting more!

Aarya Season 3 (Hindi)

  • Cast: Sushmita Sen, Vikas Kumar, Indraneil Sengupta, Ila Arun, and Viren Vazirani
  • Director: Kapil Sharma, Shraddha Pasi Jairath, and Ram Madhvani
  • Producer: Endemol Shine India and Ram Madhvani Films
  • Music: Vishal Khurana
  • No. of episodes: 4
  • OTT platform: Disney+ Hotstar

Aarya web series is a significant part of Sushmita Sen’s career.

In the web show, Ram Madhvani brought out a very different side of the actress that the audiences weren’t used to. Her performance and the show were widely appreciated.

The second season turned out to be a worthy follow-up. Yes, the initial portions were a little sketchy, but the web series became more gripping as it went along.

Season 2 was mostly about how Aarya’s children dealt with the untimely death of their father Tej (Chachundur Singh).

An important subplot in the second season was depression and substance abuse through the character of Aarya’s daughter Aaru (Virti Vaghani).

Her son Veer (Viren Vazirani) had matured beyond his years and became a strong pillar of support for his mother and siblings. This also includes the youngest one Adi (Pratyakash Panwar).

Sushmita Sen played a grieving wife, a scared mother and also a tough woman dealing with the crime lords. The actress did a solid job of portraying all these shades.

Now you have Aarya Season 3 in two parts.

Season 2 ended with Aarya (Sushmita Sen) becoming a don. The first person that she had gunned down was her biological father.

He had a hand in the death of her husband Tej. The first episode of Season 3 has a slight recap set to the song “Bade Acche Lagte Hain“. It was a song that Tej was hugely fond of.

Aarya Season 3 begins with her getting shot. From there, the story moves into a flashback mode and tells what happened four weeks earlier.

In the flashback, it is revealed that Aarya is planning to expand the drug business. She has become a complete lady don.

Her chief enemy is Sooraj (Indraneil Sengupta), whose biggest mission in life is to destroy Aarya.

Aarya Season 3 isn’t just about her struggle with the mafia gangs. It is also about the inner battle that Aarya is going through.

In the previous seasons, it was clearly shown that Aarya had no interest in being part of this world, but now, she is a don herself.

Aarya constantly justifies her actions by saying that whatever she is doing is a part of protecting her family.

Season 3 is essentially about the challenges that Aarya faces both as a lady don and also as a mother who is dealing with her rebellious children, particularly the elder son.

Taut writing

One of the strong aspects of season 3 is how the directors portray the struggles of Aarya. On one hand, she tries hard to be a successful businesswoman; on the other, she faces difficulties in being a good mother — the conflicts arising from these situations give the show some of its best moments.

Aarya raises her children amidst all this blood and gory. The loose morals and ethics around them inevitably have a psychological impact.

For example, a situation comes when the elder son picks a gun to avenge the death of a woman whom he dearly loves. This woman was pregnant with his child when she died.

The youngest of the lot gets involved in a brawl.

Directors Ram Madhavani, Kapil Sharma, and Shraddha Pasi Jararth have done a brilliant job in designing their characters.

Another strong point of Aarya Season 3 is its antagonist.

Indraneil Sengupta’s Sooraj is not an inherently bad man. There are times when we see him being vulnerable, and there are a couple of tender moments too.

Indraneil Sengupta does a fantastic job of portraying both the ruthlessness and the ache of a husband who has lost his wife.

Ila Arun as Nalini Sahiba has a brief role, but the senior actress packs a strong punch whenever she is on screen.

Nalini Sahiba is a mini antagonist who will have a bigger space in Part 2 of Seasons 3.

Sushmita Sen is spellbinding

The scenes between Sushmita and the elder son (Viren Vazirani) have also been written with much depth. Viren particularly stands out in the confrontation scenes.

Sushmita Sen once again shows why she deserves meatier roles in films with this roaring performance. The actress makes the transformation from a scared mother to a lioness in a seamless manner.

Sushmita not only brings in the required authority with her body language but is equally effective in showcasing the vulnerable side of Aarya.

In the technical department, Vishal Khurana’s background score stands out the most. His background score plays a big part in elevating both dramatic and action bits.

There are a couple of areas where the directors could have done a better job. One of them is the characterisation of Sikander Kher, who gets minimal screen time this time.

Also, Vikas Kumar as ACP Yonous Khan doesn’t offer anything new with his portrayal.

Verdict

Part 1 of Aarya Season 3 ends with a thrilling cliffhanger, which increases the expectations of the audience.