190. Web-Series Reviews – 42

More web-series… some more Indian ones…

Bombay Begums – Bombay Begums is an Indian drama web series for Netflix starring Pooja Bhatt. It explores the lives of five ambitious women from various walks of life navigating through their dreams, desires and disappointments, from boardrooms to society’s margins, in modern-day Mumbai. It was released on Netflix in March 2021.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

If you want to watch a boring, senseless 4 hrs drama of wrongly portrait feminism than this is your show. Special mention to this naive actress plabita borthakur. One word 'nauseous'.

And these are my wife's opinion about this show -

This show intending to be feministic is just demeaning women in all ways it can , Women today work so hard managing work as well as the household duties, and this show tries to portray women in a light where they are messed up, non decisive, venting out their frustrations by cheating on their partners. Kindly do not portray women of this country in such a horrible light, we work hard , we handle our struggles without cheating.

My take - You can safely ignore this😊!!

Sunflower – Sunflower is a housing society with its fair share of comedic characters. But none more hairbrained and awkward than simpleton Sonu. He dives headlong into the centre of a murder investigation of a society resident, and in no time manages to become the chief suspect. Around him, the real murderers, a resident couple in Sunflower itself, tread cautiously. Will they get away as Sonu keeps digging his own grave? As the investigation escalates, the hypocritical society members worry about their beloved society losing its good old glory. But the problem is the next generation's ways are neither good nor old. Late night parties, suspected lesbians and tattooed tenants will surely make Sunflower wither, they say. Between Sonu tightening the noose around his own neck, the murderers living on the edge and the society trying to uplift its society's values, Sunflower is a quirky murder mystery in a comedy of errors.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

The makers tried hard to create a black comedy crime drama but could not deliver due to its own loopholes. The eight-episode series keeps you hooked in the beginning, but later this character-driven overstretched plot fails to keep its promise. There are too many subplots going on parallel which failed to create any impact at the end. It was a huge disappointment for the viewer who has invested time for eight episodes.

All the potential actors are simply wasted here. Few characters are forcibly introduced to only stretch the runtime. Sunil Grover plays Sonu Singh, a lonely man with no social circle due to his strange behaviour. He delivered an average performance due to mediocre writing. Ranvir Shorey, Girish Kulkarni, and Mukul Chadha gave a decent performance. Other supporting casts were just average in their roles.

My take – You can avoid this😊!!

Samaantar – What if two individuals share the same destiny- the same palm lines, then what would happen? Samantar is a story about a young man Kumar Mahajan, whose life changes after he goes on journey to find, Sudarshan Chakrapani, a man who shares the same destiny with him. The life that Kumar is living is the life that Chakrapani has already lived. Will Kumar be able to control his present or change his future after meeting Chakrapani?

Samaantar has 2 seasons of 19 episodes in all.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Samaantar is a tale of mystery and intrigue, intricately woven with a tinge of supernatural; making it an interesting watch.

What if someone's past is the future that you are going to live!!! Scary tagline indeed!!

A loser, Kumar (Swapnil Joshi), frustrated with his life is taken by his friend to a Swamiji to know his future. Upon reading his palm, the Swamiji tells him that he has seen an identical case around 30 yrs ago and their fates are interlinked. That person’s past is going to be the future that Kumar is going to live. Strange events start happening in his life that set him on a quest to locate that person, Sudarshan Chakrapani and gain a better understanding about misfortunes faced by him throughout his life. Does such a person actually exist? Will Kumar's life change for the better or not, forms the rest of the story?

Finally, a decent web series in Marathi without the usual preachiness. Very well directed by Satish Rajwade , who has given us gems in the past like Asambhav. The very first episode sets the tone perfectly and maintains it throughout its run. Good Production value, awesome acting by Swapnil Joshi, Tejaswini Pandit, Nitish Bharadwaj and the others keep you engrossed throughout.

My take - An ok series to watch.  Too many cusswords spoil the story.  Otherwise, it is an interesting watch.

Feels Like Ishq – Short films follow young adults as they navigate the gamut of emotions that come with finding romantic connection in unexpected places.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Ishq Mastana is the most underwhelming episode of the 6. Stars Skand Thakur and Tanya Maniktala is about a date during a formal protest, the chemistry seemed forced and the premise isn't interesting either, the conversations never felt like it would rouse any love interest but it did which made no sense. But Still, you can try this if you are a fan of Tanya Maniktala's adorable smile.

Star Host is an Anand Tiwari product, I am astonished seriously. Another super forced episode of the 6. Stars Rohit Saraf and Simran Jehani is about Simran's adventure trip to the hills where she stays at a homestay hosted by Rohit. The actors are good-looking but the chemistry and the loved wasn't convincing for me.

She Loves Me , She Loves Me Not is a refreshing and bold episode that is based on a gay couple. Stars Sanjeeta Bhattacharya and Saba Azad, this episode is beautifully captured and has decent performances. Sanjeeta is adorable and she drives the film with her cuteness. Saba Azad is quite good too. Overall a decent, cute drama about coming out as gay.

Quarantine Crush is a sweet, teen drama episode with cute romance and a classic Ayushmann Khurana Song which is mesmerizing. The show is well directed and has a simple plot of an NRI girl and a guy liking each other. Simple and Cute again. Mihir Ahuja and Kajol Chugh look cute together.

Interview is a beautiful story of two strangers meeting during an interview and sharing a refreshing bond, exchanging experiences. I was seemed to connect with this episode as the acting is beautiful. Neeraj Madhav and Zayn Marie Khan are brilliant. The screenplay is so smooth I wish It had more episodes with these two in it.

Save the Da(y)te is the best of the lot. Amol Parashar and Radhika Madan are both national treasures who make you invest in their emotions. They share infectiously addictive chemistry which doesn't let you bore and keeps you hooked to see these two wonderful actors more. I wish the first episode has an exclusive film on its own.

My Take - An ok series. Stories are short and cute.

Cheers till next time😊!!

Today’s Observation

No one can make you feel more humble than the repairman who discovers you have been trying to fix it yourself! 😊