240. Web-series Reviews – 86

More web-series reviews…

 

Home Shanti – Came out in 2022.  A middle class family wants to build a house which is a true emotion of it. But it follows ups and down of it and all the problem come in the line....

One of the reviews from IMDB...

A Hilarious And Poetic Family Entertainer That Will Make You Feel At Home!

There aren't many web series that have funny family products that you can watch with your family and laugh with them. Family dramas aren't new to Bollywood. We have had big hits and many popular films made over the years, and they still enjoy a cult following. In the 90s, everything was going great for this genre, especially with Hum Apke Hai Kaun (1994), which set the benchmark for such films, but in recent times, such films are being missed badly. With Home Shanti, Hotstar Specials brings you the medicine for that illness, and believe me, it is damn too effective. Home Shanti is exquisitely funny, vibrant, humourous and, most importantly, it has its heart in the right place.

Home Shanti hasn't got any extraordinary story, but a simple one, which is both simpler and more fulfilling. This 6-episode series is about the Joshi family, who intend to build a new home. Sarla Joshi (Supriya Pathak) is a school vice principal, and her husband, Umesh Joshi (Umesh Pahwa), is an unknown poet. They have a daughter, Jigyasa (Chakori Dwivedi), and a son, Naman (Poojan Chhabra), who are just like any other siblings, always fighting and loving each other. The series follows them on their journey of building a new home, the challenges they face, how they stand together in the face of adversity, and how much they learn about family values in pretty exciting and funny ways.

Supriya Pathak as Sarla will remind you of any passionate working-class wife and mother who is also a great housewife. She is brilliant with her accent, that typical wanna-be-strict-mommy kind of thing, and the wanna-be-perfect woman stuff. Manoj Pahwa is always a treat to watch in such funny roles. That hidden poet he portrays is definitely lovable. Also, his narration in the ending portion of every episode will leave you spellbound. The young brigade, Chakori and Poojan, will make a direct connection with every young viewer, especially the siblings. All the four members of the family have hilarious one-liners of their own, and they just don't stop throwing them at you.

The screenplay of Home Shanti keeps you engaged without any out-of-this-world theories. It's so grounded and relatable that you will feel at home. Watching this series with your family will be an unforgettable experience because you will find yourself in the shoes of one of the reel-life characters. A grand salute to the entire unit of writing, screenwriting, and dialogue writing. Home Shanti has impeccable humour, which is hard to beat and hard to find nowadays. While most of the web series are geared towards vulgar and adult material, Home Shanti provides you with a family entertainer and how. The poetic features of the series not only entertain you, but they also teach you a lot about family and relationships.

Aakanksha Dua deserves to be hailed for cracking the perfect formula of a modern-day family entertainer. It seems like ages since we got such an enchanting family comedy that is so relevant and mesmerizing. I was laughing so loudly at moments and was so hooked on the story that I kept reminding myself that this is a series, not a film. Such was the grip and hold Aakanksha had on the narrative. I was like, why is it not a film? This should have been it. Dear Aakanksha, why? We need a family film so badly in today's time. Why didn't you come earlier when Bollywood was busy tearing family films into pieces? Better late than never! That's all I can say. Home Shanti is a must watch shanti-filled (peaceful) break from all the crappy, loud, vulgar, and useless series we see nowadays, so please make sure that you don't miss it. It may create a small chaos for a moment in your family, but at the end of it, there will be nothing but SHANTI..!

My Take – A worthwhile watch!

 

Recce – Came out in 2022, in Tamil and Telugu. In 1990, in Tadipatri village, a son hires people to kill his own father and ends up getting killed himself. S.I Lenin who investigates these murders, uncovers that when consumed by jealousy, lust and greed, even families can turn lethal.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

After watching Recce I felt Rayalaseema faction stories are nothing less than to Italian Mafia or Mexican gangs, this has its own flavor.

Recce's Screenplay and the BGM has hooked me tight, believe me I couldn't pause a second. Notable stars Shiva Balaji , Srikanth(Sriram) both got a good come back with Recce. I felt the Director did a wonderful Recce in selecting the artists who fitted so well in their characters.

Direction is another positive factor along with Screenplay and Music.

Recce took me to 90's backdrop with rustic look, using orginal slang of rayalaseema, connecting me to that core of emotions.

Love, Revenge and Lust is the only factors what takes you to extremes and Recce will take you to that far where we never expect the twist and turns can happen in these deadends.

With this I could understand that Zee5 is going indeep routes of Rural markets believing the once told strategy " India is a country of Villages" picking local flavors with fresh coat.

My take – Worth a watch!

 

Suzhal – The Vortex – Came out in 2022.  In a small South Indian town, a seemingly routine minor case explodes into a twisted crime thriller that rips apart its social fabric.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Pushkar-Gayathri are basically the Abbas-Mustan of south, the duo well known for their engaging yet filled with twists and turns thriller. Suzhal is exactly that.

This web series is made in such a way that the culprit is kept hidden till the last episode successfully. And ya, mind you, there are some hints in between as to who the culprit might be but then, the makers purposely put them to fool veiwers. On top of that the series is extremely engaging, thanks to a riveting screenplay and ofc unpredictable twists and turns that ultimately leads to an unpredictable climax.

Despite the series being pretty long, it feels to be moving very fast and in an interesting way. Moreover, the series beautifully brings out certain human relationships. Also, the fact the story itself gets linked to each day of the ongoing festival in the backdrop was also very interesting.

Pushkar Gayathri after Vikram Vedha have delivered another hit material.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Oka Chinna Family Story – Came out in 2022.  In Telugu and Tamil.  The story of a small middle class family and a big twist that awaits them. What's the twist? How do they sail through it? A hilarious ride awaits.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

I watched the Tamil audio (Oru Chinna Family Story) of this orig. Telugu series on Zee5 though I usually prefer the orig. Language audio, because Zee5 subtitling is sometimes on sometimes off and I can follow Tamil without subs!

OCFS is a slice of life, heart warming narration with large dollops of amusement, sometimes black humour thrown in. The plot is smoothly carried by the outstanding acting especially Tulasi's brilliant portrayal of Rukmini as the simple minded devoted mother of Mahesh (Sangeeth Shobhan who also does an excellent job). Rukmini's mother, Mahesh' Paati or as he rather coarsely refers to her as Kizhavi (old woman) is beautifully rendered by Prameela Rani. To be fair, every actor was superb in his/her role.

The sets are a realistic lower middle class home in a Telugu speaking small town (haha got to be politically correct these days with AP/TS).

Rukmini has molly coddled her only child Mahesh from the day he was born and spoilt him rotten. The father tries his best to instil some sense of responsibility in Mahesh but to no avail as Rukmini always allows the child to get away with whatever he does. Mahesh is therefore an idle, spoilt youth barely passing high school and fails to clear his B. Tech. He doesnt even bother to get a job. Rukmini always annoyingly offers to make payasam for Mahesh as a panacea for all problems. The Paati is obsessed with her TV serials and in getting a new remote. She is very amusing with her pithy comments.

One fine day the father suddenly dies. Mahesh starts getting repeated phone calls from loan recovery agents to pay the EMI on his father's loan of 25 lac which the family was not even aware of. News spreads and rumours circulate in the colony about Mahesh's father having a possible "2nd SetUp", a euphemism for a second family unbeknown to Rukmini.

The loan hounds become aggressive and Rukmini is at her wits end. Eventually Mahesh befriends one of them (Getup Srinu) as Anna who takes pity on him and gets him a job at the loan recovery call centre.

Dont want to add Spoilers, do watch this series of 5 episodes if you havent already, it really is enjoyable with lots of humour, realistic situations, poignant moments et al.

My Take – Worth a watch!

Cheers till next time😊!!