286. Web-series Reviews – 119

More web-series reviews…

Masum – Turkish series. Came out in 2017. An 8-episode series. Cevdet and his wife retire on their pensions to live in peace on a rural farm, but their lives are destroyed when their son suddenly arrives with terrible news.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

As this Turkish crime drama opens we see a family driving away from their house, a man who was watching breaks in and starts looking for something. As the family drive away the daughter demands they return home as she has forgotten her diary. Once inside she faces the intruder... it turns out it is her father Yusuf, a policeman who is convinced that his wife's new partner is a wrong 'un. His boss isn't impressed and gives him something else to investigate. This sees him going to a remote area where he saves Tarek, a man who fell into the sea. It turns out he knows him; he is the son of Cevdet Bayrakci, the man who trained him, and the brother of Taner, his friend who we are told died in a car crash with Tarek's wife. That is all in the first episode. As the series progresses many secrets are revealed and we learn that not everything we have been told is true. This includes many extended flashbacks which gradually reveal the Bayrakci's family secrets.

I thought this was an intriguing series. It started well then gradually introduced us to key characters before the first major twist. There are many more twists later on; some genuinely unexpected. More than once we are led to believe one thing before the real truth is revealed. The characters are interesting, many have secrets and all seem well acted... of course one can't truly judge if you don't speak the language. The settings are impressive with beautiful coastlines and forests as well as some urban scenes. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to people looking for something rather different.

These comments are based on watching the series in Turkish with English subtitles.

Another review from IMDB...

Wow. I was blown away. The brilliant acting, the unique at times horrifying storyline, the editing and the natural flow between the scenes, the unusual beautiful music and a whole lot more. It gave me the feeling of watching a Nordic Noir production and maybe that was the director's aim.

THANK GOD there was no sign of over-done actors and actresses, endless boring flashbacks, soapy unreal storyline that drags on in hundreds of episodes and constant over-dramatization with annoying music in the background which basically seems to sum up most of Turkish TV shows.

This for me ranks high up there with the likes of Behzat C although there are differences. Finally, the great Turkish talent is being used to its full potential and in something quite different.

I highly recommend this series to anyone Turkish or otherwise interested in a high quality psychological crime drama/mystery with an engaging storyline which keeps you interested to the end.

My Take - A good watch!

 

Fleabag – Came out in 2016.  2 seasons of 12 episodes in total.  A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying to cope with tragedy. The angry, grief-riddled woman tries to heal while rejecting anyone who tries to help her, but Fleabag continues to keep up her bravado through it all. Comic actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as the titular character on the series, which is based on Waller-Bridge's 2013 one-woman show of the same name.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

After the death of her best friend, an event she is partly responsible for, a woman drowns her sorrows in one-night stands and other hedonistic behaviour. Her family compounds her problems: the uptight, corporate exec sister, the alcoholic, obnoxious brother-in-law, the well-meaning but clueless father, the scheming, domineering father's girlfriend who moved in very quickly once her mother died. From here the only way is up.

Great comedy series. Created by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge the series pushes the envelope in terms of humour while having decent dramatic side to it too. A great device Waller-Bridge employs is voicing her thoughts directly to the camera in between dialogue. Very original and makes for some hilarious punchlines. Season 2 then takes this a step further...

On that note, the series does improve from Season 1 to Season 2. Season 1 was a good introduction to the main character and her host of issues and was very funny but did rely a bit on shock value for some of the punchlines. It all seemed about problems (and wallowing in them) rather than solutions. I did enjoy the Boo (the deceased friend) sub-plot though. It was the most emotional part of the series, it revealed the downside to the main character's behaviour and the interactions between the two of them were always wonderfully engaging and funny.

Season 2 evolves the dramatic side and feels more balanced. There are new challenges to be faced but things are a bit less outlandish.

While the series has some aspirations as a drama its strongest suite is definitely as a comedy. A few loose ends in the dramatic sub-plots makes the dramatic side feel a bit clumsy at times.

Can't fault the casting nor performances. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is excellent in the lead role and the other major characters are superbly played.

My Take – Saw the 1st season.  May see the 2nd season later😊

 

Jubilee – Set in the golden age of Hindi cinema, ‘Jubilee’ revisits the magical era of the 1940’s when the talkies culture ruled the silver screen and how one man’s dogged persuasion to become the country’s next superstar came with some unexpected and disastrous consequences.

Trivia

Bombay Talkies had cast producer Himanshu Rai's wife Devika Rani with a new upcoming talented actor Najm Ul Hasan in the upcoming movie Jeevan Naiya (1936) but Devika Rani fell in love with Najm Ul Hasan and eloped with him. The distraught producer asked his assistant sound engineer Sashadhar Mukherjee whom Devika considered as an elder brother to call her. Sashadhar gave her a reality check and told her that in India an eloping woman is considered immoral. Devika returned to Bombay Talkies and continued shooting for Jeevan Naiya but Najm Ul Hasan was fired. Himanshu Rai then cast Sashadhar's brother in law 'Ashok Kumar' in the lead role and thus a star was born.

 One of the reviews from Times of India...

It’s a tale told with immense love. There is passion, politics, hate and competitiveness and all of it in the sepia-toned frames poetically depicting the time when a burgeoning Hindi film industry was also going through a massive churn. Shrikant Roy (Prosenjit Chatterjee) the honcho of Roy Talkies is looking for his next poster boy and superstar to play Madan Kumar. While he has the eye of an eagle for spotting talent, his reading of human beings and their intentions is questionable. There aren’t too many people in his life except his wife Sumitra, who is also a superstar and his spot boy and Man-Friday Binod Das (Aparshakti Khurana) - a shrewd and cunning small town boy living with his wife Ratna (Shweta Basu Prasad) and son. India and Pakistan are still one but not for long, as it’s a time when Hindustan is about to be divided. Cinema and radio are the only two mass mediums of entertainment and information that can also shape opinions. Amidst all this, the worlds of a courtesan Niloufer Qureshi (Wamiqa Gabbi) and a young refugee Jay Khanna (Sidhant Gupta) collide. He is harbouring the dream of becoming an actor and a filmmaker but is caught in a life-altering incident.

Recreated to perfection and with nuanced details, director Vikramaditya Motwane’s labour of love is filled with moments and characters that are complex, vulnerable, motivated and strong. These are the people who formed the very basis of the industry that has always been in the news as much for its deep dark secrets and ways, as it is for its power to entertain and enchant its audience. It wasn’t much different back even then. Motwane, his co-creator Soumik Sen and writer Atul Sabharwal give us fictional characters that remind us of the real life actors and filmmakers of the time. It’s so easy to draw parallels with them and hence many juicy twists and tales about their life and times become interesting anecdotes. These stories become contextual and are sure to resonate with any ardent Hindi cinema lover.

The careful recreation of that world through top notch production values, detailed set pieces and art direction (by Priti Gole and Yogesh Bansod), elegant and relevant costume design (by Shruti Kapoor) and a telling cinematography (by Pratik Shah) simply just enhance the overall experience, making it an immersive one. The music compositions (Alokananda Dasgupta) aren’t exactly chartbursting but they lend a perfect note to the ups and downs in tinsel town when the country is going through its most crucial phase. Kausar Munir’s lyrics also help uplift the mostly mediocre tunes. We also found it hard to digest some of the dialogues. Did people in those times also use such cuss words as today and speak in such a contemporary language?

Aparshakti Khuarana shows his mettle as the man with an unwavering commitment to his art. He looks the part of a commoner-turned-superstar. Sidhant Gupta excels as the troubled young man, who has learnt to make the best of the hand he has been dealt with. He does justice to the arc of his character that clearly has the best range for him to showcase his acting skills. Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee makes for an apt choice for his role of a man, who is wise beyond his years, decisive and principled in his own way. Aditi Rao Hydari doesn't have a whole lot to work with but looks dreamy, as always. She plays the only female superstar in a male-dominated industry, who doesn’t enjoy the power she deserves. Wamiqa Gibba is a revelation in her debut role of a budding independent woman, who follows her heart no matter what. Seasoned actors like Ram Kapoor and Arun Govil lend good support.

In the OTT space, it’s hard not to get carried away with the luxury of time and the freedom of imagination. Surely enough, the makers of ‘Jubilee’ also give in to this temptation. As a consequence, the screenplay becomes stretched and bulky towards the climax. Some threads remain unexplained. As it is, it’s a busy narrative that packs in a gamut of the Hindi film industry cliches of the time, national and international politics over art - all of it unfolding against the backdrop of India’s independence. But even with so much going on, ‘Jubilee’ keeps its audience hooked with its bewitching old world charm and performances to match.

My take – Worth a watch!

Cheers till next time😊!!