304. Web-series Reviews – 137

More web-series reviews…

Charlie Chopra & the Mystery of Solang Valley – Came out in 2023. When her fiance gets implicated in a murder, Charlie arrives at his family home in pursuit of the truth. But as secrets tumble out that the murderer would rather have hidden, the next person to lose their life might be Charlie herself.  Based on Agatha Christie's The Sittaford Mystery.

A review from The Quint...

Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley opens with a séance, helmed by a broody and mysterious psychic (Naseeruddin Shah). Skeptics and believers alike populate this small get-together in Solang Valley which comes to an abrupt end when it is “revealed” that Brigadier Meherbaan Singh Rawat (Gulshan Grover) might be dead.

This small sequence is enough to suck you into the narrative, especially since it is peppered with all the Vishal Bhardwaj magic of, say, a Makdee. What follows is an enticing mix of Bhardwaj and Agatha Christie (whose ‘The Sittaford Mystery’ is the source material).

Admittedly, the visual elements Bhardwaj is known for don’t find space here; it feels more like an attempt the director is making to break out of the box. That makes the end product seem a little stylistically shabby; sometimes staged. In the words of the uncompromising critic who inspires Oliver Putnam in the latest season of Only Murders in the Building, "It doesn't sing".

Charlie Chopra, at its essence, is your typical Christie mystery- there’s a murder, a seemingly wrongful arrest, red herrings, and multiple possible suspects who all have convincing motives. The best part about the show is that these suspects are all played by incredible artistes.

After the initial investment, the show asks the audience for some faith – the pace becomes rather inconsistent and doesn’t have enough agitation for a story like this. But as the amateur sleuth Charulata ‘Charlie’ Chopra (Wamiqa Gabbi) uncovers murkier details, it becomes easier to become invested.

Gabbi is the show’s focus and that is a daunting task to undertake but the actor doesn’t miss a step. As a sleuth who is breaking the cardinal rule of investigation thrillers of not being emotionally involved in a case, Gabbi’s energy stands in stark contrast to the gloomy setting. This contrast works well, making Chopra stand out like a not-so-sore thumb.

There’s also the inclusion of the breaking of the fourth wall à la Fleabag. For an investigative thriller, this experiment could work well considering the audience is often busy wondering what the brilliant mind on screen is thinking. It adds a layer of whimsy.

Charlie Chopra’s issue is that it focuses more on this whimsy than the art itself, the breaking of the wall isn’t structured well enough to have the same effect as experiments like Fleabag and Deadpool.

There’s also the matter of overpopulating a narrative. Christie’s stories do rely on this overpopulation, the chaos that rises from one too many motives and shady characters but here, most of the characterisation relegates some of the interesting, zany characters to the sidelines. The main suspect (or scapegoat?) is Jimmy Nautiyal (Vivaan Shah).

But then there is the victim’s best friend Colonel Anand Barua (Baharul Islam) who is willing to fight a blizzard just to check on his friend, a disgruntled cop Narayan Joshi (Ghanshyam Gard), the mysterious gossip Miss Bharucha (Ratna Pathak Shah), the brigadier’s tenants ‘the Negis’ (Damini Basu and Amitabh Bhattacharjee), his brother Mohan (Lalit Parimoo) and his wife Janki (Neena Gupta) who is a psychoanalyst, and a semi-classical singer (Lara Dutta).

And this isn’t even the entire list. I am sure there are some characters that have also slipped through the cracks of my memory.

From the characters at the sidelines, some shine through purely because of their skill. Ratna Pathak Shah slips into an expert Parsi accent, which is just one of the subtleties she adds to her role that make her immensely watchable the entire time. Neena Gupta has her moments, stealing the energy in every scene to focus on her. When she says something, you are compelled to believe it despite being acutely aware of the fact that every character might be fibbing.

It is a mistake to not have given Lara Dutta more to do. In the very first sequence, Dutta’s reaction makes you watch, and makes you listen. As the episodes roll by, you’re left wondering what this character is hiding under the surface of a watchful mother. The scene-stealer in Charlie Chopra, however, is Priyanshu Painyuli as journalist Sitaram Bisht, who aids Charlie in her investigation.

The chemistry between a sleuth driven by ambition and armed with amateur tools and a journalist with a knack for investigation is one of the more delightful aspects of the show.

There is no dearth of red herrings and possible twists and turns in Charlie Chopra and yet, it’s disheartening that the ending comes off feeling rather gimmicky. Perhaps I am affected by the brilliance of Kenneth Branaugh’s latest Christie adaptation A Haunting in Venice or the mastery Bhardwaj has earlier exhibited in understanding and exploring literature like Shakespeare’s but Charlie Chopra doesn’t come across as the revelation I thought it would.

Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley remains, at its essence, a watchable show. Whether you let its flaws outweigh its wins is your decision to make. I came out of the show feeling underwhelmed but with a lingering feeling of satisfaction – maybe the whodunit genre doesn’t have to die a slow death.

My take – An ok watch!

 

Mumbai Diaries – The 2^nd season came out in 2023. Based on happenings at a Mumbai hospital during flood.

A review from lensmensreviews.com…

The second season of Mumbai Diaries has Nikkhil Advani and the team shifting the timeline to tell us the dramatized version of the 2005 Mumbai floods. Just like the first season, even though the action mainly happens outside, Advani and his writers take the story and its angst to the Bombay General Hospital, making it that sample space of the bigger picture. It was a bit too filmy in terms of dialogue and drama in the initial episodes. But, gradually, as the numerous subplots started to merge towards the end, I sort of found myself rooting for the story’s emotion rather than nitpicking.

Seven months after the 26/11 attack, Dr. Kaushik Oberoi is under scrutiny as the martyred ATS officer Anant Kelkar’s wife had lodged a medical negligence case against him. Diya Parekh’s statement was also used against Oberoi in court, and the working environment in the Bombay General Hospital also had an impact because of all this drama. We see the story of that one night when the flooding started, and all these people had to put aside their differences and personal trauma to save the city’s people.

The series graph is somewhat opposite in terms of rhythm in the second season. Dr. Oberoi, who was in this rebel mode throughout the first season, is on a defensive track. So, unlike the first season, where we were shown how hectic the ER and other facilities are, the second season has a sedated pace, depicting the state of mind of most of the characters. But as the elements of flood start to kick in and the action gets going, you overlook the filmy aspects of the writing. The subplots in the series include various categories of personal problems, and even though their entry points weren’t that smooth, they blended with the main narrative gradually.

More than the writing, I would say the making creates palpable drama in the story. Nikkhil Advani predominantly uses the hospital and its interiors to convey the story. Every other subplot in the movie is in some way connected to the hospital. The abusive relationship of Chitra, the career conundrum of Oberoi, the orthodox mother of Sanjana, Ahaan’s feeling of not being heard, Sujatha’s constant fight against protocol, etc., all manages to get a conclusion that sort of works. The limited lights on the visuals are definitely helping the series to create the desired level of tension.

As Dr. Oberoi, who is more vulnerable and confused this time, Mohit Raina was convincing in that character. Konkona Sen Sharma as Chitra Das gets more space this time as the story explores her personal track more, and she was really good at pulling off that confused character. The characters Ahaan, Diya, and Sujata have more prominence this time, and Satyajeet Dubey, Natasha Bharadwaj, and Mrunmayee Deshpande delivered top-notch performances as those characters. Parambrata Chattopadhyay is there in the cast this time as the abusive husband of Chitra Das. Even though his London accent sounded a bit forced, the psychopathic transition was perfect on screen. Prakash Belawadi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Tina Desai, Balaji Gauri, Vidya Paul, and a few more names are reprising their roles from the previous season very impressively.

On a craft level, I would compare it with the recent Malayalam blockbuster 2018. The script is a bit template-ish. Dialogues are mostly filmy. But, the characters’ emotions and willpower will connect with the viewers as the story goes toward the final moments. “Difficult to sit through” is a term I usually associate with terrible creations. But I feel the quality of Mumbai Diaries Season 2 is so good in terms of cinematography and production design that I think calling it a difficult-to-sit-through creation will be an appreciation for the effort.

My Take – A good watch!

Athidhi – Came out in 2023.Unexpected guests enters the loner's house and life, unleashing the series of horrific events. Everyone becomes a suspect and a victim.

A review from IMDB...

Venu Thottempudi, who recently made his comeback on the silver screen, is now back with his OTT debut series Athidhi. Written and directed by Bharath Y.G., the show stars Avanthika Mishra, Venkatesh Kakumanu, and Aditi Gautam in other vital roles. The series is currently streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar in multiple Indian languages. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Ravi Varma (Venu Thottempudi), a writer, lives in a mansion along with his paralyzed wife, Sandhya (Aditi Gautam). On a rainy night, a mysterious woman named Maaya (Avanthika Mishra) comes to Ravi’s house and asks the latter if she can stay in the mansion that night. Ravi agrees to the same and lets her in. On the other hand, a YouTuber named Savari (Venkatesh Kakamanu), who generally makes videos on ghost hunting, gets petrified after seeing a ghost.

He, too, seeks shelter at Ravi’s mansion. Savari sees Maaya there, and he believes she is not a human but, indeed, a ghost. He suggests to Ravi that they should leave the mansion soon in order to save their lives. Who is this Maaya? What is the mystery around her? What did Ravi and Savari do then? This is what the series is about.

Plus Points:

The story takes off right from the opening scene without any delay, and the key characters are neatly introduced. The horror factor in the backdrop makes things interesting initially. Venu Thottempudi delivered a subtle performance in this horror thriller. The way he emoted in key sequences is so good, and Athidhi proves he still has it.

Avanthika Mishra got a neat role, and she performed quite well. She looked so good, and also, there is a message that was given to society through her character. Venkatesh Kakamanu was adorable in the role of a YouTuber. His simple yet effective portrayal leaves a mark.

Neninthe beauty Aditi Gautam is decent in her given role. Ravi Varma and Bhadram did what was expected of them. The background score was in accordance with the horror theme. There are a couple of short stories within the series, and they are effective.

Minus Points:

The story of the series is very good on paper, but the same was not translated effectively onto the screen. There was a huge scope for delivering thrills through jumpscare moments and other horror effects, but the execution lacked the punch. The spooky effects didn’t work as intended, as makers resorted to cliched scenes. 

The biggest drawback, however, is the way the twists are revealed. The series relies heavily on these twists, and had they been executed in a fair manner, the impact would have been a lot better. One can see the twists coming from a mile away due to the way a few scenes are presented, and this is where the show falters.

Also, the way the series ends is disappointing. Plot-wise, a lot happens in the last episode, but things are rushed for no reason here. Some scenes ended abruptly, and more detailing was required for a few aspects.

Technical Aspects:

Kapil Kumar’s background score is neat, and the impact of a few scenes got better due to his score. The cinematography by Manojh Katasani is good. The series runs at a fast pace, but as the show nears the end, things seem rushed up. The production values are fine.

Coming to the writer-director Bharath he came up with a good story, but he could have done a better job regarding the presentation. The subject’s potential isn’t thoroughly utilized, as the show doesn’t succeed in delivering the thrills and chills.

Verdict:

On the whole, Athidhi is a half-baked horror thriller that has a few moments going its way. Venu Thottempudi, Avanthika Mishra, and Venkatesh Kakamanu gave good performances. Despite having an interesting premise and story, the show doesn’t offer the expected thrills. Athidhi doesn’t rise over an extent also due to the way key twists are revealed.

My Take – An ok watch. Was good till 2^nd last episode.  Last episode spoiled it.

Cheers till next time😊!