Showtime Review: Series aspires to uncover the darker facets of Bollywood but disappointingly fails to offer any fresh perspectives
Showtime Web Series Rating: 2 Stars
Watched Showtime Part 2 Web Series on Hotstar. So, let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Mahima Makwana, Mouni Roy, Rajeev Khandelwal, Shriya Saran, Vishal Vashishtha and Vijay Raaz
Director: Mihir Desai and Archit Kumar
Release Date: 12th July 2024 on Hotstar
Duration: 3 Episodes/ 30 Minutes
Story: In the first 4 episodes we get to know Victor Khanna (Naseerudddin Shah) does not trust his son Raghu Khanna (Emraan Hashmi) to run the production house. Despite its illustrious legacy, Viktory Studios is gradually losing its hold in Hindi cinema due to a continual flop streak. To make matters worse, its founder Victor Khanna commits suicide leaving the studio in the hands of a movie critic Mahika (Mahima Makhwana) whom he declares as his granddaughter.
We also saw how Armaan (Rajeev Khandelwal) who is the superstar but values no one and takes his stardom for granted. While his wife Mandira (Shriya Saran) is looking forward to making a comeback to movies after being on a sabbatical. On the other hand, there’s Yasmin (Mouni Roy) who is a starlet who is also Raghu’s ladylove, waiting for her big break, but in the end, we see her pregnant and in turmoil after he refuses to accept her and the baby.
In the part 2 Yasmin is torn to choose between love and her unborn child. Raghu Khanna is navigating his life after opening his new studio. Mahika Nandy is struggling to complete her ambitious film 1857 due to the unprofessionalism of the lead actor Armaan Singh. She also falls deeper into the trap set by Saajan Morarka (Vijay Raaz).
Armaan is going through a midlife crisis. His star wife Mandira Singh who is gearing up for her comeback tries to capitalize on his bad reputation. Prithvi (Vishal Vashishtha) tries to find takers for his story. What happened next to their stories and how they are tackling is all about this series.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Background Music
3. Climax
Negatives
1. Length
2. Direction
3. Story
4. Screenplay
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this web-series, planned to watch this series in free time as watched 4 episodes of part 1 and it was good in parts.
It talks about the legacy and ambition in the world of cinema, giving you a sneak peek into what goes behind the multi-million-dollar industry of Bollywood, nepotism and the power struggles at the top.
Showtime is a desperate attempt to churn pulp fiction seeped into Bollywood. It’s a show full of guilty pleasures indulging in every cliche imaginable. The focus remains on showing the audience Bollywood’s dark side but there’s nothing we don’t already know about. The raging battle for supremacy between Raghu and Mahika is the highlight of the show and it drives the narrative forward. The first part was quite engaging, but the second part feels forced. Despite concluding on a cliffhanger that sets the stage for a second season, the show lacks the necessary allure and entertainment value to truly captivate its audience. Emraan Hashmi’s commendable performance and a handful of engaging scenes provide just enough to keep viewers mildly interested. The world-building done in the first part of the season, considerably helps in part 2. A few subplots engage more than the rest. The background score is quite nice.
The series aspires to uncover the darker facets of Bollywood but disappointingly fails to offer any fresh perspectives. Rather than delivering a gritty exposé, it veers into the realm of fiction, coming across as implausible and disconnected from reality. It would have been better if everything was shown together instead of delivering disappointment in instalments. The drama, now more intense, crosses the line into melodrama, with a screenplay that feels overwrought and forced. It does not venture beyond familiar territory, sticking to well-trodden facts about filmmaking and behind-the-scenes conflicts without offering any new insights or captivating anecdotes. The result is a series that falls flat, failing to engage its audience with the hard-hitting truths it promises. Despite its glamorous packaging, it remains hollow at its core, ultimately resembling just another daily soap. One can only hope for a significant improvement in the forthcoming season. Overall, Season 1 Part 2 is a major letdown from Part 1. The thrill and the excitement built by the first part is completely lost due to how dull the show becomes by its clichés and artificiality. My view on this series Not Recommended
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