Hello Binge watchers
Netflix India seems to be on a mission to destroy our neuronal circuits and render us incapable of logical thinking. That is the first thing that came to my mind after painstakingly spending almost 5 hours of my life watching their latest offering “Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein”.
If you have already watched this series, you have my sympathies but in case you haven’t and you are planning to watch, it is better to read ahead before taking that plunge.
The overview
Series begins on a very interesting note, and you are introduced to the fictional town of Onkara which is ruled by the iron fist of a local Bahubali politician. The chief protagonist is narrating his life story as it is divulged that he is the son of the same politicians’ chief accountant. We are also introduced one by one in quick succession to the other major players in this story.
The basic premise of this series is that of a politicians daughter who has a possessive crush over our main protagonist, and to fulfil his daughters wish, the father goes to extreme lengths, which in turn creates chaos in the life of all the other characters involved.
The Problematic plot
On first glance, this may seem like a very intriguing plot, and it actually is but the amount of exaggeration shown in this story makes it unbearable towards the end. Firstly, the stereotyping of a typical Northern Indian town as one where lawlessness runs rampant is extremely disturbing.
Secondly, the exaggeration of certain sequences makes it extremely funny but not in a good way. Just imagine, a local politician is shown as holding so much power that he not only kills but mutilates and disposes of the body of an SSP ranked IPS with almost zero consequences. The sequence where all the basic amenities of our protagonist’s home are curtailed looks extremely unreal. I guess the writers are still living in the fantasy world of movies like Nayak.
The particular sequence where the lead female protagonist is shown stuck in the boot of a car for almost 2 episodes, is highly irritable. Towards the end of the first season, writers have thrown in everything from dark web to Bitcoins to hired assassins and ended up creating an unpalatable khichdi of sorts.
Acting
On the acting front, the only actor who actually creates some interest in this series every time he appears on screen is Anant Joshi who plays Golden. His comic timing is the best aspect of this series.
Among other performers, Saurabh Shukla continues to play Saurabh Shukla as always. The lead actors Tahir Raj Bhasin impresses in the first few episodes as a troubled man with no guts, but towards the end his acting goes down the hill.
A talented actress like Shweta Tripathi has been completely wasted in the role of the proverbial damsel in distress.
Anchal Singh as Purva has done a fine act of playing a psychotic and possessive lover. Apart from these lead actors, the other actors have all given fair performances. Sadly, the direction and the exaggerated drama has failed them.
The Final Verdict
Overall, this series is skippable and the desire of the writers to write a second season gives an even stronger reason to skip this one entirely. If you still wish to watch, keep that finger on the forward button, especially during the last four episodes.
