The Fame Game review: Madhuri Dixit-led Netflix series is a deceptive mystery | Web Series
The Fame Sport delivers on its two guarantees. Firstly, the Sri Rao-created Netflix sequence justifies its title. A pulpy tackle what it takes to grow to be well-known in Bollywood is served up as a twisty thriller surrounding the disappearance of a prime actor. Secondly, The Fame Sport does proper by Madhuri Dixit in her streaming debut. (Additionally learn: Madhuri Dixit talks about her OTT debut with The Fame Sport: ‘I’m all the time right here, any discuss of comeback is loopy’)
Not that we get to know something new in regards to the darkish facet of celebrities. Via eight 45-minute-long episodes, what we get are tropes we already affiliate with superstar life: affairs, stalkers, monetary points, home issues, troubled childhood, the works. However all of that is wrapped up in a particularly participating screenplay by Rao and co-writers Shreya Bhattacharya, Akshat Ghildial, Amita Vyas, and Nisha Mehta. Administrators Bejoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohli extract top-notch performances from their celebrity lead and a bunch of attention-grabbing actors surrounding her.
Madhuri Dixit performs Bollywood diva Anamika Anand, who goes lacking after an awards operate. The episodes transfer backwards and forwards in time, revealing just a little about Anamika’s life prior to now, whereas clouding her current as police officer Shobha (Rajshri Deshpande) investigates the case with a palpable dislike for the Bollywood crowd. Shobha’s antipathy to the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown slowly morphs right into a grudging and heat respect for Anamika as she uncovers the actor’s previous.
However is Anamika actually who she desires Shobha – and the viewers – to suppose she is? Initially, her amiable character is a thriller. She is clearly bothered by her marital life, her issues in the home, her damaged relationship along with her youngsters, the record goes on. That she smiles and troopers on is, nicely, comprehensible on the work entrance. However how she hasn’t misplaced it in personal is tough to know.
It’s when her character bares her fangs within the ultimate few episodes, we see why Dixit’s nonetheless obtained it.
The 2 different main performances of the sequence are by Lakshvir Saran and Muskkaan Jaaferi, who play Anamika’s troubled, angst-bitten youngsters. Each younger performers go one-on-one with Dixit in a bunch of scenes and fantastically maintain their very own.
Saran performs Avi, who has his justifiable share of reputable points, which features a hot-and-cold relationship together with his mom. Avi is an intense, delicate fellow, and Saran’s efficiency is actually one of the crucial touching points in a sequence the place most characters are devious or out of depth.
Jaaferi performs Amara, whose mommy points stem from her ambition to be as fashionable and wished as her mom, whereas having to dwell in her shadow. Jaaferi is kind of entertaining to look at as her character strikes from being candy to sinister in a slow-burn method.
The trauma inflicted on youngsters by their mother and father’ actions performs an enormous function in The Fame Sport. A lot of the story hinges on younger Anamika’s relationship along with her domineering mom, performed by Suhasini Mulay. Anamika’s mom is an absolute shark, who compelled her daughter to work within the movie enterprise when she was barely an grownup. She had management on Anamika’s life and profession from an early age, which she is in no temper to relinquish. She is clearly the boss of the home.
Sanjay Kapoor, reuniting with Dixit after 25 years, performs Anamika’s shady film producer husband Manish. Kapoor carries a little bit of his character from the excellent Dibakar Banerjee brief movie in Lust Tales. Manish alternates between being honest and slimy. He performs quick and unfastened with Anamika’s funds, usually holding his film star spouse at the hours of darkness about his investments and expenditures. Collectively, the mother-husband duo is sufficient to drive Anamika loopy.
Then there’s film star Manish (Manav Kaul) with whom Anamika was as soon as romantically shut. Manish reenters Anamika’s life months earlier than she goes lacking and turns into one of many suspects. The divorced, privately brooding actor nonetheless pines for Anamika. He occurs to even have psychological well being issues. Kaul actually makes Manish a extremely watchable, well-rounded character. Makrand Deshpande exhibits up late in an attention-grabbing function, which I’d prefer to know extra about within the second season.
Andrew Orkin and Harini Raghavan’s rating is among the many greatest scores I’ve heard in an internet sequence in fairly some time. The bar has already been low, although. Vaibhavi Service provider choreographs Anamika’s dances. It’s good to see Dixit in her aspect once more, however the dance sequences are small components of movies inside the sequence and are nothing to lose sleep over. As a lot as Dixit’s star energy and charisma, aided by excellent supporting performances, carries the present, what in the end makes The Fame Sport work is the writing. It left me questioning what is going to occur to Anamika, what turns will the story take.
Internet sequence: The Fame Sport
Forged: Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Kapoor, Manav Kaul, Lakshvir Saran, Muskkaan Jaaferi
Administrators: Bejoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohli
