Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
What: Bestseller starring Mithun Chakraborty, Shruti Haasan, Arjan Bajwa, Gauahar Khan is an angst driven crowd pleaser by Mukul Abhyankar.
OTT web series Bestseller synopsis
Writer Tahir Wazir (Arjan Bajwa) debut novel ‘Raand Saand Seedi Sanyasi’ has given him an instant shot to fame. It has been 10 years for Tahir Wazir who after the success of ‘Raand Saand Seedi Sanyasi’ has written another novel.
One day Tahir Wazir meets Meetu Mathur (Shruti Haasan) his huge fan who has a story, Tahir smells an opportunity to bounce back by using Meetu’s story.
But things go horribly wrong and terrifying when someone attacks Meetu Mathur dangerously and threatens Tahir on social media.
The great Kabir, a writer – Tahir stuck in writer’s block while his wife Mayanka (Gauhar Khan) a successful ad filmmaker is winning awards, a girl from small town who has a story to tell, an intern in Mayanka’s office Parth Acharya (Satyajeet Dubey) who has some special talents, a foodie senior police officer ACP Pramanik (Mithun Chakraborty) and her earnest assistant played by Sonalee Kulkarni.
The writers Anvita Dutt and Althea Kaushal adapt Ravi Subramanian’s book Bestseller She Wrote for this eight series thriller for Prime Video and the best part is the characterization of the characters mentioned above.
Director Mukul Abhyankar and writers Anvita Dutt and Althea Kaushal adapt a rather crowd pleasing approach to this probing and layered plot.
The approach to be mainstream and to the face at times like the characters coming on screen and announcing the episode numbers, may be off putting to a section but overall it’s edgy enough for an enjoyable binge.
As far as the potential it had – take for example the use of the doha by great Kabir for Tahir’s book “Raand, saand, seerhi, sanyasi / Inse bache to sevey Kashi” (rough translation – those who stays away from the greedy widow, the aggressive bull, the slippery steps of the Ganga ghat and fraud godmen then they can truly stay and savour in Kashi) on one hand.
And the new age technologies used as weapons – social media (tweeker instead twitter), hacking etc.
Two different worlds unite for a cause in Bestseller and that is when you feel the contrast as the mystery though takes predictable routes strengthens its grip.
Technically it’s well crafted.
Mithun Chakraborty is endearing though his hairdo was not impressive but the veteran actor brings in the required light moments and smiles.
Shruti Haasan is outstanding.
Arjan Bajwa is perfect.
Gauahar Khan is excellent.
Satyajeet Dubey is strictly okay.
Sonalee Kulkarni leaves her mark.
All seems so easy; a good degree of suspension of disbelief is required. At times to the face.
Bestseller is not the best but it’s good enough if you are coming with less expectations.
A child born from life & fed by cinema. A filmi keeda from child & a film journalist for the last fifteen years. a father, seeker, foodie who loves crooning bollywood melodies twitter.com/cineblues More By vishal verma