MX Players High Review : A‘stone’ ishingly Dark &Thrilling

What:A dark stoner thriller web series on the drug racket.

MX Players High Synopsis

Shiv Mathur (Akshay Oberoi) an addict suddenly one day finds himself in a remote rehab run by Doctor Roy (Prakash Belawadi) and two other junior doctors, Shweta (Shweta Basu Prasad) and Nakul (Nakul Bhalla). This group of doctors are working on a mysterious compound and analysing its wonders. Rest is how Shiv Mathur’s entry to this rehab changes the game for all concern – Shiv, the doctors, the drug racket run by Munna (Kunal Naik). Amidst all these there is a deadly professional assassin - Lakda (Ranvir Shorey) on the run.

MX Players High Review

With all these hue and cry on ‘D’ on TV with no R & D, comes this off the wall stoner thriller that is part dark, part shockingly brutal and part ‘spirit’ual. This juxtapose of tones and genres hybrids into something larger.

Anurag Kashyap directed ‘Gulaal’, ‘No Smoking’ (based on Stephen King’s Quitters, Inc – 1978) Bejoy Nambiar directed ‘Shaitan’, Agneya Singh’s ‘M Cream’, Raj and D.K’s ‘Go Goa Gone’ the journey of Indian stoner, surrealism and psychedelic imagery is limited. Nikhil Rao’s High intoxicatingly intensifies the ‘recovery’ (read adds momentum) and provides hope in this series based on the huge racket of dope.

The writing by Nikhil Rao, Emil Thomas, Nishant Goyal is realistic. Abstract, elusive, but having the power to invade into your mind. High is experimental and the dialogues by Shirish Daiya are finely tuned with the atmosphere and the lingo is right.

Performances

The ensemble cast is powerful.

Akshay Oberoi is rightly intense and likable.

Ranvir Shorey scores again in the role of an assassin suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Mrinmayee Godbole is fine.

Shweta Basu Prasad leaves her mark. Kunal Naik as the lunatic drug lord is very impressive.

Prakash Belawadi is competent as ever.

Nakul Bhalla is fantastic.

Mantra Mugdh is fabulous.

And last but not the least Madhur Mittal as Jimmy is very effective. 

Technicalities

K.U. Mohanan and John Jacob Payyapalli’s photography is brilliantly toned. Editing by Shivkumar V. Panicker is in sync with the past and present style of narration.

Flaws

High is realistic, abstract, elusive, has the power to invade into your senses but it fails to attain the everlasting sublime effect.

Any scene that should be deleted at once

The repeated surreal sadistic erotica coming from nowhere. The snorting of powder could have been easily reduced.

Any memorable scene/dialogue

The morning of Shiv in the rehab.

Bottom line

High is an intoxicating invasion, powerfully performed rare stoner that thrills and chills. Go for it. When is the season 2?