SHOWTIME SEASON 1 STORY: One of Bollywood’s most significant and powerful film studios is bequeathed to a young entertainment reporter. She draws battle lines with her haughty half-brother, and they engage in combat in full view of the media.
SHOWTIME SEASON 1 REVIEW: Introducing Raghu Khanna (Emraan Hashmi), the brash, conceited, and ill-mannered heir apparent to Viktroy Studios, the legendary brand founded by Viktor Khanna (Naseerudddin Shah), with whom Raghu disagrees on filmmaking and the movie industry. Despite having survived numerous storms, their studio is set to fail under Raghu. Viktor is drawn to a young reporter named Mahika Nandy (Mahima Makwana) who disparages their latest movie at that very moment. Their lives are forever altered by what occurs next.
It’s a guilty-pleasure show that indulges in every cliche imaginable. From erratic, elderly superstars who have become detached from reality to alluring item girls who are viewed as gold-diggers and frequently experience difficulties breaking through as actors. A young journalist who strives to maintain the integrity of her work at all costs is juxtaposed with south sensations whose unexpected rise to fame in the Hindi film industry is a mystery. While heavily referencing real-to-reel films, directors Mihir Desai and Archit Kumar also aim for a garish and boisterous aesthetic. This is no place for subtlety. You can tell who each on-screen character is based on from the very first episode.
Although there is nothing new to reveal, the emphasis is still on exposing the dark side of Bollywood to the public. Even after you realize that the story has a lot of cliches forced into it in order to capture the spirit of the business, it’s still snack-worthy. Even though they give the story more star power, the cameos by Mrunal Thakur and Janhvi Kapoor add little to the plot. The show’s high point and the plot’s main driver is the intense struggle between Raghu and Mahika for supremacy.
Emraan Hashmi, who played the brazen heir in “The Dirty Picture,” does a fantastic job in this role. It’s also always better to see him as the haughty bad boy rather than the nice-guy softie.Mahima Makwana jumps at the chance to show off her skills, transforming from the devout girl next door into a bossy lady in no time. As a character that she is arduously trying to break free from in real life, Mouni Roy once again gets the raw end of the stick. The annoying superstar Armaan Singh, who has outlived his fame but still has tantrums, is played deliciously by Rajeev Khandelwal.
The portrayal of the cunning actress Mandira by Shriya Saran could have been more nuanced. In the first four episodes that have so far been released on the platform, Naseeruddin Shah’s potential is sadly underutilized. In the upcoming four episodes, which will air in June, hopefully, we will see a little more from his character.
With insufficient depth to explore Bollywood’s subtle nuances, “Showtime” comes across as more caricatured than serious. It takes a cursory approach with shoddy writing, leaving us with a somewhat amusing but ultimately forgettable experience, rather than providing a deep investigation of industry secrets.
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