nikhilnaz

Some average acting, cliched dialogues and a predictable story twists (if one can even call them that) makes this another run-of-the-mill production. Barring a few exceptions, Mumbai Diaries is another reminder why our Indian filmwalas still have a lot to learn when it comes to making TV/Web series. It's a different format which requires storytelling of a different kind.

Easily one of the most uncomfortable movie watching experience of my life......And that is exactly what one craves for in a dark thriller! The camerawork, screenplay and editing is top notch that eventually makes this a fine piece of cinema. There are no supernatural elements, monsters or jump scares in this one- just the story and its narration are enough to unsettle most. Though some viewers may find the gore and violence a bit disturbing. Overall, the performances are excellent (especially the antagonists- Old Mother, Ghanshyam and Bhola) but there are a few scenes where the two protagonists end up hamming while portraying pain and fear. The only other negative one found was the liberal and exaggerated use of the background score to incite fear- that could have been toned down and the film would have still been as scary as it was intended to. Once you watch it- be sure the story will stay with you for days. And watch it you must!

An absolutely brilliant film. It's rare to find such tastefully done dark comedies coming out of the Hindi film industry. Even though the entire film is set in a single location and plays out over one night- yet, it never drags! Instead, keeps you hocked and entertained throughout. Thumbs up for the casting, that eventually translates into some fine performances. A special mention of the dialogues- which are clever, witty and a breathe of fresh air amidst all the cliched writing one comes across in Bollywood.

The premise on which the entire story is based is a great idea. A plane that took off 35 years ago from Kolkata crash lands in today (current times). With this premise the story begins well. The story telling and direction is crisp and other elements like dialogues and music do a good job of building intrigue and suspense that pulls a viewer in. However, as soon as the science fiction element of the story begins to unfold, things take a turn for the worse. More than the science fiction idea, it's the execution that is poor.. almost juvenile. You feel you are watching a children's fable unfold rather than a serious quantum physics/time travel story. That said, I would like to compliment the makers for at least trying because science fiction is a genre that is rarely explored by Indian/hindi content creators. So, on that front, it is a welcome change; one that, hopefully, encourages more Indian writers/directors to take the plunge. Now to the performances: The minimalistic and understated style of Abhay Deol shines through once again. Rajesh Sharma as Gaurango does what he does in all his performances- make you genuinely like the guy he's playing. The first time Ritika Anand appears on screen, you instantly get the feeling that she isn't comfortable being in front of the camera and that from hereon she may struggle to convince you with her performance. And then, when you see the end credits and notice her name featured as the 'producer' of the series, you realise why she has been cast in that important role in the first place. What turned out to be the biggest disappointment was the performances of two of the finest actors that we have in the country: Pankaj Kapur and Piyush Mishra. It was a travesty to see a fine talent like Piyush Mishra been wasted as a mad physics professor. Surely the character could have been developed with a little more depth and nuance by the director- which would have allowed Mishra to use his craft more dynamically- rather than just assign him a stereotypical personality of being eccentric: a cliched trait of a genius. And to see Pankaj Kapur use a few Hindi words with a thick Bengali accent, so as justify playing a Bengali character seemed force and.....wait for it.... artificial- a word one seldom uses for the man. The words and their pronunciation wasn't the issue per se, it was the inconsistence in using those words, almost randomly, that was cringeworthy. Instead, him speaking in chaste Hindi throughout may have been a better option.

Take a random archaeological site... throw a protagonist that keeps dreaming of his/her past....just add assorted signs, papers, audio cassettes... introduce someone who has supernatural powers.. and you are ready!

While these ingredients are common place in every mystery thriller you may have seen... yet, if done right, you will still see a palatable offering emerge from these ingredients. But, unfortunately, that's not the case with The Gift. During the entire season all the elements (story, mystery, clues, characters, locations) seem disjointed. There is no natural flow that binds these elements together. Instead they seem to be forcefully held together by the storyteller which makes the story look artificial and fails to connect at a deeper level with the viewer.

Think of it like a maze where obstacles are placed based on where you are running instead of you running based on how the obstacles are placed.

While the performances and cinematography is praise worthy. The shallowness of the story remains The Gift 's biggest drawback.

I imagine what started as a good story idea (what do you do when you haven't committed a crime yet all the circumstantial and tangible evidences point at you) turned out to be a dull, run-of-the-mill, average story in the end.

From the development of the plot to the development of characters, the story left much to be desired. Each twist and turn (if you can even call it that in the absence of any imagination/originality) is so predictable that you might be fooled into believing that you've got soothsaying powers. The characters on the other hand stubbornly follow the personality arc created for them by the writer and show no signs of moulding their behaviour and reaction according to the mood, pace and direction of the story. Put together- it all feels rather artificial and in the end doesn't allow the viewer to immerse himself in the story.

That this comes from the house of the master storyteller Stephen King, makes it even more shocking.

I'd recommend you skip it.. unless, of course, you have nothing better to do than swat flies sitting in your front porch.

There seems to be something artificial about the intrigue/suspense throughout the season. No matter how much you want to believe or get lost in the world that King has created here, your conscious mind won't let you. Primarily because of the pace at which the narrative meanders along and also the randomness of events that take place.

A weak storyline has meant that the makers have opted for jump scares and background score to deliver all the thrills, which ideally an organic story should do on its own.

Good performances but an ok'ish plot. But cliched settings and characters makes season just about an average watch. And since most reviews here rate season one the best, I didn't have the courage or the inclination to watch season 2 or 3.

The entire series seems like a PR job for the Delhi police. Pity that the makers relied solely on the inputs from cops instead of opting for multiple sources, which may have helped them present a 360 degree view rather that a one-dimensional and biased perspective.

Throughout the seven episodes the makers conveniently erased and on occasions even tampered with certain incidents where the Delhi police had goofed up. For e.g the carpenter who was robbed on the same bus just minutes before the rape had informed the cops about it, but the police took no cognisance of that at the time. But in Delhi Crime they put the blame on the carpenter for not reporting the incident at all. Other moments that were twisted to favour the narrative of the police were: a) The Delhi cops treating all the accused with kid gloves, when we all know that cops (not just in Delhi but across the globe) make life hell for such criminals whilst in custody. On one occasion a lady cop even gets a sobbing accused to speak to his mother on the phone- unbelievable! b) Discrediting the media- which had exposed lapses by the cops based on evidences- by implying that they were being forced to make villains out of the police by the powers that be. c)Showing the govt in poor light by implying that they were hell bent on shifting blame from themselves by making the police commissioner the fall guy. Kumar, it is worth recalling, is a man previously charged for forging documents whilst he was working with the CBI and his work as the BCCI head of corruption also left a lot to be desired.

Also, the public protests, one felt, were underplayed. It were restricted to a bunch of students chanting 'we want justice' as if like fillers, coming on screen occasionally. But in reality, it was really the people's movement that was the crux of this story and the one major factor that made this case so different from anything that this country had seen before.

Though nicely shot and produced, the series lacks the essential element of neutrality that a viewer so desires when watching stories inspired from real life events. For a non-partisan perspective on the case, I suggest you watch the BBC documentary 'India's Daughter'.

Absolutely freaking Brilliant!! It's like nothing that one has seen before.The kind of story that stays with you long after you've finished watching it. Stranger Things and all other sci-fi series seem juvenile after this. Every passage of the story is pacy, gripping, mind-bending and thrilling. Best is to maintain a chart while watching so as to connect all the dots. The soundtrack is sick and only adds to the mystic of the story. The only trouble with watching Dark is that anything you see after this will seem slow and boring.