Shaad Ali directs this lighthearted, frothy and glamorous series about the lives of the agents of Bollywood stars offering a sneak peek into the actors' lives too. Its the spinoff from a French TV drama by the same name. Our protagonists all work in an agency called ART that boasts of managing the accounts of several actors, some of whom make friendly appearances across the 6 episodes, mostly representing quirky situations and dilemmas, and how the agents "offer solutions" to resolve the conflicts. But that apart, these agents have their own lives too, and we get to see some complications surrounding their professional and personal aspects.
Rajat Kapoor (Monty) and Soni Razdan play the two senior agents,whilst Aahana Kumra and Ayush Mehra are the relatively junior ones with each of them having their own portfolio of clients and an assistant. When a young girl Nia (Radhika Seth) lands up in the office of ART, she makes Monty extremely uncomfortable as he fears that their relationship may open up a can of worms. But Nia is adamant that she also wishes to be an agent in her professional career and promises not to reveal the secret. The problem arises when the majority shareholder, played by Tinnu Anand in a cameo appearance dies, and his wife deciding to sell off the company, making the employees all insecure. Simultaneously, a tax auditor lands up in the office and is hell bent on finding account misappropriation, throwing the company into an existential crisis.
It makes for a fun and frothy watch. Dia Mirza, Laura Dutta, Farah Khan, Lillette Dubey, Ila Arun, Jackie Shroff, Sarika, Akshara Haasan, Ali Fazal, Nandita Das and Richa Chadha play guest appearances. Whilst most of the stars appear to have contrived problems, Dia Mirza plays an ageing artist who has been asked to do a plastic surgery to bag a Hollywood role, and comes across as a determined and principled actor who sets her own terms, even if it means losing an opportunity, and stands out in the series. Aahana Kumra has an important role but tries too hard to play the user cool, metrosexual agent, coming across as loud, unnecessarily agitated and foul mouthed. Rajat Kapoor is poised, serious and credible in his role, whilst Soni Razdan looks tired. Radhika Seth gives a dignified performance, but Ayush Mehra is certainly the scene stealer as the Parsi agent with a heart. Suchitra Pillai makes a strong presence with her no-nonsense role, and Jackie Shroff is svelte.
Watch the series with an open mind and for fun, not expecting it to enrich your knowledge or enlighten you in any way.
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