Shreyas Pande

in The Hindu

It has a Tigmanshu Dhulia design but not a Tigmanshu Dhulia soul.

in The Hindu

The latest offering in the same mix is Hello Bachhon, a crossover between the remains of The Kota Factory and the emotional capacity of a CSR advertisement.

in The Hindu

The seasoned actor fails to create any magic as the show seems to make him a figure he struggles to embody with conviction.

in The Hindu

It is delightful to see her first tryst with love unfold like a silent film as Siddhu (Rachit Singh), a likeable Sikh music teacher is smitten by her beauty.

in The Hindu

Much of its visual vividness, which comes with a blend of pastel colours and incandescent lighting, only paints a romantic picture of the past — one that seems cut off more from hyper-stylistic comic strips than a history book.

in Cinema Express

None of it is enough to put you back in action. The film wants to be slick and quirky but doesn’t go beyond surface-level embellishments. If the story dulls you out, the filmmaking tires you over. Diljit’s voiceover adds a certain spark but it’s not as consistently placed. The film, which is named after the detective, becomes more about the case and less about him. His presence is coincidental; it could have very well been any other detective and the film would have still been the same. Sherdil doesn’t have even an iota of charm as Diljit, the global star. He falls flat in most of the scenes majorly due to a confused treatment.

in Cinema Express

Through all of this, the series begins to feel repetitive soon, even with the episodes being timed just under 30 minutes. Bhuvan takes on the other side here after dabbling against the law as Shahid Kapoor’s buddy in the crime drama, Farzi (2023). He carries a certain restraint in his performance initially, but it quickly spreads into a confusing piece as the writing doesn’t quite give him the push. The actor’s unmatched energy and aura in Farzi feel slightly underutilised here. The show needed to be a bit more open, a bit less hesitant and a tad more dense to be true to the bleak nature of its themes. Right now, it just brushes away the conflict. The plot doesn’t thicken; the ideas don’t marinate. It just remains a sum total of its parts but never quite comes together as a whole.

in The Hindu

There is a fun, feel-good and festive vibe to the show, even though the sets and production design carry a sense of plasticity. It is a Netflix series after all and the grandness is up for show. So, barring the disjoint created by the overly-sanitised aesthetics, Single Papa gets the emotions right. It offers an alternate display of masculinity which is particularly pleasing to watch. It is also a treat to witness a giant Dayanand Shetty in the role of a male nanny or a “manny”, as the show calls him. “Why can’t manliness be maternal”, he argues in a scene. The show blossoms in these smaller moments, sprawling a thought, shedding a tear and bringing a smile, all at once.

in Cinema Express

Writers Amina Khan and Ravi Kumar instill a generic finding-yourself arc to her story. There are structural issues in the screenplay as well which operates without a well-established conflict and goal. Everything just feels too concocted, designed only to move towards a specific point without a natural progression. At one moment, a wedding song has just ended and right in the next scene, there’s talk of Salma suddenly wanting to go to London. It is just all too convenient. The film still emulates a sense of feel-good vibe through the well-placed visuals and some stray attempts at humour. It is just not as sharp-witted or warm to make for an effective experience. The sentiment of the makers doesn’t quite translate into scenes, which are filled with gags that go nowhere and emotions that are left hanging.

in Cinema Express

In the presence of the subservient writing then, the performances have to do the heavy lifting. Raveena Tandon plays Tanvi with an innocent appeal, pulling away her complex emotions when the need arises. She has a pleasing presence on-screen, as also discussed by two male lawyers in the film who feel that she lightens up the courtroom. Satish Kaushik is lovable as he finds the truth of his character with ease and so does Manav Vij, who brings in a sensitive gaze to the husband who grows to respect his wife’s profession. Anushka Kaushik shows a promising sign of the good performer she is even when the writing doesn’t do her much justice.