Taish
Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Kriti Kharbanda, Jim Sarbh, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Harshvardhan Rane
Director: Bejoy Nambiar
Even for a six-part limited series, with under 30-mins episode each, Taish, a ZEE5 original, is obvious and trite to be your streaming choice this week. The Bejoy Nambiar directorial is run-of-the mill stuff that lacks originality in both conception and treatment. In parts, it seems to borrow from Hollywood revenge sagas, but this one takes itself too lightly to become engaging, or even enjoyable at any given point in time during its drab and dull run.
Taish attempts to create a certain sense of gloom around the murky storyline and reels us in initially with pathos. It is then peppered with characters who are handed complicated past and present lives due to their socio-cultural upbringing. This may sound like a good recipe for experimentation but unfortunately, it never tries to venture beyond what is obvious and hamming in emotional scenes just adds to directorial woes, which are many.
Paper-thin characterisation gives actors little space to play around with. The story, which is trying to make a profound impact by its end, is also unidimensional. Even if there was any internalisation happening for tragedy to really unravel on camera, the resultant is simply unsatisfactory and you hanker to jump onto the next scene.
Pulkit Samrat, Jim Sarbh and Harshvardhan Rane lock horns over personal losses, but their intent seems to miss the mark all along. Moreover, they are all too similar in their approach as mediocrity becomes the order of the day. Dialogues in certain portions are in Punjabi, and even though you seem to get a sense of what is being conveyed, real conversations don’t really happen or are unfathomable as they are expressed in low tones and husky texture.
Female leads Kriti Kharbanda, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Zoa Morani are looking for validation from male counterparts at all points in time and never come into their own. However, a couple of things that do work for Taish are its suburban London setting which makes for postcard frames, and background score, which is mellow and compliments the moody tones well.
Skip Taish even if there aren’t better things to watch out this week.
Rating: 1.5/5
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