First things first, in the world of OTT medium, especially when it comes to family dramas, Bebaakee has to be one of the most lavish productions. Especially when it comes to the indoor sets and the opulence, Bebaakee is out there in comparison with some of the feature films. As a matter of fact the family set up which is shown, especially with two age old friends and media moghuls (Mohit Chauhan, Sameer Malhotra) living together in the same mansion with their wives, could well be straight out of a Sooraj Barjatya film.
They wine, they dine over kebabs in the breakfast and there is a whole team of servers who walk in queue to serve them in ‘chaandi Ki thaali’. Frankly, even the Barjatyas would be impressed. Opulence takes a different meaning altogether as the lady of the house, Suchitra Pillai, has a personal assistant who is on standby with variety of juices on a tray and once she is through with it, also paints her nails and nods her head in approval for any idea shared, be it good or bad.
While the seniors of the house are living a semi-retired life, they have left it on their sons (Kushal Tandon and Karan Jotwani) to take business decisions, one of which includes taking over the whole company in a matter of seconds after it has stolen its breaking news. Well, if you can’t break them, then acquire them, and even if that creates a heartburn for the ‘small fish’ reporter (Shiv Jyoti Rajput), ‘pyaar to hona hi tha’.
It’s just that Bebaakee takes longer than usual for this feeling to emerge. With each of the 10 episodes lasting a mere 20 odd minutes each, this Muzammil Desai series has a lot of things happening in rapid success (including even dialogue delivery by practically all characters) but when it comes to realisation of love, it is way too late in the day. Somehow, going by even the grammar of a web series, one waits for the action to unfold a little earlier.
The action does unfold though when it comes to establishing the bromance between first the seniors of the house and then the juniors, even as the women of the house comprising of the lady running the show (Suchitra Pillai), the one who is bullied (Ananya Bellos) and then the other wife (Krittika Desai), have their own battles to fight. Thankfully, it isn’t in the soap opera style and hence the ethos of what you expect in an upmarket web series is maintained.
Meanwhile, there are the usual tropes of takraar, pyaar aur izhaar that come into play with age old adage of ‘dosti badi ya ishq’ coming into play. As the promo had indicated, this one emerges as a love triangle eventually and now Kushal, Shiv Jyoti and Karan need to figure out the best way out for one and all, even as the scenic locales of Simla surround them from all corners.
What stitches the narrative together is the song ‘Intehaan’ which is actually one of the best things about the series. It has the kind of sound that one associates with a Vikram Bhatt film and plays on with the kind of mood that is on display. Meanwhile debutant Shiv Jyoti, a cross between Kriti Sanon and Kriti Kharbanda, makes sure that she leaves a good impression in her very first outing. She is confident and photogenic, and approaches her part with a good understanding. Kushal plays the brooding part, as required whereas Karan, reminding of Aparshakti Khurana at a few points, is the one who is required to bring on the playful appeal. He is good.
In the times when thrillers are the order of the day on the OTT medium, it is good to see ALT Balaji and ZEE5 bringing a web series that has romance and drama with a family setting at its core.