Sugar, spice and everything nice – is not an adept way to put in ways to describe Amazon Prime Video’s latest series, Call Me Bae which stars Ananya Panday in the titular role and a bunch load of actors in pivotal roles. But to partially pluck from it, there is sugar and there is enough spice but indeed, not everything is nice. The series, from the get-go and with a gradual progression towards about five episodes, does follow the tropes of how we see and delve into chick flicks and fluffy topics but never veers into being loathsome.
A girl with a golden spoon being reduced to being a trophy wife to the heir of a multi-million empire but actually falling in love with him – only to make one mistake that leaves her on the road with practically nothing (except her incredibly expensive bags and accessories) might sound like a banal topic. But to the credit of director Colin D’Cunha and writers, Ishita Moitra, Samina Motlekar and Rohit Nair, they keep sprinkling emotions and moments of maturity in every episode to never kick you out of believability of this world.
There is a general claim on how comedy is the toughest nut to crack and there’s barely any scope for unanimous acclaim – that holds truer for a flick that is, for the lack of a better word, termed to be a ‘chick flick’. The room for criticism and disconnect is abundant but when the creators manage to strike a chord with the emotions intact and never insulting one’s intelligence – it is a job well done. Call Me Bae does that to a good extent.
There is a barrage of slang terms, gen-z connotations, and stereotypically ‘girly’ references but the heart is always in the right place – just like is the case for our protagonist, Bella aka Bae (Ananya Panday). The screenplay has multiple loose ends and becomes more and more predictable as episodes pass by – especially with the trope-like treatment for Bae and the journey of her self-growth; but you are hooked on it, nevertheless. The supporting cast has done a phenomenal job in providing the right aid to Panday and the standouts are Niharika Lyra Dutt as Tamaraah, Muskkan Jaaferi as Saira, Gurfateh Pirzada as Neel and of course, Vir Das as Satyajit. Especially with Das, the actor has an extensively unlikeable character to play in the show and while it is filled with anticipated developments, Das can make you hate him even more than on paper – thus succeeding in his job.
The plot developments and treatment were unfortunately wafer thin for the likes of Lisa Mishra as Harleen, who shows sparks but isn’t given much to play around with; and Mini Mathur, who probably has the most shallow and questionable arc in the show.
But the show, as obvious as it can be rests entirely on the tender but dependable shoulders of Ananya Panday. To be able to understand that this is a tailor-made role for Panday was the first step in the right direction, and add to that, the maturity that Panday has shown as an actor is remarkable. She unsurprisingly charms and pulls off the over-the-topness of her character but can intricately and effectively emote with the heart-touching scenes as well without ever going overboard.
A truckload of cameos, multiple references to real-life occurrences and happenings, and several callbacks and hidden easter eggs not only add to the fun and craziness of the world but lend gravitas to what could have been a cheap attempt to just be ‘cool’.
Call Me Bae is your fluffy, frothy milkshake of a show that is delicious to view with dollops of sugar that satisfy your viewing experience but it does get either overly sweet on a few instances, and occasionally even overly sour hindering that experience to a certain extent. It would have helped that the show ended much more cohesively without an unwanted and perplexing cliffhanger that seemed like a desperate attempt to have a certain second season if this works out well. Barring that, it is a breezy yet bodacious attempt that won’t disappoint you – and might even be loved by many out there; I won’t be surprised to see a barrage of reels and new memes getting popular soon.