Dark 7 White(Zee5, ALTBalaji)
Rating: ***
The web series supersar Sumeet Vyas, who plays the youngest chief minister of India (Chirag Paswan could have beaten him to that, but alas) is dead at the beginning of this series which talks about the rise and fall of Yudhveer Singh Rathore, who comes from royal lineage. But when it comes to s*x and power, he behaves like an alley cat. All hurried and horny, not willing to give his opponents the time of their life.
His death in the prelude gives the plot a chance to travel back in time. Yudhveer comes across as a spoilt brat who can’t bear to not have his favourite toy on his birthday. And never mind if his birthday is aeons away. Guys like Yudhveer are born to win even if they are welded by fate to losses.
The series baits the audience with heavy doses of strong language which includes ‘I don’t give a fuck’ and ‘I give a fuck’ which are the one and the same , but a norm in web series space now, we guess. Each of the ten episodes has a attractive title like Sapne Aur Sex, Politics Aur Porn, etc. The one titled after po*n ends with a bunch of girls throwing their brassieres in the air at a political rally in celebration of girl power.
The series has somewhat lofty aspirations. Cop Jatin Sarna keeps talking about films like The Butterfly Effect and Shawshank Redemption(Sarna pronounces it as ‘Shashank’ Redemption, thereby giving the jail-break film a desi touch). But the treatment of politics, s*x and ambition is kept basic to cater to the mass audience.
Director Sattwik Mohanty does a decent job however the writing could have been crisper. Performances are good enough to keep you engaged.
“Watch out Yudhi has arrived,” blares the background score to announce the hero’s arrival. Sumeet Vyas has fun with his self-important character. We hope the audience shares the same enthusiasm.