Do you know what’s even more fun than watching Bollywood movies? Discussing Bollywood actors. Gossiping is in our blood. And if instead of just specific news, we get a long, full show – Showtime with seven episodes to binge-watch, it feels even better. Not just that, imagine if the face of the show is an actor who is criminally underrated in the film industry, but so talented that he could create an entire industry on his own. A hero whose movie names we might not remember, but whose songs we grew up listening to from childhood to youth — Emraan Hashmi.
Cast
- Mahima Makwana
- Rajeev Khandelwal
- Emraan Hashmi
- Mouni Roy
- Shriya Saran
- Naseeruddin Shah
- Vishal Vashishtha
- Neeraj Madhav
- Vijay Raaz
- Lillete Dubey
- Shataf Figar
- Denzil Smith
Photos
Release Date
8 March 2024
Genre
- Drama
- Romance
- Triller
Rating
3 / 5
Overview
It’s so easy to tempt you all. You get happy so quickly. Have you forgotten that not everything that shines from a distance is gold like this Showtime web-series. I’m talking about the web series Showtime. A new Bollywood web show that has been released straight to your home, on OTT, meaning Hotstar. Actually, this is part two. A few months ago, they released four episodes and then vanished.
Now, with three more episodes, they have completed Season One with a total of seven episodes. Honestly, whoever had the idea to release every web series in two parts with a gap of four to five months — there’s a special place waiting for you in hell, where Yamraj himself will come and personally serve you, giving you a hot oil massage.
The Showtime web series is actually about exposing Bollywood. The story follows the biggest producer in the film industry, someone who handles 100–200 crores with a snap of his fingers. Before you start connecting the fictional story with real life and guessing who it might be based on, let me tell you — don’t waste your time. They have blended 10–15 real-life personalities into each character so that no one can guess exactly who they are based on. It’s completely fictional, okay?
So, Raghu Bhaiya, while chasing after his dream of making movies, forgets that in the chessboard of life, he is only a pawn, and the real king is his senior — his father. One day, his father suddenly says goodbye to life and, instead of putting his son in charge, appoints his granddaughter as the head, shocking everyone. The twist is that a few hours earlier, even this girl didn’t know she was the granddaughter of the richest producer in the film industry.
The battle is now between two people — one who, according to the rules of nepotism, should have been the rightful heir, and the other, who got a wildcard entry and a chance to become the queen of the film industry. But the real fun begins when these big-time movie directors and producers find their lives turning into a spicy movie themselves. The credit for that goes to a third new player — the legend of “Kaauwa Biryani”, Vijay Raaz Sir, who enters the chessboard like a lion.
You have heard of elephants, horses, kings, queens in chess — but where did this lion come from? This is exactly the reaction of the two most powerful people in the industry. Now that the lion is here, he will hunt. The real question is, who will betray whom in order to save themselves? Will business end up overpowering family ties?
The subject of Showtime had the potential to become the greatest OTT series ever made in India because Bollywood itself was the topic. But ironically, the same thing became its biggest weakness. Instead of truly exposing Bollywood, the makers got busy covering it up. You turn on the TV expecting real exposure, but what you get is a bandage covering the wounds of the film industry.
When you are making a big series like this Showtime, why be shy? They should have shown something that no one knew before — something that could really shake Bollywood. But instead, Showtime spends seven episodes showing the same recycled stuff you already read every day on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
There is only one reason why you won’t feel like quitting the show midway — Emraan Hashmi’s no-nonsense performance. His attitude is on a different level. He can make even the biggest actors look small with his screen presence. Every time he appears on screen, he lights it up. His way of delivering dialogues is so powerful that even when he swears for the first time, you just feel like clapping.
But truly impactful cinema needs a strong villain or a side hero to stand against the main hero. Like Amitabh Sir in Kalki 2898 AD movie. Sadly, the main character Mahika in Showtime won’t impress you much, which defeats the entire purpose of the series. If an outsider — someone like you and me — enters the film industry, it should feel extraordinary. They should have done something that’s only possible in cinema. Vijay Raaz Sir tries a bit to save the show by bringing in a grey-shaded character and some hidden twists and turns, but his role is so underused that even he can’t do much.
Leaving everything for Season Two has become a terrible habit. Showtime is basically just a time-pass series. If you have nothing good to watch, you can play Showtime in the background while doing housework — you won’t miss much.
Emraan Hashmi’s presence and the stylish filmmaking make Showtime feel like the show had potential and came from big people. But the biggest negatives are weak writing, dragging the story till the end of seven episodes and still depending on a Season Two, wasting talented actors (which is a big sin), and a very weak portrayal of the main lead character. And of course, Bollywood shown through heavy filters — what’s new in that? It’s better to use your time wisely.