The Bard of Blood web series has been released on Netflix. Espionage seems to be the theme these days for web series. Recently we saw the Family Man web series on Amazon Prime on similar lines.
Before reviewing the web series, would like to add that the web series on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, etc are considered to be a niche segment for an audience who have moved away from the idiot box (television shows).
The segment is still in an infancy stage, given that the number of Hindi web series is yet to hit good numbers compared to the English ones running across all the platforms. The makers need to realize that the Indian audiences have really matured up and knows the difference between a good and bad web series especially the nitty gritty of the story plots. We can see through that. Since we are still growing, expect that the makers start doing a good job on it.
Coming to the Bard of Blood, given the India Pakistan simmering tensions currently going on, the series seems to hit the right areas.
The series is based on the book by the same name written by Bilal Siddiqi in the year 2015 and also credited as writer for the series.
This is a 7 episode series starring Emraan Hashmi as the lead actor playing the role of Kabir Anand who has been dismissed from the agency and now being contacted by his ex boss Sadiq Sheikh (Rajit Kapur) to go on off the book mission to rescue four Indian agents trapped in Pakistan as they have got hold of secrets useful to India.
Before the mission could even begin, Sadiq is found dead and then began a game of cat and mouse.
One of the good thing of this web series is the way they have been able to maintain the continuity and keep you engaged. Every episode ends with you wondering what will happen next?
The focus on keeping it minimalistic, having only one plot and no subplots worked out great. Everything is weaved well within the series.
However, there are some very glaring loopholes/gaps in the plot that is hard to miss.
Isha Khanna's (Sobhita Dhulipala) disappearance. Seriously if you are working in an intel agency and don't turn up at your work, is that not noticeable? They way it has been depicted is really poor.
On top of it, there is no action on part of the Head of the agency when he comes to know she is in Balochistan in an off record mission. He knows nothing about it and does not even attempts to know, implying that he assumed its a rescue mission for the agents captured. No explanations asked for!!
The best part was the connectivity of the data card in the remote areas of Balochistan using a stolen laptop. if they can get such good connectivity then why did the four agents visited a cyber cafe to upload data? They could have done the same thing and not get caught.
The Agency Head seemed completely clueless about his role. His second in command is dead, comes to know Kabir and Isha are in pakistan and does nothing. I am not sure if the writers gave a thought to his character which they should have, given head of the agency.
The funniest scene was perhaps when they were at the oil pump station surrounded by pakistan forces and Isha was taking cover behind a metal crisscross fences. She along with Veer (Vineet Kumar Singh) were also taking their shots through them. This was so genius that reminded me of the South movies scenes or should I say Mithun Chakraborty scene taking cover behind a cycle. I hope the makers were not paying a tribute!!
The chase of Isha behind the Taliban's leader convoy has to be the dumbest scene to be scripted. You are in middle of a desert chasing a convoy and she gets caught, seriously!! If she maintained a distance of a mile too she would have know where they were going. There were no other cars in between...
Kabir finding the Royal Enfield Himalayan in the midst of the desert takes the cake.
The good part of the series is its ability to keep attention of its viewers on the screen. The climax of the season one was somewhat of an anticlimax. There was no mention of agents captured revealing the secrets for which the mission took place. On top of it information of attack finds them instead other way round, does not makes the agency look good. The ending was predictable.
Emraan Hashmi had the same expression throughout the series, not sure if that's a good thing or bad. Rajit Kapoor was impactful in a small but meaty role. Kirti Kulhari also did a good job. Sobhita Dhulipala could not do justice to her role. Sahiba Bali stood out in her minuscule role. Vineet Kumar Singh, Jaideep Ahlawat & Abhishek Khan did justice to their respective roles.
Despite the flaws in the series, one can navigate through them through a tight direction from Ribhu Dasgupta. The writers surely could have done a better job by getting hold of the loop holes/gaps which could have made these 7 episode series more fine.
Bard of Blood is recommended as as a watch as mentioned for its hold to maintain his narrative, continuity and yes the suspense throughout the series.
Do watch it.
This is a 7 episode series starring Emraan Hashmi as the lead actor playing the role of Kabir Anand who has been dismissed from the agency and now being contacted by his ex boss Sadiq Sheikh (Rajit Kapur) to go on off the book mission to rescue four Indian agents trapped in Pakistan as they have got hold of secrets useful to India.
Before the mission could even begin, Sadiq is found dead and then began a game of cat and mouse.
One of the good thing of this web series is the way they have been able to maintain the continuity and keep you engaged. Every episode ends with you wondering what will happen next?
The focus on keeping it minimalistic, having only one plot and no subplots worked out great. Everything is weaved well within the series.
However, there are some very glaring loopholes/gaps in the plot that is hard to miss.
Isha Khanna's (Sobhita Dhulipala) disappearance. Seriously if you are working in an intel agency and don't turn up at your work, is that not noticeable? They way it has been depicted is really poor.
On top of it, there is no action on part of the Head of the agency when he comes to know she is in Balochistan in an off record mission. He knows nothing about it and does not even attempts to know, implying that he assumed its a rescue mission for the agents captured. No explanations asked for!!
The best part was the connectivity of the data card in the remote areas of Balochistan using a stolen laptop. if they can get such good connectivity then why did the four agents visited a cyber cafe to upload data? They could have done the same thing and not get caught.
The Agency Head seemed completely clueless about his role. His second in command is dead, comes to know Kabir and Isha are in pakistan and does nothing. I am not sure if the writers gave a thought to his character which they should have, given head of the agency.
The funniest scene was perhaps when they were at the oil pump station surrounded by pakistan forces and Isha was taking cover behind a metal crisscross fences. She along with Veer (Vineet Kumar Singh) were also taking their shots through them. This was so genius that reminded me of the South movies scenes or should I say Mithun Chakraborty scene taking cover behind a cycle. I hope the makers were not paying a tribute!!
The chase of Isha behind the Taliban's leader convoy has to be the dumbest scene to be scripted. You are in middle of a desert chasing a convoy and she gets caught, seriously!! If she maintained a distance of a mile too she would have know where they were going. There were no other cars in between...
Kabir finding the Royal Enfield Himalayan in the midst of the desert takes the cake.
The good part of the series is its ability to keep attention of its viewers on the screen. The climax of the season one was somewhat of an anticlimax. There was no mention of agents captured revealing the secrets for which the mission took place. On top of it information of attack finds them instead other way round, does not makes the agency look good. The ending was predictable.
Emraan Hashmi had the same expression throughout the series, not sure if that's a good thing or bad. Rajit Kapoor was impactful in a small but meaty role. Kirti Kulhari also did a good job. Sobhita Dhulipala could not do justice to her role. Sahiba Bali stood out in her minuscule role. Vineet Kumar Singh, Jaideep Ahlawat & Abhishek Khan did justice to their respective roles.
Despite the flaws in the series, one can navigate through them through a tight direction from Ribhu Dasgupta. The writers surely could have done a better job by getting hold of the loop holes/gaps which could have made these 7 episode series more fine.
Bard of Blood is recommended as as a watch as mentioned for its hold to maintain his narrative, continuity and yes the suspense throughout the series.
Do watch it.
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