I was staring at the wall lost deep into the abyss. The mosquito buzzing around got my attention and it was not until I made my kill that I could come out of it.
That is what happened post watching of the new series Afsos on Amazon Prime.
Hangover of watching the black comedy which is rare in the Indian shows be it web series and the what not's.
When we talk about black comedy or satire, its a very risky proposition. You can either hit the mark or miss so badly that it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Another problem is that a majority of the audiences just don't understand it. In case you are wondering why, its because no one wants to use their brains when they are trying to just pass time or have fun. The one that do falls in minority and no one really cares about it.
The series takes us in the life of Nakul (Gulshan Devaiah) who left his job to become a writer. Later realizing that he was not good enough when he received no response on his book submitted.
Its takes us on his journey of trying to give up up on his life but someone else always beats him to it.
Its the troubles of trying to meet death but unable to do so even post giving a hit job on his own name. There are side plots running in the form of Fokhtiya Baba trying to find the immortal man to give him the elixir of life. The Psychiatrist (Anjali Patil) love angel with Nakul. The hit man (Heeba Khan) who has never missed a hit wants to keep the record clean.
Will he succeed or give up? Will the other sub plots played around will work and impact Nakul's life is what the series about.
Like I said in a satire plot, its very important how it plays out to hit the mark. This one is on shaky grounds given that the climax takes the cake and keeps the confusion continued. Hinting that there will be a second season coming.
The saving grace or the ray of sunshine would be Gulshan Devaiah whose acting prowess made it easy to watch. He was well complemented by Anjali Patel, Heeba Khan, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Robin Das & Ujjwal Chopra.
The writers (Dibya Chaterjee, Anirban Dasgupta & Sourav Ghosh) lost the plot towards the end. First its a satire and then no clarity provided. Audience is not going to rake its brain given that there was no hints on how it is going to play out. Its a tough ask to think that people will understand.
The direction by Anubhuti Kashyap was tight but the climax was pathetic. It could have been well written & shown. The series was completely dependent on Gulshan's acting abilities. Not sure how it would have pan out if for any other actor.
Watch it only if you like black comedies or Gulshan Devaiah's acting.
P.S.: The series is based on the Bengali book Golper Goru Chaande, you can find the English version here.
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