As the series The Fame Game throws light on the cine-world, with Madhuri Dixit at the helm, one realises that fame is a flippant lover

Nonika Singh

The grime behind the glamour, the innards of the entertainment industry that looks picture perfect from the outside often give wind to many theories of conjecture and conspiracy. The Fame Game, a Dharmatic Production, written by Sri Rao, looks at the vicissitudes that mark the film industry aka Bollywood and the price the flip side of fame extracts. But it does not conduct a post-mortem of the industry. There are no kiss and tell tales, no skeletons tumbling out of the closet. Presented as a thriller, what works better than the expose part is the excitement the eight-episode series generates.

As the promos have already told you, it’s about a missing superstar Anamika Anand (Madhuri Dixit). Bit by bit as the series digs into her disappearance, the mystery builds up and the mystique around her persona is both created and unpeeled.

It helps immensely that Madhuri Dixit plays an ageing superstar. If she hasn’t lost any of her charm, her talent is still tops and we see a mature performance. In her fictional avatar too she is a queen bee and a natural, who floors us with her thousand-watt smile. Sure a scene or two like the song ‘Dupatta Mera’ has been especially mounted to pander to her star status. Glamour abounds and a shout out to her costume designer for adding both allure and grace to her character. Trying to find a balance between her two different selves, one holding on to stardom by the teeth and the other her family duties, Madhuri is a perfect fit. While a greedy spouse (Sanjay Kapoor) and overweening mother (Suhasini Mulay) follow the stereotypical template, it’s the portrayal of her children that prevents the family picture from becoming a stock image. Both young actors get enough screen time. Lakshvir Singh Saran shines as Avinash. Muskkan Jaferi as Amara slowly finds her feet in sync with the graph of her character. The insecurities of the daughter Amara, the frailties of the son Avinash appear relatable in this world, where flight of fancy can make even your frenzied fans inhabit a fantasy world.

Real and reel jostle here and there are fleeting shades of the actual tinsel-town, but nothing you could pinpoint directly, except may be at a surface level. Like the SRK kind of moment as Manish Khanna (Manav Kaul) waves from the rooftop of his bungalow. Nevertheless, the series does throw light on India’s prime-time obsession—the cine-world. What cinema and hence superstars mean to the world, seeking an escape from their dull reality, too is reflected upon. So much so that even Bollywood-hater, ACP played rather stoically even if a trifle stiffly by Rajshri Deshpande turns around to see stars as human beings and not mere attention-seekers. Indeed, there are many shadows hovering around the spotlight, which the stars are not willing to forsake.

What sustains your interest more than the star gaze is —who has kidnapped Anamika? The possible suspects are far too many. Besides the immediate family there is a crazy admirer (Gagan Arora), an ex-flame superstar Manish Khanna. Manav Kaul as Manish is in fine form as always. Director Bejoy Nambiar, who delighted us with Wazir, once again lays down many cues and clues, heightens the suspense element and finally flips the climax with an unexpected twist. There is a zing in the final episode and compensates for any flaccid notes the series may have touched in between. Production values as befitting a Karan Johar production and the story of superstars are top notch, and there is enough razzle dazzle. As expected same-sex relationships are handled with sensitivity. And acuity does define the series that makes us see the downside of fame without indulging in any name game. Streaming on Netflix, worth your time, whether you are or not a Madhuri fan. Of course, if you are an aficionado, The Fame Game will once again remind you of her tremendous screen presence.