Shaky in parts, but show must go on

Nonika Singh

Vikramaditya Motwane’s ‘Jubilee’ proved how the behind-the-scenes business of movies is as fascinating as the films themselves. ‘Showtime’ takes a similar route, but in the contemporary era. Bankrolled by Dharmatic Entertainment and created by Sumit Roy, the tagline goes: ‘Nepotism ke mukhaute ke peeche har insider outsider bannana chaahta hai’. And you think KJo has dared to open a whole new can of worms surrounding nepotism. Is it his biopic, as the promo had hinted? It’s difficult to draw a parallel. Besides, here the feuding parties are not exactly insiders and outsiders. Rather, ‘Showtime’ turns the very premise on its head. Who is an outsider really? Is it Mahika Nandy (Mahima Makwana), the new-found granddaughter of Victor Khanna (Naseeruddin Shah) who inherits his film studios? Or his son Raghu Khanna (Emraan Hashmi), who has made blockbusters under the very banner he has been thrown out of? Though Emraan’s character has been fashioned as an antagonist of sorts, he is not the villain you despise. Sure, he is an arrogant boor who makes masala films, thinks he is the badshah of the film industry and holds women in utter disregard. But when he is shown the door in his father’s empire he has contributed to with his supposedly crappy but Rs 100-crore-plus films, you do empathise with him. His father Victor (prickly Shah) believes cinema is religion and not business. Yet, his reasons for writing him off in his will are not so convincing as the script would make us believe, which clearly at this point seems in favour of underdog Mahika.

As she stands up for meaningful cinema, the kind the studio once espoused, do we root for her? Not quite. Popular television star Mahima Makwana manages to betray the nervousness of a novice trying to find her feet as the newly anointed ‘movie mogul’. But, despite an author-backed role, she is certainly not the series’ trump card. In one of the scenes, she asks bête noire Raghu to bless her so she can hold up against him. But she is no match to Emraan Hashmi, who is consummate and, like always, a pro at parts with shades of grey. Surprisingly, though the drama centres around the ‘mama-bhanji’ rivalry, the actor who pulls the carpet right under their feet is Rajeev Khandelwal. Playing the ageing superstar Armaan, his fragile ego, insecurities and mercurial temperament add up to make him ‘deliciously’ nasty and believable.

Since Armaan wants to break his image and dabble in the action genre, do we see reflections of the superstar we so love? Well, well, guessing games can be kept hidden in the mind locker. Though initially you may jump the gun and believe Victor is the master of romance Yash Chopra, clearly the allusion is only fleeting. Any resemblance to living or dead… yes, we know, we need to refer to the disclaimer.

In this Bollywood-inspired mix, directors Desai and Kumar do keep the tempo going and the pace is fast enough to not lose interest. Only the so-called tantalising one-upmanship game between the key players is so been there, done it all. To suggest that rumours of unwed pregnancy can be used as a weapon to mar a filmmaker’s career in the 21st century is absurdly archaic, if not outlandish. Indeed, public image matters for superstars and once again the boycott backlash involving Khandelwal’s character is more credible. The unsavoury secrets that Bollywood harbours behind its sheen and the dubious games of those who put their shining face forward would have made for a riveting fare. But the insights are mostly restricted to what is already grist to gossip mills. Glamour gets an add-on with the guest presence of a clutch of stars like Janhvi Kapoor, but obligatory cameos do little to amp the oomph factor.

Since only four episodes have dropped so far, it’s hard to say which way the cookie will crumble. The teaser promises how the conflict will get spicier. Whether content wins over commerce or brings unheard-of revelations in its fold can only be said once the remaining episodes are telecast in June. Right now, ‘Showtime’ may not be a no-show, certainly not a shit show as the fourth episode is titled, but isn’t a showstopper either.