Badtameez Dil
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend which is rather quiet in terms of its new releases. And I literally had to go searching for new content! With that, I finished watching the new Hindi series Badtameez Dil which is now streaming on Amazon Mini TV. The content on Amazon Mini TV has been a bit of a mixed bag and while I ponder over its existence(given that Amazon already has a platform in the form of Prime), I stumbled upon the show which seemed in the Rom-Com space. But more importantly, it did star Barun Sobti and Ridhi Dogra who were recently spotted in Asur 2. And so I was looking forward on what the talented actors had to offer in a completely different space. So then does Badtameez Dil manage to impress, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Badtameez Dil follows the story of two diabolically opposite individuals who start off as friends until love and its complications makes its way into their lives. Will love win? The story here is nothing that you haven’t watched earlier as you can clearly make out from my one-liner description. The screenplay standing at 10 episodes of 20 odd minutes each did seem a tad too long for my liking. And the main reason for the same was that the writing just went around in circles in the second half of the show!
The drama does start on a slightly patchy but watchable note wherein you are introduced to the two protagonists through a series of flashbacks that give an idea about the baggage that they have been carrying. While the events did seem rushed and slightly manipulated, the writers were successful in highlighting the character traits of the two individuals. There was a sense of freshness in the tale with respect to the chain of events that did follow. Some of the best moments in the show were in the first half wherein the brewing relationship between the two protagonists was well explored and with a touch of freshness. Some of the subplots were interesting but a couple of them did not quite have a bearing to the main story.
The issue does begin exactly after the halfway mark wherein the events get a lot dramatic. Now I fully understood the intention of the makers for trying to keep the tale close to reality. But it is the ability of the writing to pick and choose certain events and transform them into beautiful moments that ultimately forms the crux of a romantic drama. And this is where the writing was found wanting. It did give me an impression that there wasn’t enough meat in the drama as the writing just went around in circles. By that I mean that, the same conflicts and similar events were repeatedly throughout the second half of the show that lead to a lag and made things rather uninteresting. A part of me wanted the writers to get on with things given that the conflict was already established.
In a complete contrast, the events of the last episode were rushed whereas the writers coukd easily have fleshed out parts of the second half to their blossomed relationship. The repetitive detours could have been avoided and instead given more focused time to the two individuals. The ending of the show is pretty good but I couldn’t help but think that the writing was a bit of a letdown here after a decent setup.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational, corny and cheesy at times but just right for this space. The music is beautiful and it enhances the viewing experience beautifully. Likewise, the BGM and the cinematography which are top notch with some beautiful symphonies and some wide angle shots. Director Prashant Baghia does a decent job but the scope of improvement did lie in creating focused moments between the couple without much distractions.
Performances
The performances are excellent here. Mallika Dua and Minissha Lamba have their moments to shine. And while all other actors do a wonderful job, it is Barun Sobti as Karan(wonderfully restrained and quietly charming) and Ridhi Dogra as Liz(such a cutie and brilliant with her emotions) who are absolutely wonderful to watch. They share crackling chemistry together and it was almost a fire and ice combination that almost saved a sinking ship.
Conclusion
Badtameez Dil is a cheesy rom-com with good performances marred with substandard writing that goes around in circles thereby making it an average affair. Available on Amazon Mini TV.