Cutting Season 3
Introduction
It is not everyday that you get to witness webseries from other languages apart from Hindi amd English. And with that I finished watching the new Gujarati series, the third season of Cutting streaming on Oho Gujarati. While the content on the web has been doing wonders, I did get an opportunity to watch and review a content which has not been talked about. And honestly, I did not know anything about the show nor did I have massive expectations from it.
As you would know, we at Popcorn Reviewss do like to give budding filmmakers a voice by just doing our little bit in giving back to the fraternity which has honestly given us a lot of love in a very short span of time. This by NO means would mean that we give out promotional reviews. These are as much honest reviews like every other review on our site. Again a disclaimer – that neither did the filmmaker or any crew member of Cutting coax us into giving this review. We are a free willing site that relies on your love and support to grow. With that let us get back to the review. So then is the new Gujarati series, the third season of Cutting worth your time, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
For those of you who aren’t aware about the format of the show, Cutting is the story of two men working at a salon who impart life lessons through their general talks with their clients while they go about their everyday task of giving a haircut or a shave. And season three is no different which unfolds almost like a sit-com with a thin underlying thread connecting the individual episodes. Again these can be watched and enjoyed as standalone episodes as well, similar to Sarabhai vs Sarabhai(just a rough reference). The screenplay standing at just 5 episodes of roughly 15 to 18 odd minutes means that you can easily binge watch the show in even half a sitting. And the show is a winner at the concept level!
I haven’t seen too many shows wherein the entire drama is set in a salon which is representative of the new age culture of Gen Z. Long gone are the days when people cutting your hair were known as Barbers. As shown in the show, they are artists in every sense of the word who have the responsibility of a new makeover. So the setting does give the show a young look to it almost instantly.
The humour throughout the show is subtle but thoroughly enjoyable. The show is designed to be conversational which has its restrictions as far as the genre is concerned. And so the writing has to be sharp. The good news is that the writing does manage to keep you invested for most times. The conversations are interesting and they also impart a few life lessons along the way. I also really liked how the show was bold enough to tap upon topics on the LGBTQ community. That episode was handled with sensitivity as well. Others topics touched upon were on parenting and job careers which were nicely done.
The minor drawback of the show was that it did feel repetitive. While the proceedings were warm and heartfelt, some of the conversations had me distracted as well(before the drama was soon pulled back on track). This is more to do with the repetitiveness of the setting as the entire show is staged from a single location. So I am willing to give a bit of a leeway considering that the concept of the show was well tapped on. The end also did not quite end on a high but overall the screenplay was quite well written and indulging in many ways.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are witty and quite funny and entertaining which constantly keep you invested. The BGM is good and goes well with the tone of the drama. The cinematography is pretty good and in certain sections innovative too(especially in episode 5 where the camera bounces in and out while a character is rapping). Director Pratik Rajen Kothari does a spectacular job here in constantly engaging the viewers with the subtle humour and certain life lessons. His direction is really good here.
Performances
The performances are really good here. Dhairya Thakkar, Jay Vithlani, Maitray Mehta, the little boy Ayansh(brilliant) and Vyas Hemang all have their moments to shine. Parikshit Tamaliya and Navid Kadri are excellent in one of my favourite episodes(episode number 4). Vishal Shah and Satchit Puranik are first rate as well. Hemang Shah as Bobby is outstanding and he plays around so well with his expressions. Mayur Chauhan as Sunny is the more matures one, well restrained but with an impeccable sense of humour. He is outstanding here and I really enjoyed his performance.
Conclusion
The third season of Cutting is an interesting concept coupled with some good performances which make for a feel good series. Available on Oho Gujarati.