- Date of Release: 14 January 2022
- Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Disney+Hotstar
Human
RATING
Introduction
There have been many reports stating that there is a creative crisis in Bollywood. This is largely owing to the number of remakes and biopics that the industry has been churning out lately. But when it comes to the OTT platforms, there have been some incredible stories which are being told owing to the spaced out and “uncersored” space. It just shows what the pressure of box office can do and I really hope this creative space shifts for the silverscreen as well. In Bollywood specifically there has been a lack of any medical thriller which has been presented. You may have had a release here and there but nothing major. So when Hotstar had announced a medical thriller webseries by the name Human, naturally I was interested. Well finally Human did release this weekend and here are my two cents on the series.
Story & Screenplay
Human follows the story that exposes the illegal drug trials which are being conducted on humans. The story is pretty relevant and an amazing concept to tap. But one of the main issues which I faced was the length of the series. Comprising of 10 episodes of almost 40 odd minutes each actually takes a toll on you and you try and binge watch the series in a single go. There are a couple of flaws which I will get to in a minute. The screenplay here is a slow burner and it takes quite a while to buildup. This reminded me of the recently released Hindi series The Whistleblower on SonyLiv which had a similar buildup and followed an identical trajectory. So here while being introduced to multiple characters, there are multiple subplots which are built simultaneously. Now comes the negative part – not all of them were required here, some of them just do their bit in adding crucial minutes to the overall drama which in all honesty could have been avoided.
But there is much to appreciate here as well. Some of the subplots are really interesting and they will definitely peak your interest in the show. You will need to be patient with the drama as it slowly gathers steam after almost 4 episodes(much like The Whistleblower). There is a significant amount of hussle in the second half of the series which brings multiple subplots to a logical conclusion. The twists and turns are subtle and at times predictable as well but they will definitely keep you glued to your screens. The drama keeps getting murkier by the minute when it begins opening a can of worms and it is here where the drama excels. The finale act is showing and mildly unpredictable as the drama reaches a satisfying conclusion. Overall, a well written screenplay with a little excess flab.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are subtle and I really enjoyed the conversational nature of the drama. The BGM is pretty good and it definitely does its bit to enhance your viewing experience. Director Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Mozez Singh have done a pretty good job here. Although they could maybe have rushed through a few scenes in the middle, the overall impact was definitely there and pretty well too.
Performances
The performances are excellent here and again a large credit for it goes to the casting director Mukesh Chhabra and his company. The effort of casting different actors for so many roles is definitely visible here. Ansha Sayed as Shalini, Nazre Inayat as Ranu and Shiv Kanungo as Bablu are brilliant in their cameos. Mihir Ahuja as Abhay makes his presence felt. Gaurav Dwivedi as Dr. Vivek is pretty good. Aditya Srivastava as Ashok and Mohan Agashe are both first rate although I did expect slightly better written characters for them. Shruti Bapna as Sucheta is such a natural onscreen. Aasif Khan as OP is really an actor slowing creating a niche for himself and he is impactful here. Sushil Pandey as Mangu’s father is excellent. Sandeep Kulkarni as Pramod has his moments to shine as does Ram Kapoor as Pratap. Indraneil Sengupta as Neil is fabulous to watch as is Atul Kumar as Dr. Shindey. Pranali Ghogare as Meena also delivers a heartfelt performance. I was very impressed with Vishal Jethwa here(who I recall watching in Mardaani 2). Such a brilliant performance by an actor who has a brilliant character arc here and probably the best written track of the series. Riddhi Kumar as Deepali is again the find of the series for me. I have watched her in Candy and now she has followed up with a character which was so complex to enact, but she is absolutely brilliant in a memorable performance. The veteran Seema Biswas as Roma is excellent and it always a pleasure to watch her onscreen. Kirti Kulhari as Saira has this sense of calmness to her performance. This could have been a loud act but instead it is well measured and a brilliant act. One of my favourites Shefali Shah as Dr. Gauri is just so well restrained. Her tone is so collected but some of her cold stares can send a shiver down your spine. An excellent performance yet again!
Conclusion
Human might be a slow burner but it is a relevant and an absorbing drama with some stupendous performances. Available on Hotstar.