Ranjish Hi Sahi
RATING
Introduction
We are at a start of another weekend with loads of content to choose from! So let us dig in. First up I have finished watching the new Hindi series on Voot Select Ranjish Hi Sahi. From its trailer, it seemed like the same Mahesh Bhatt-Parveen Babi saga whose story we have seen in films like Arth, Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayi and Woh Lamhe, all of which were produced by Mahesh Bhatt himself. Likewise Ranjish Hi Sahi is also created by Mahesh Bhatt. Now, I had mixed feelings to be honest as it is an age old story that now we all are aware of. But one thing that was keeping me consistently interested was that this is a webseries and hence the screentime would allow a little more character depth than a film would. So keeping my expectations slightly low, I have finished watching Ranjish Hi Sahi. Is it worth your time, stay tuned!
Story & Screenplay
Ranjish Hi Sahi is the story of a relationship which a married filmmaker shares with a starlet. The story is exactly the same and the issue really with this is that the story is predictable and you would know exactly how it ends. In other words, it is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. But my interests were kept alive with a nicely nuanced screenplay that is a bit of a slow burn. Yes, it isn’t perfect but still it allows you ample amount of time to be invested in the drama. The narrative style is definitely old school but that is not necessarily a bad thing. While you are introduced to the two main protagonists and the world which they belong in, there are several moments created which are quite interesting to watch. A timely reminder again that this is old school stuff so allow it time to develop. Once things start getting complicated and murkier, the emotions are nicely captured with some terrific performances that I will get to in a moment. On the downside though, the drama gets slightly stuck on a repeat mode in the middle. A few scenes could have been cut short in order to make the narrative tighter. But I still feel that the screenplay offers enough character depth for the emotions to stay intact leading up to a philosophical final act that I foresee people terming it as underwhelming. But it did work for me especially the “clocks” analogy. Overall, a nicely penned screenplay that might still lack the depth of Arth but still better than Woh Lamhe by cutting off the glam quotient.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are again old school and not sure it will appeal universally but at the end of the day for me they are poignant. The music and the BGM are beautiful and gel well with the mood of the drama. Director Pushpdeep Bharadwaj has done a good job here. His main challenge was in retelling of a story which has already been told multiple times earlier. And he does a good job with it.
Performances
The performances are pretty good. Saurabh Sachdeva as Jagmohan is excellent here and he really stamps his authority in multiple scenes. Zarina Wahab as Shankar’s mother is wonderfully restrained. Paras Priyadarshan as Ganesh has his moments to shine. Naina Sareen as Mary is such a natural onscreen, she is quite fabulous to watch. Amrita Puri as Anju delivers a very dignified performance in a slightly underwritten role. Tahir Raj Bhasin(who by the way is on a roll lately) as Shankar hits the right notes and beautifully so with respect to his character. Amala Paul as Amana looks gorgeous and she definitely has the best written role. With such a complex part, her acting chops are on full display. She manages to hold your attention and wonderfully so in tense moments and in emotional ones, she ranges from internalizing it to emoting every bit of it so wonderfully well. This is a stunningly towering act that stays with you after the series has ended.
Conclusion
Ranjish Hi Sahi might be a retelling of a popular story but it definitely is a cerebral slowburner which is well worth your time. It does lack the depth of Arth but is a better attempt than the previous two renditions Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayi and Woh Lamhe. Available on Voot Select.