Taali
Introduction
It is still a Tuesday but we have a new release today but before that we at Popcorn Reviewss wish you a Happy Independence Day and may we utilize this freedom to help the ones in need. With that, I finished watching the new Hindi series Taali which is now streaming on Jio Cinema. Based on the life of activist Shreegauri Sawant, I was quite looking forward to watching the series that did tackle the sensitive topic of the LGBTQIA community who are unfortunately still looked down upon. In fact sometime back, there weren’t even laws to protect their identity and that is honestly the worst kind of suffering that can be subjected to a section of society in a country who takes pride in being an indeoendent democracy. Also, I am a fan of Sushmita Sen and the grace that she brings to the screen every single time. This was indeed a bold move from her and it made me curious on what the series had to offer. Another factor going in favour of the series to begin with, was that Ravi Jadhav was directing it, the man behind fabulous films like ‘Nude’ and ‘Natarang’. So then does Taali manage to impress, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Taali is a biopic that follows the story of Shreegauri Sawant traces her path from her early life to the transformation and her journey towards being an activist along with embracing motherhood. The story is sensitive and something waiting to be told. And I was the happiest that such stories are being served in the ever so flourishing OTT medium. But the screenplay standing at 6 episodes of 30 minutes each is inconsistent and makes a hash of things more often than not.
The biggest issue that I had with the series was its incoherent writing that never quite allowed the viewers to settle in the drama. While the drama does open with the introduction of a young protagonist seemingly coming to terms with his sexuality, it quickly jumps timelines to introduce a now well known activist fighting for her rights in the court of law. Balancing two timelines can often be tricky and that is something that doesn’t help its cause here. But my main gripe was how the events in the series were rushed. It almost gave me an impression that the writers wanted to cover a lot of the events from the life of the protagonist without having a steady hand at the proceedings that never focused on the world building or even indulge a little in the character development of the protagonist.
The proceedings are most definitely well intended with some burning questions raised, and quite relevant from a society standpoint. And to be fair, there are moments that will tug the strings of your heart as well, at times with empathy and at times with a lot of warmth. But the writers do not settle into the drama at all by which I mean that the sentiments that ought to have lingered on while being a thread of connectivity between scenes was just missing. So despite the innumerous struggles of the protagonist, you aren’t fully invested in her journey. The events start becoming random, barely connecting itself from the previous scene and that does lead to a little disconnect in the proceedings.
One thing that worked in the favour of the series of the representation of Marathi culture which did create the right kind of ambience. And another positive being that individually, some events work well in driving home its point. But the inconsistency in the writing continues to hamper the proceedings especially in the back half of the series where I was barely invested in the protagonist offering a ‘Dharna’ at a local hospital. And the countdown for the historic judgment was abandoned midway through which was kind of baffling while providing simpler resolutions to complex and layered questions. So when the euphoric end does play out, you barely feel the high that you should have felt. Overall, the screenplay is a mixed bag and it won’t be wrong to term it as a lost opportunity.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are powerful and create a solid impact, at times eclipsing the incoherent screenplay. The music is outstanding and does wonders to the drama in creating a heartfelt environment. The cinematography is alright but it doesn’t quite live up to its fullest potential. There could have been sequences wherein certain frames could have been used as an allegory. The editing is the weakest aspect of the show, being so patchy that it nullifies every emotions in play most of the time. Ravi Jadhav is a fabulous director with noted works like Natarang and Nude under his belt. But here he misses the mark in creating an impact. The direction never really rises above the inconsistent writing and in return doesn’t create much impact. The style of direction seemed like that of the early 2000s which would never work in today’s time.
Performances
The performances are the strongest aspect of the drama with Sushmita Sen leading the way beautifully. Ankur Bhatia as Naveen, Aishwarya Narkar as Gauri’s mother and Hemangii Kavi as Swati have their moments to shine. Sheetal Kale as Nargis is excellent and does a wonderful job. Suvrat Joshi as Munna is top notch as is Vikram Bham as Ravi. I was so impressed with Krutika Deo who is absolutely brilliant as Young Ganesh delivering a heartfelt act. But it is Sushmita Sen that shines as Gauri in such a brilliant portrayal of grace and poise. It was an absolute pleasure watching her performance, being soft spoken in parts to unleashing her inner turmoil wonderfully well. This was a staggering acting masterclass by a beautiful individual filled with grace and elegance.
Conclusion
Taali is a well intended drama boasting of staggering performances which are wasted due to its sluggish and incoherent writing. Shreegauri Sawant is a wonderful human having unparalleled contributions to our society but she deserved a better show, we all did! Available on Jio Cinema.
