UP65
Introduction
Jio Cinema has been churning out content left, right and centre. Ever since the IPL has ended, they have been on a roll with the new content that has been churned out on their OTT platform. While I didn’t quite have an issue with the direct to digital movies that they were churning out, I did have a bone to pick with respect to the webseries that they have been releasing. The strategy to release one episode daily doesn’t quite add up to the large scheme of things, and I would rather prefer that all episodes of the webseries are released in a single go. The reason being that as a viewer, it becomes that much more difficult to keep track and invest in the characters as the daily episode does put a temporary halt in the proceedings. Perhaps, Jio would need to realign their strategy for a better engagement!
Nevertheless, I did get a chance to watch and review the new Hindi series UP65 which is now streaming on Jio Cinema. Given the stage that I am at currently in life, I always love dollops of nostalgia to kick in through the content that I watch. So every time there is a series/movie with school or college as its backdrop, I am quite interested. UP65 became even more special as the setting was of an Engineering College that instantly took me back to the good old days. So with much hope I ventured into the series UP65, does it manage to impress, lets find out!
Story & Screenplay
Based on a novel by Nikhil Sachan, UP65 follows the story of a bunch of friends as they discover life in possibly their last phase of college. The story here is relatable and almost instantly reeks of nostalgia. It was almost like reliving the best days of my life all over again. The screenplay standing at 13 episodes of roughly 20 odd minutes each still makes for a massive runtime, and I did feel that certain episodes could have been either trimmed further or left out entirely on the edit table. But the good news is that it does manage to engage you with plenty of fun moments.
The drama does open with the introduction of the characters and it is easy to place yourself in either one of them. From being ultra protective to slowly opening up to the world, Engineering teaches you a lot of things over its 4 years. But more importantly, it is the friendship and the banter that you have shared with your friends, that stays with you as a memory long after the college is over. And that is exactly what is shown here through its course of the 13 episodes. What is more is that each episode is dedicated to an event around which the story revolves, and it definitely makes for a fun watch.
The proceedings are hilarious(the exam portions were my favourite) and will instantky put a smile on your face. Yes, some events might seem to be repetitive and nothing that you not have watched already, but the writing here is relatable and quite close to reality. The setting of Varanasi adds a whole new dimension to the drama with the flavour of the city being explored wonderfully well. A couple of romantic angles are also well integrated in the story, keeping the drama light and frothy while never getting too dramatic. I don’t think the intention of the writing was to ever get deep into the psyche of the characters and deal with their vulnerability. The idea perhaps was just to take you on a journey through some well written characters by focusing only on the fun element which did work in the favour of the series.
On the slight downside, the series does drag on a little in the middle. Despite the shortened episodes, you still wish that the writers get on with the proceedings at times which can happen when the series does span for more than 10 episodes. What did not help its case here was the marketing decisiom by Jio to release one episode per day that did halt the momentum of the drama(no fault of the writers though). Yet, the writers do create some heartwarming moments that do tingle the strings of your heart including the final act that was quite warm and reminiscent of my last days in college. Overall, the screenplay here is well written and makes for a super fun watch for most parts of the drama.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are situational and it does generate quite a few laughs throughout the narrative. The music and BGM blend well with the drama. The cinematography captures the vibes of the engineering college as well as that of Varanasi splendedly. The editing is good for most parts but at times it could have been sharper. Director Gaganjeet Singh does a pretty good job in creating relatable moments around his characters that does result in an engaging watch which is a lot of fun to witness.
Performances
The performances are quite good by the ensemble cast. Akanshi Baliyan as Shraddha and Karamjeet Madonna as Pooja have their moments to shine. Abhishek Reddy as Pablo is first rate despite a limited screen time. Sharat Sonu as Kabadi Baba is such a natural onscreen and he lights up the proceedings with his dry sense of humour every single time. Anmol Jyotir as Akhil(jisne 9th mein s*x kiya tha🤣) has a good screen presence and does a good job. Pragati Mishra as Shubhra is charming and does a wonderful job. Her partner-in-crime Ria Nalavade as Antari is phenomenal as well in a brilliant job done!
Jay Thakkar as Mohit has his humour on point and contributes to plenty of funny moments in the screenplay. Abbas Ghaznavi as Prasad is excellent and wonderful with his comic timing. One of my favourite characters was Pandeyji essayed by Priitamm Jaiswal(you might remember him as the house help from Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, ‘Didi Ne Kaha Hai’). He is such a joy to witness, combining his innocence with a streak of bravado in a fabulous job done. Shine Pandey as Nishant is sincere and earnest in his looks and with his performance in what was an incredible job done!
Conclusion
UP65 is a fun drama with dollops of nostalgia that makes for a wonderful watch. Available on Jio Cinema.