The adult web-series genre in India has a host of salacious and putrid content floating around. And yet, this is one category that has spawned some really bold and experimental efforts over the years. In my view, it was only a matter of time before a web-series came up with a theme centred around the many myths of sexuality that is prevalent across every by-lane in the country.
ASHOK’s FIVE reasons to watch #Rasbhari, currently streaming on #AmazonPrime. An interesting experiment that sets up infinite possibilities but flounders on writing and execution and loses its plot leaving you gawking at #SwaraBhaskar for the rest of the show. I am all for risk-taking and any show that takes the initiative to move away from the usual formula merits encouragement.
1. Writer Shantanu Shrivastava puts together an adult story set in small-town Meerut that combines superstition, patriarchy, puberty and its attendant implications, humour and double standards that prevail even to this day. #Rasbhari tells the story of Shanoo Bansal (Swara Bhaskar) the new English teacher and her husband who land up in Meerut and catch the fancy of every male in the town. All the married women are up in arms and set out to teach her a lesson. Meanwhile, her student Nand Kishore Tyagi (Ayushman Saxena) takes a fancy to her and pursues her, much to the angst of his class-mate Priyanka (Rashmi Agdekar). Here is where the story takes a bit of a bizarre turn and leaves you fuming!
2. Novel plot; execution gone awry and this is what was frustrating. A plot that takes off on the Indian hypocritical view on sex could have so much more to say and could then lead the story into different characters and sub-plots. I can think of ten different ways in which the narrative could have been taken to the next level!
3. Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat intended to be a tale that is a sarcastic take on male behaviour and the burden of female sexuality. He uses the device of the alter ego of Shanoo as the mysterious Rasbhari to create a spin.
4. I found the “bhabi” level interaction, their ‘kitty’ parties and their trademark Hindi heartland dialogues the best part of the show. Their apprehensions and misgivings, barbed jibes at their husbands, plans of neutralizing the threat and warding off each other’s taunts make for hilarious viewing.
5. Ayushmaan Saxena turns out to be superb as the gawky Nand as he movies from his promiscuous self to an assured young man and eventually protects his favourite teacher.
The focus of the series is on the episode to episode narrative with little or effort in building up the characters, leaving them very two-dimensional and often caricature-like. #Rasbhari is a coming-of-age story that could have risen way above the cuss words, sleaze and erotic ordinariness but does no justice to its intent. Watch it if you appreciate bold experiments. Not all of them lead to intended consequences!
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