Fixerr Review – An Old School Action-Comedy With a Few Thrills

BOTTOM LINE: An Old School Action-Comedy With a Few Thrills

Rating: 5.5/10

What Is the Story About?

As the title says, Fixerr is about a corrupt cop Jaiveer Maalik who makes a living by cleaning up the dirty side of the privileged lot’s lives in Mumbai. Claiming the life of an innocent girl in an encounter in Delhi earns him a suspension from work, after which Maalik shifts his base to the financial capital of the country. Even there, he’s among the most sought out people to fix, negotiate any mess created by the upper crust of the society.

With the help of a constable Jayanti Javdekar, he is privy to all the dirty secrets in town. He doesn’t claim to be a man of principles and a loyal husband to his wife Kesar either. His eyes are perennially on money and women. Maalik’s life, however, is in danger while negotiating an internal crisis in the Dalmia family and dealing with the aftermath of the death of a spiritual guru. Who is to be blamed?

Performances?

Shabbir Ahluwalia, as the corrupt cop Malik, spearheads the series with confidence. His body-language, histrionics, unique diction and energy perfectly complement a flawed role. There’s a joy and an innate sparkle in his performance that tells you how much he has enjoyed playing the part.

Mahie Gill is cast in a role as the protagonist’s wife and one that she’s generally known for – a sari-clad woman with a wild side to her. She sleepwalks through the role with ease. In a supporting role as a constable, it’s Isha Koppikar’s turn to surprise audiences. Her one-of-a-kind dialogue delivery as a no-nonsense Marathi mulgi, flexibility in the action sequences are a delight to watch.

Analysis

A relieving side to Fixerr is its singular focus to entertain and deliver a ‘keep-your-brains-outside’ comedy effectively. At no moment, the makers try to tell anything brainy and help you relive the joy of watching old school action entertainers that the Hindi industry has lost its taste for. The masala portions in Fixerr remind you that nothing can be as satiating as a commercial potboiler, regardless of a film or a web series. Because the series positions itself as an adult comedy, the result isn’t as glossy or subtle as one expects.

There’s a character of a spiritual baba who has a notorious sex life and also owns an ayurvedic brand, out of which he makes crores. There’s a producer, whose production house is called ‘Vicky Kapoor and grandsons’ and is known for sleeping around with women to offer them projects. There’s a popular rapper, in news more for his drug addiction than his numbers. Most of these characters, as you would have known by now, are based on real-life personalities that contribute to the intrigue factor of the series.

The best part of Fixerr is the insane situations that its characters land up in. A father sleeps around with the same woman as the girl his son loves. The bisexual son is caught in a hotel getting cosy with a group of men. A jobless husband of a constable dresses as a transgender to beg on the roads. A politician and a cop’s wife are having a roaring affair that no one has a clue about. Despite its sexual undertones and sometimes below-the-bar execution, the series is a potpourri of unpredictable characters who keep you guessing.

Fixerr packs in several elements of a regular commercial film in this series – vengeance, lust, humour and lenient doses of action segments. The pace of the screenplay is racy though there are too many characters to take heed of. There is an overdose of subplots and moreover intertwining them in the climax doesn’t seem to be a great idea. Soham Shah and Baljit Singh, who share directorial credits for the series, pack enough highs to keep the ball rolling. For those looking for a sensible story or anything realistic, you might have landed at the wrong show.

Other Artists?

Karishma Sharma, as an aspirant actress Ahaana, was most likely hired to fulfil the glamour quotient of the series than her acting chops, which she does with ease. The two-sided role is more interesting than what her performance suggests. Tigmanshu Dhulia as a superior cop to the protagonist, Rajat Rawail as a creepy producer, Anshuman Malhotra as a spoilt brat, do justice to their roles in the limited scope they get.

Music and Other Departments?

Not even the filmmaker of Saat Khoon Maaf would have used the song ‘Darling’ as much as this series does. The background score is inspired by popular commercial films, notably SRK’s Don. The cinematography of the story is alright, while the writing of the series could have been meatier and impactful with some crispness.

Highlights?

Performances of Shabbir Ahluwalia, Isha Koppikar
The entertainment value of the series
Humourous parodies on real-life figures

Drawbacks?

Occasionally crass treatment
Confusing, incomplete subplots
Absence of a strong plot

Will You Recommend It?

Yes, with reservations

Fixerr Review by Srivathsan Nadadhur

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