What Is the Story About?
The story follows a little boy from a railway colony in Shimoga, interior Karnataka as he straddles his life, its little happiness, silly problems consistently striving to bring his modest family a modicum of glory through highly fanciful means, while constantly being brought back to reality by his level-headed father.
Performances?
Ashwanth Ashokkumar as Anand is extremely adorable. He is the fulcrum of the show, is perfectly cast and his mannerisms…too effortless for the camera. It’s almost as if he is not merely performing but getting his daily life recorded.
Analysis
Amazon Prime Video’s latest Web series Half Pants Full Pants, based on a book that goes by the same name penned by Anand Suspi, is a dose of instant childhood nostalgia that takes us back to the days when world politics rarely mattered, but disappointing your play-buddy mattered more.
Half Pants Full Pants spans over 8 episodes, each 30 minutes long is more like an autobiographical anecdote on Anand’s life in Shimoga, Karnataka and is adapted to screen by Anand, VK Prakash and Gaurav Mishra. Being born to a Railway guard and home-maker, Anand possesses dreams that go beyond the skies while his parents have different plans for him.
The show portrays some of the silliest episodes in little Anand’s childhood like his aspiration to be like Bruce Lee, liking towards Karate, saving up to buy his mother birthday gift, trying out weird and nonsensical theories and experiments suggested by his friends, playing local detectives etc. Many incidents shown in the Half Pants Full Pants transports us to our own carefree childhood filled with innocence and curiousity. When life was all about little nothingness and not incessant worries.
A spectacular Ashwanth Ashokkumar makes the entire show likeable even when it is not. He is adorable, believable and naughty as Anand. He deals with a problem in every episode and solves them with his own intellect. Ashish Vidhyarthi and Sonali Kulkarni are also very lovely to watch onscreen. Not to forget the other child actors who played Anand’s friends in the show.
One of the most disappointing aspects of Half Pants Full Pants is that even when the protagonist belongs to Karnataka and is supposed to speak in Kannada, he’s given Hindi and fluent English dialogues. To begin with, this practice is very jarring. It totally takes the rootedness out of the show but Ashwanth and Ashish Vidhyarthi does have a knack to not churn caricature performances.
The screenplay also becomes very repetitive and boring after a couple of initial episodes. The writing of Half Pants Full Pants eventually loses out on the initial nostalgia and energy and ends up being a largely mediocre affair. Had the show stayed true to its source material and language, it may have worked a little better. The strongest asset of the show besides its cast is the brilliantly conceived production design. However, the show might still work for its target audience, i.e kids.
Other Artists?
It is heartwarming to see Ashish Vidyarthi play a level headed yet loving father in the show. His combination scenes with Ashwanth are a treat to watch no matter how repetitive they were. Sonali Kulkarni is also lovely as Anand’s doting mother. The show struck a goldmine in its casting department quite literally. Every single child actor in the film gave their respective bests.
Music and Other Departments?
The production design and cinematography department does shine through in every episode. There’s evidently sought out meticulous research behind the color grading and sets Half Pants Full Pants goes for. However, the background music fails to make any impact.
Highlights?
Ashwanth Ashokkumar
Supporting Cast
Nostalgia
Cinematography & Production Design
Drawbacks?
Repetitiveness
Screenplay
Duration
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes. In Parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes. But With Huge Reservations. Kids Might However Have a Ball Watching the Show.
Half Pants Full Pants Web Series Review by Binged Bureau
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