What Is the Story About?
The Whistleblower deals with the real-life PMT Scam (also known as Vyapam Scam) that ticket the nation (Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal) in 2013. It focuses on Sanket (Ritwik Bowmik), son of Dr Ashwin Bhadoria (Sachin Khedekar), a final year MBBS student. When Prachi, sister of his girlfriend Pragya, requests Sanket to fake an exam for her, he finds the company of Jairaj aka Daddu (Ravi Kishan).
Everything seems fine until one day, Dr Ashwin Bhadoria accepts an open challenge in a live TV debate that he would eliminate corruption in the selection process of the students in his medical college. It triggers the whole system, from top to bottom. How does Sanket, also a pawn in the system fights against the giants? Who are his supporters, forms the series’ main plot?
Performances?
Ritwik Bowmik plays the lead character of the movie Sanket. It is around him that most of the story of The Whistleblower rests. The role is a complex one and isn’t instantly likeable. It remains that way for a large part of the narrative and that’s where more than the acting the execution and writing comes to the fore. As The Whistleblower is weak on both counts, Ritwik appears irritating for a long time. Sometimes even with such characters the performances shine. We see a glimpse of that in parts, initially. The role and the act get better towards the finale and end on an impressive note.
Analysis
Manoj Pillai directs The Whistleblower which is created by Ritesh Modi. The story of the film is the real deal here. It offers an interesting premise based on real-life incidents. The medical backdrop further adds freshness to it.
Unfortunately, Manoj Pillai and the team of writers fail to provide an engaging narrative. It is apparent from the first episode itself.
The issue here is the writing and screenplay, more than the performances and execution. The scenes are lengthy, there is a huge lag in between and the writing is superficial at the best. The combined effect is that the narrative lacks the gripping quality despite intriguing content.
From time to time, we see interesting incidents take place, but the direction fails to create excitement while watching.
The core track involving the scam is the best part of the narrative. The drama and personal character development are poorly and irritatingly done. The aspect is particularly glaring in the subplots involving Prachi and character development sequences of Sanket and Jairaj respective.
Despite the shortcomings, the content itself has the power to engage. One is forced to hook to the narrative literally during the final few episodes. They are the best part of the series, without any doubt, and salvage the series and a competent premise from going down the drain.
Overall, The Whistleblower’s exciting premise is enough to give it a try once. The boring (personal) drama and tiring narrative are the downsides. Give it a try, if you like to watch dramas based on real-life scams.
Other Artists?
The casting is a major plus for the series. Even smaller parts look authentic due to the actors essaying it. Ravi Kishan is seen in a decent role after a gap and delivers. He gets repetitive after a point but is impactful overall. Sachin Khedekar is reliable as always. Incidentally, he plays the owner of a hospital named Reliable. Ankita Sharma and Ashish Verma are surprise package. Zakir Hussain is wasted whereas Sonali Kulkarni is okay. The rest of the cast too is alright, like the actors essaying the police roles. But, they have a smaller part in the overall narrative.
Music and Other Departments?
The music by Ketan Sodha is alright. There is a wannabe feel to it to be like Scam 1992, but it lacks a similar impact. Stanley Mudda’s cinematography is good. It helps in creating a certain mood, but, again the consistency is missing. The editing by Dev Rao Jadhav is weak. It is also one of the main reasons for the lethargic narrative. The writing is superficial, as mentioned above. It is comparatively between when dealing with the core issues but is banal during the dramatic moments.
Highlights?
Basic Story Involving The Scam
Casting Final
Few Episodes
Drawbacks?
The Middle Portions
Lethargic Narrative
Screenplay
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, In Parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, But With Huge Reservations
The Whistleblower Hindi Web Series Review by Binged Bureau
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