‘Gangstars’ Could Be So Much More But Settles For Much Less

The first thing you notice about Gangstars is its title track. It plays throughout the 12-episode series – in the opening credits, end credits, and there’s even a mini-horribly-choreographed version for it in one of the final episodes.

When the title track fails to awaken the dancer in you, in a commercial, tried-and-trusted, formulaic Telugu series, then, I’ve to say that the makers haven’t unleashed their best creative weapons.

The series Gangstars opens doors for actors like Navdeep and Siddhu to brandish their talents as their recent feature films have made little noise at the box office. An original series on Amazon Prime / Netflix / Hotstar isn’t a step down from theatrical content. Nevertheless, the craze surrounding a film starring a superstar on the day of its release cannot be compared to home entertainment.

Siddhu and Navdeep, who haven’t received their big hugs from the viewers yet, are pushed to the margins in Telugu cinema. While Navdeep hasn’t had a solo-hit in many years, Siddhu’s most-talked about movie, Guntur Talkies, became a blockbuster only on YouTube due to its adult content.

On the small screen, however, that isn’t the case. These actors are given enough space to own the scenes.

Navdeep has already tested the digital waters with the YuppTV series Mana Mugguri Love Story. In his second outing, he stars as a know-it-all superstar Vishwa. Oh, he has a brand attached to his name, too. It’s called “Versatile Star”. Versatile Star joins the long list of star-names for male actors – Superstar, Mega Star, Powerstar, Mega Powerstar, Stylish Star, Rebel Star, Public Star (that’s a real one; I’m not making it up), and Burning Star. I wonder if there ever will be a Versatile Star, for the word “Versatile” is uncommon in Telugu circles. Would such a title be lapped up by the masses? I have my doubts. Maybe, that’s why it flows into the confines of a streaming service.

The title Gangstars also makes for a spicy spoof on the movie industry. But Nandini Reddy, writer and creator, isn’t interested in venturing into that direction. She, instead, mixes the thrills of a road movie – a rowdy, a corrupt cop, an accidental killing – along with the elements of a satire – an actor who just can’t stop going on about the offers (fake) he rejected, an actress who takes numerous takes to say a dialogue, a director who isn’t too sure about what his job is, etc.

Reddy uses the “film in a film” narrative device to push her story forward. And that’s where the writing goes for a dive because the movie they are shooting for, in the series, seems to be a fool-proof satirical drama, but the crew prefers to call it an action film. And, as a result of this slip-up, I couldn’t get the actual joke.

Unlike the men of Gangstars, the women – Shweta Basu Prasad and Apoorva Arora – are well-known stars on the digital platform. They have done several shows for the internet generation. And this must have been a cake-walk for them. That said, it’s terrible to see Apoorva in a performance that involves terrible lip-syncing. I’m stressing on this matter as I have watched her in Mugulu Nage, a Kannada romantic film, in which she outperformed her co-actors.

I liked how Reddy poured the factors of ego and insecurity into the characters of Aishwarya (Shweta) and Vishwa. It is generally said that directing a movie calls for massaging the egos of your actors. You can see how this aspect uncannily unfolds in Gangstars. These are some of the best bits of the presentation.

Reddy has given all the major characters terrific touches. Most of the cast members are given two-page monologues.

Posani Krishna Murali’s lengthy line that serves as a tribute to the producers, and Annapoorna’s lecture on stardom, hit the perfect note. Since the before-and-after effects of such powerful dialogues aren’t taken care of much, these whistle-worthy scenes get lost in the fire of a bumbling mess.

The one actor whose presence I enjoyed the most was Sivaji’s. He has the power to easily chase away the Bollywood villains in Telugu cinema. Reddy and team have reminded us of a fine actor by casting him in the role of a double-crossing cop. I hope to see more of him in the near future. And Jagapathi Babu as a rowdy, who constantly breaks into squeals of laughter, is an addition to the glowing cast.

The aching side of this Amazon Prime original is that the awesomeness of individual characters refuses to translate into the body of an ensemble comedy. This happens, especially, in the mid-section of the series, as a huge chunk of the episodes fade away into the realms of hollow-nothingness. They would have risen with some more sprinkling of energy (like the one available in the finale), perhaps.

And with comedy’s dear children, Rahul Ramakrishna and Hari Teja, starring as supporting actors, Gangstars could have achieved so much more, but it settles for the usual Telangana-laced humour. Are filmmakers even looking for anything else apart from this form of razzmatazz from them?

If the series’ aim was to grab the viewers’ eyeballs for a few days, I guess, it has managed to do that. Still, I’d say, there’s better Telugu content on YouTube for the digital consumers, as of now.

Gangstars should rightfully be seen as a beginning step, and not as the destination itself, by the upcoming writers-creators-directors.

(Karthik Keramalu calls himself a freelancer and writes about moves and stuff that’s hot on the web for a living)