Bhaag Beanie Bhaag, true to the 3 Idiots brand of youth and liberation is a very 21st century fight against the desi sanskaari Indian social set up. With Dil Chahta Hai at the turn of the century and films like Rock On and Tamasha more recently, there have been endless stories that aim to reject tradition and conservatism for something more “modern” and “liberating” (the jury is still out on that one)—stories that preach IIT, IIM and MBA as the bad choice and pursuing photography, playing the guitar (at least in the 2000’s) and more recently stand-up comedy as the good choice.
'Bhaag Beanie Bhaag' is something in that universe, with an absurdist loop like energy belonging to 'Russian Doll' and resembling quite closely the hysterical, confused energy and physicality of films like '27 Dresses' or 'The Devil Wears Prada', but with a feminist twist.
This time, it’s not the story of an urban, educated and independent Indian boy but a girl, because why should only boys reject societal structures? (Smash the patriarchy and all that.) The show has drawn obvious comparisons to The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and people have been quick to pick it apart, labelling Maisel as the superior of the two. But we’ll put that aside and watch Beanie for what Beanie is.
Bhaag Beanie Bhaag Takes No Prisoners
The satirical tone of the show spares no one—rich Punjabi businessmen, the empty, fake and sad manipulation that is the life of Instagram influencers, conservative Indian parents and their go-to pandits and jyotishis, NRIs and creepy office employees who hit on you. While the set up and satirical backdrop is therefore inherently funny, it takes things a step further and explores in this universe the growing and booming comedy scene in India that lies outside the Great Indian Laughter Challenge brand of family friendly comedy and mimicry. So, while the story may seem uninspired, a run-of-the-mill angsty teen story, the treatment and subject matter are slightly new.
Bhaag Beanie Bhaag tells us, especially us women, to forget our fears, forget society, money and comfort. To forget all that the world holds sacred and carve a path for ourselves. (The show also makes it seem incredibly easy, which of course, it is not.) It tells us to not allow our lives to be imprisoned within the walls of a home and the opinions of our in-laws and husband, or co-workers and friends.
The script is technically sound, putting the drama and twists and turns in the right place but suffers from feeling manufactured and inauthentic.
Not for a minute did I forget I was watching television, which defeats the purpose. Beanie’s confusion, struggles and journey, which remain the central aspect of her character and the show, don’t quite register to a great degree. Her problems are hardly there at all, if only for a moment. Swara’s pinching expressions and forced looks of pain and pleasure aren’t convincing here which may be less her fault and more of the fact that the story remains very glacial and superficial. Conflicts are introduced and resolved with unbelievable ease.
Missed Opportunities
The twists and turns of the story offer large potentials for tragedy and comedy both, such as breaking up of marriages, bumping into exes at engagements, casual sex with married men in public bathrooms, betrayal, whirlwind romances and being thrown out of your parents’ house, neither of which are exploited fully. While the theme, intention and execution of the show are fair, it left me feeling slightly dissatisfied.
None of the intended drama is milked. The dialogues are truly funny and entertaining in parts but otherwise on the nose and obvious. The character arcs and relationship graphs are also predictable and quite frankly, boring.
Things just seem to happen and we move on. Most happens by coincidence and too much by convenience. Revealing endless information and progressing the story through texts, phone calls and YouTube videos in the show is just lazy screenwriting. Neither of the characters, nor performances are memorable. Wanting to show a woman travelling on the road less travelled maybe the plan but with repetitive and known plot twists, tropes and characters, paper thin and paper cut, the message is unconvincing.
The cinematography and production design with this satirical and free flowing energy had a lot of scope to get creative, playful and adventurous. Imagine something like the films of Wes Anderson, funny, witty, awkward and slightly weird, where the colours, shapes, styles and design add texture and playfulness to the story and direction. Here, we have generic and dull (albeit high-quality) visuals and style. The visual element, which could’ve gone crazy and run wild keeping in mind the style and story matter, is almost entirely missing.
The show while being the story of a millennial girl, chasing her dreams and rejecting society’s norms is not just about the millennial and Gen Z aspirations, delusions and confusions. It is also a look into a world that exists parallel to this one, the world of the parents and the older generations, doing their best, struggling and stumbling to keep up with the times that are changing rapidly. It offers a sympathetic gaze into the lives of the people who are yet to catch onto what a post globalisation and liberalisation youth of India looks like and that was an interesting aspect of the narrative.
The wishy-washy quality of the elements that have gone into making this show, make the high note of liberation they wanted to end on dull. It’s not a bad watch, it’s not a good watch - it’s just there. It’s lukewarm. Nothing about Bhaag Beanie Bhaag makes me feel strongly, not the good, the bad nor the ugly.
(Bhaag Beane Bhaag is currently streaming on Netflix.)
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