Call Me Bae Review: Extravagant, But Ananya Panday’s Prime Series Falls Short (Image: Amazon Prime)
What can a Karan Johar production about the life of a socialite offer? Call Me Bae is largely an amalgamation of sophisticated lingo, the grandeur of social life, and a culmination of artificially created moments in the day-to-day affairs of society’s upper echelons. Yet, Ananya Panday’s Call Me Bae, an Amazon Prime release, has some noteworthy elements that make the series a decent watch for anyone looking to binge away a day or a half-day.
What stands out in the series is its sarcastic and critical writing about the wealthy elite, along with a somewhat accurate portrayal of prime-time TV news debates. Whether it was intentional or not, Ananya Panday‘s portrayal of Bella “Bae” Chowdhury shines through the series in her interactions. While she occasionally drops out of her comedic rhythm and becomes stagnant, seeming to forget her performance, her overall portrayal is strong. This inconsistency is one of the series’ main flaws: although the show heavily centres around Ananya Panday, she doesn’t always shoulder the responsibility well. At times, her acting is commendable, but there are moments where her performance stagnates. Despite these shortcomings, this is one of her best lead roles to date, and it may help her break free from the ‘nepo-kid’ label and associated stereotypes.
Her performance in Call Me Bae, as a ‘damsel in distress’ who needs the help of society or herself to survive as everyone in her close circle abandons her, surpasses what she delivered in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan and Gehraiyaan.
The series also delivers a biting critique of the already noisy and toxic Hindi prime-time TV news debates, particularly those skewed towards the interests of the powerful.
Vir Das, as Satyajit Sen, a high-profile primetime TV anchor, is perfectly cast and keeps the series afloat whenever he is on screen. Gurfateh Pirzada as Neel (another TV anchor in competition with Sen), Varun Sood as Prince (who predictably falls for Bella), Vihaan Samat as Agastya Chowdhury (Bella’s husband), Muskkaan Jaferi as Saira (Bella’s friend), Lisa Mishra as Harleen (producer of Sen’s show), Mini Mathur as Bella’s mother, and Niharika Lyra Dutt as Bella’s friend, all deliver solid supporting performances. Muskkaan and Niharika, in particular, deserve applause for their impressive acting skills.
If the makers had been a little more careful with a little more detailing and less extravaganza, the series could have been a proper document detailing the lives of the elite. And if they had managed to do it with some episodes less than what we have now, the series would become a bit more effective in delivery.
Timeline verdict: If you have been a fan of what Karan Johar and his productions showcasing about the lives of haves, you can simply enjoy this series. The intentional or non-intentional critique of the life of wealthy elite is a good element in the series.
Call Me Bae: Crew
Director: Collin D’Cunha
Cast: Ananya Panday, Vir Das, Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat, Muskkaan Jaferi, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Lisa Mishra, Mini Mathur, Sahil Shroff, Riya Sen, Shiv Masand
