Call My Agent Bollywood Review: A Snappy And Engrossing Mini Series Which Is A Must For Bollywood Lovers

Call My Agent Bollywood wouldn’t have been what it is if not for the special appearances by Bollywood insiders who play themselves.

Call My Agent Bollywood Review

By Joginder Tuteja

Lasting just 6 episodes of around 40 minutes each, Call My Agent Bollywood does well in not overstaying its welcome. Otherwise, many web series are guilty of stretching so much, or being so exaggerated or overwhelming, that you get a tad breathless by the time they each the finishing line. In case of Call My Agent Bollywood, you are left asking for more and as a result, by the time end credit start rolling post the conclusion of the sixth episode, you wonder if the second volume would be out soon as well, just like the way it’s been the case with the latest season of Money Heist.

It’s all about the money in case of Call My Agent Bollywood as well. Even as Rajat Kapoor, one of the two senior agents of a top casting agency in Mumbai, ART, proclaims that 99% of those in the business of Bollywood just fail while the remaining 1% succeed just by telling false narratives, he along with his fellow agents, especially the younger lot, are in cut throat competition.

As a result, even though Aahana Kumra and Ayush Mehra are thick friends, so much so that former even plans a surrogate baby with the latter, when it comes to work they don’t mind competing with each other in broad daylight to pitch their respective clients. On the other hand Soni Razdan, another senior agent at ART (she prefers to be called a ‘star maker’ though) is rather laid back as she has seen it and done all, so much so that she has named her dog after her dead cheating husband.

“Show me the money, honey” is the call of this casting agency as it tries to save itself from the competition and the corporate houses which could well have a hostile takeover if not handled well post the untimely demise of its owner (Tinu Anand), that they fight it out even for actresses past their prime (Dia Mirza and Lara Dutta playing themselves), characters actresses (Lillete Dubey, Ila Arun), yesteryear actresses (Sarika) or yo-dude actresses (Akshara Haasan). Meanwhile, even as they try to get the best for their directors (Farah Khan, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Nandita Das), their day job also involves handling senior actors (Jackie Shroff) and a couple (Richa Chaddha, Ali Fazal) that has split just in time before the shooting of a romantic film.

Though for ‘aam junta’ all these are gossips that make for juicy headlines, for hardcore movie buffs and especially the insiders connected to Bollywood, this is sheer reality. Ask a struggler how it is to be while trying to make it big in Bollywood and they would tell you that the story of Merenla Imsong, who plays a North East actress jumping with joy to play a slave in a Bollywood film, isn’t far away from being true.

In the midst of this all there are elements of love, sex aur dhokha as well. As an illegitimate child of Rajat Kapoor (no real spoilers here), Radhika Seth wins you heart. As for Anuschka Sawhney, she has a raw seductive appeal without being in your face. Rohan Joshi as a young kid on the block in the agency is good again after Axone. Priyasha as the nosy girl in the agency is appropriate.

One just wishes though that director Shaad Ali would have toned down the loudness quotient of his characters a couple of notches, especially in the first two episodes. Somehow, everyone is shouting at everyone visible on frame, and half of them are just fumbling around or juggling multiple things, both thematically and figuratively. Despite the whole agency set up to it, with swearing and calling each other names being projected as cool, somehow it doesn’t really sound convincing and comes across as rather forced. Things do settle down from the third episode though once the drama ensues and proceedings are far more organic.

This is where the lead cast works quite well because as the central lead, Aahana Kumra is a revelation and shows various shades. Ayush Mehra is fun in each of his scenes and makes the series lighthearted. Rajat Kapoor is reliable as ever as the senior agent while Soni Razdan is good, though I wanted to see more of her. As for Radhika Seth, she is good and should get more opportunities from here.

Call My Agent Bollywood wouldn’t have been what it is if not for the special appearances by Bollywood insiders who play themselves. Farah Khan is a riot in a key part. Jackie Shroff brings on the swag in a way only he can. Dia Mirza can just walk in to the sets as a leading lady even today while Lara Dutta is perfectly cast as the mother with priorities. Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal pair up well as a couple. Akshara Haasan makes one wonder why she isn’t seen more often. Tigmanshu Dhulia is hilarious in his trademark style. Sarika, Lillete Dubey, IlaArun and Nandita Das bring on fun.

By and large, Call My Agent Bollywood by Applause Entertainment is fun all the way. Shaad Ali delivers a glossy fun entertainer for Netflix with impressive sets and narrates the inside happenings of Bollywood while bringing on smiles and drama. A mini-series which is snappy and engrossing, it’s a MUST for Bollywood lovers.

Rating: ️️️