Call My Agent: Bollywood Review - Aahana Kumra, Ayush Mehra, Soni Razdan and Rajat Kapoor are the ‘real stars’ in Netflix’s show

By Rashita Sahni

on October 29, 2021 12:30:23 PM

Series: Call My Agent: Bollywood

Cast: Aahana Kumra, Ayush Mehra, Radhika Seth, Rajat Kapoor and Soni Razdan

Director: Shaad Ali

OTT: Netflix

Rating: 3 Moons

(The following review is based on the first three episodes of Call My Agent: Bollywood)

For a country that’s obsessed with Bollywood and its starry to-dos, Netflix’s Call My Agent: Bollywood comes as a sweet surprise. Directed by Shaad Ali, the Hindi remake of the French original takes us into the madness of what goes on behind the fabulous scenes of Bollywood when agents aka ‘star makers’ take over. Starring Aahana Kumra, Ayush Mehra, Radhika Seth, Rajat Kapoor and Soni Razdan as the top agents of the film industry, Call My Agent: Bollywood presents a funny, quirky and heartwarming take on the world of showbiz.

The show begins with Mehershad Sodawala (Ayush Mehra) being in a fix when his client Dia Mirza ditches an endorsement shoot for her Kalaripayattu practice for a big Hollywood project which she, unfortunately, loses because of her ‘age’. Mehershad, the agent of a talent management agency ART, informs his colleagues Amal Ahmed (Aahana Kumra), Treasa Matthews (Soni Razdan), Monty Behl (Rajat Kapoor) and boss Soumyajit Dasgupta (Tinnu Anand) about the fiasco. Amal, being a bitchy boss, shouts at her assistant who ends up resigning. Cut to the young and energetic Nia (Radhika Seth) who shares a secret relationship with Monty that no one is supposed to know. Nia ends up becoming Amal’s new assistant and finally, when the agents of ART are enjoying a little bit of peace, their boss Soumyajit passes away due to a massive heart attack.

Now, the job is up to the four street-smart talent agents to manage fragile star egos and real human emotions to save their agency ART from closure after the sudden death of the founder. What happens is a series of starry appearances by Farah Khan, Akshara Haasan, Sarika, Lillete Dubey, Ila Arun, Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha and Jackie Shroff that add sugar and spice into the lives of Amal, Mehershad, Monty, Treasa and Nia.

With a wicked peep into the glamorous world of Bollywood, Call My Agent: Bollywood makes for an entertaining and delightful show. However, there are scenes so exaggerated that you wonder if they are for real. Talent management agencies are casual and chilled-out. However, it’s surprising to see colleagues showing each other the middle finger, throwing papers at their seniors in fits of rage, and using slang. While the way Bollywood actually works is shown with much clarity, the dramatized writing pulls the show down a little.

It is the cast giving it an Indian twist with quirky humour that makes it a delightful watch. Ayush Mehra steals the show. In the morning, the actor spreads his sass at the office while managing his actor clients and by night, he is a typical Parsi at home. The next surprise package is Radhika Seth who makes her debut with Call My Agent: Bollywood. The newbie puts her best acting foot forward and impresses with her charming looks and personality.

Soni Razdan and Rajat Kapoor share the same position as senior agents but are poles apart. While Soni carries her role of a ‘star maker’ with much perfection, Rajat adds the much-needed seriousness and stubbornness to his role. Aahana Kumra as Amal, however, disappoints with her constant “janab mohatarma” dialogues and over-acting. An otherwise natural actress, Aahana comes across as a forceful artist this time. But the array of guest appearances by famous Bollywood personalities keeps the show going.

Director Shaad Ali successfully shows the BTS moments of Bollywood and adds his own twist to make the show engaging. However, it’s the writing by Abbas and Hussein Dalal that disappoints a little with exaggerated and dramatized dialogues. Hats off to Sunita Radia and Farooq Hundekar for their flawless cinematography and editing. Music by Roy and Pranaay is relatable and matches the show’s tone.