Cast: Ananya Panday, Vihaan Samat, Varun Sood, Vir Das, Mini Mathur, Gurfateh Pirzada, Muskkaan Jaferi, Lisa Misra, Niharika Dutt and more
Director: Collin D’Cunha
Producer: Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment
Written by: Ishita Moitra, Samina Motlekar and Rohit Nair
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Rating: 3/5
Tejal Sinha
Ananya Panday-starrer Call Me Bae is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The series, directed by Collin D’Cunha, is presented by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment. Call Me Bae marks Ananya’s digital debut!
PLOT
The story of Call Me Bae focuses on the main character, Bella Chowdhary, aka Bae, whose life changes drastically when she goes from being a heiress to a hustler, leading her to find her authentic self beyond material possessions. Following financial difficulties and managing both her career and romantic relationships, Bae maneuvers through the newsrooms of Mumbai and embarks on a difficult journey. With all the dramas, chaos, heartbreaks and blings, Call Me Bae brings all of it together.
HIGHLIGHTS
Ananya effortlessly maintains a stylish appearance despite trendy clothing, difficult colleagues and a rags-to-riches storyline. Despite being labelled a classic case of “Ananya Panday playing Ananya Panday” on the internet, we still notice the actress’ efforts in this particular instance. You see her emoting her emotions so well and to be more specific, she’s not the Ananya Panday we’ve ever seen before on screen. She’s fun to watch, but this South Delhi girl is someone here simply to slay, which she has, beyond a doubt. What really wins ones heart during the entire watch is how, irrespective of being broken, her staff loves her. She’s certainly the favourite of all except for her family and her close ones. While in the hierarchy, it’s always expected the male actors to be on top, the director Collin and Ananya as the lead, break the ice.
Vihaan Samat, as Agastya, is just like OH MY GOD! Seeing him in Mismatched as Harsh or Ray in Eternally Confused and Eager for Love, you just won’t be able to believe your own eyes if it actually is Vihaan. He pulls off his character so well. So basically, Agastya is Bae’s darling hubby, who has actually got no time for her ever since they’ve got married. His character seemingly is a person, who makes you dream of a happily-ever-after but then the after never comes. But he was fantabulous in his role. Well, Varun Sood, as in one of the interviews with us, revealed how we would be seeing him being this fun guy, so has he been as Prince. Prince is this hot guy with the amazing physique; one would certainly fall for him, and so did Bae too. He is this innocent, fun, charming guy who will certainly win hearts just with the way more than his dialogues, his eyes spoke. What really happens between Bae and Prince? Sorry, can’t reveal!
Then comes Mini Mathur; she was a feast to watch on-screen. A typical mumma, who wants things to get on track, wants Bae to get married to Agastya and, of course, teaches her what it is like to be in these big parties. There’s something about her character that would break one’s heart, but after all, she’s a mom! Vir Das, again, proves his diversity. Him, playing the character of Satyajit, the news anchor one is always worried about speaking to during an interview. But there’s, of course, someone who can challenge him. Guess who’s it? Keep guessing, readers. Just like Dimple’s best friend and roommate in Mismatched, Muskkaan Jaferi in Call Me Bae plays kind of a similar role. But she’s the BFF you deserve in your life, after all. So twists and turns, but let me tell you, she’s someone you just can’t think of as a supporting actor this time.
Going ahead with the rest of the cast, Lisa Misra in her acting debut, Gurfateh Pirzada as Neel and Niharika Dutt, among the other ones, have also done quite a great job.
DRAWBACKS
Ananya, as this South Delhi rich brat, does get a little annoying here and there, but her true brilliance is much more evident as the plot progresses. Call Me Bae doesn’t bring anything new to the picture—something we know that happens in the end eventually. But then, again, some scenes make you hooked up and relatable to the character.
TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Each frame is meticulously crafted, with the lighting skillfully setting the tone of the show. The music is just the best part of the show. Every track showcases a variety of feelings, music styles and themes such as love, identity and personal growth.
VERDICT
Call Me Bae does give you a vibe of Schitt’s Creek, Emily In Paris and Alia Bhatt from Student of the Year, but there’s a fair attempt to keep up the uniqueness about the series.
Initially, the series, which seems a little boring, catches up pretty well with a lot of emotions and dramas that come its way.
