Amartya Smaran
Tigers, for the most part, have become extinct! And men are not far away from getting there, according to’s Save the Tigers, which premiered today on Disney+Hotstar. This sitcom entails the story of three not-so-happily married men— Ganta Ravi(Priyadarshi Pulikonda), Vikram(Chaitanya Krishna), and Rahul(Abhinav Gomatam).
The idea of Save the Tigers stems from men losing their importance of sorts. At home, at work, and in the larger scheme of things. Ganta Ravi runs a dairy farm. For him, milk is life. Vikram is a creative head at an agency headed by a mean boss (Harshavardhan). Rahul is on a sabbatical to pursue writing full-time. What do these three have in common you ask? Wife issues.
Ganta Ravi’s wife, Hymavathi (Jordhar Sujatha) is always bothered about moving to a gated community. She wants her kids to speak good English and have a lavish lifestyle. The lady has her ways. Even while praising her husband, the thought of shifting to a gated community is at the back of her mind. Ganta Ravi is just rooted. All he’s worried about is his buffaloes and business. Wherever he goes and whoever he meets, Ravi only talks about is his business.
Vikram, on the other hand, is dealing with Rekha (Deviyani Sharma)— an advocate and a hardcore pseudo-feminist. Rekha can’t stand her mother-in-law and has the tendency to turn every little thing into a big deal. She is the poster child of woke culture. Something that Vikram hates. He’s the one who has to compromise every single time. He’s so vexed that soon after a big fight, he rather asks his wife if he should drop her to her mum’s place than pleading her to stay back (which makes for a great laugh). Vikram’s daughter is his biggest cheerleader.
Now, Rahul’s wife, Madhu (Pavani Gangireddy) — a doctor, has a tough time accepting the fact that her husband quit his job to become a writer. Rahul is passionate but lazy. He looks for constant inspiration and whiles away time. He and his maid (Rohini) argue like kids. The banter between them is all you need. The comedy scenes between them work brilliantly.
The duo keeps throwing hilarious punches at each other. Rahul turns so insecure that he suspects Madhu of having an affair with her former college friend and colleague, Dr. Naveen (Raja Chembolu). Does this all sound like someone going through an identity crisis?
Alcohol brings out the best and worst at the same time. The music makes it messier. And when three frustrated men blurt out everything they’ve bottled up for years in a male dominant pub, all hell breaks loose and the rant goes viral (haha). The men in the pub sympathise with their problems. Vikram gets on his seat and yells Save the Tigers as if he’s reminding all men that they shouldn’t forget they’re tigers.
The series begins with our characters in a police station, figuring out how to bail themselves out of a DND (drink and drive) case. They just need their car back. Ravi acts flamboyant and boasts about his friends in high places. He insists that they meet the top cop, S. Bikshapathi (Srikanth Iyengar). Rahul notices a change in Bikshapathi’s behavior whenever he picks up the phone. He figures out that the cop too must be a frustrated husband and delivers a short monologue. The cop melts down and empathises with the trio, and starts talking to them politely. From here, the screenplay mostly spends time in flashbacks detailing the lives of the characters.
Actors Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Abhinav Gomatam, and Chaitanya Krishna play their parts with superb conviction. Priyadarshi, as the local milk supplier, couldn’t get better. Abhinav, as a lazy wanna-be writer, makes the comedy work like magic. Finally, Chaitanya Krishna excels at playing a stoic figure out the three; keeping it cool at times and raising the bar when needed. His monologue in the pub at the end of episode 2 is the highlight of the series.
Coming to the wives— (Jordar Sujatha, Pavani Gangireddy, and Deviyani Sharma) — all of them do a commendable job. Jordar Sujatha as Hymavathi is spot on as the loud-nagging lady. Pavani Gangireddy does a fine job of portraying the many emotions that a woman goes through while dealing with a jobless husband. Deviyani Sharma really embodies the role of a pseudo-feminist in the best possible way.
Actor-turned-first-time director Teja Kakumanu gets the idea right. The central theme is to give men their due credit. He takes the comedic route. In today’s woke world, dealing with themes like pseudo-feminism could easily backfire, but he doesn’t leave any scope for that, mainly because the majority of the funny bits work.
The series is written by Pradeep Advaitham, and he does a pretty good job in incorporating different ideas— Men on the brink of being extinct, having to deal with high stress at the office, home, and often bearing the brunt of woke ideas. However, after episode 3, the series almost fizzles out. The funny scenes aren’t that funny anymore. The idea begins to look abstract and incomplete. The whole idea gets lost in the translation by the end of it. What starts off as a concrete funny series lacks the luster.
The main theme doesn’t take shape at all. Mahi V Raghav, who directed films like Anando Brahma and Yatra, is the showrunner for the series. The cinematography by Vishweshwar SV is perfect for a sitcom. Ajay Arasada’s background score is quirky and really enhances the comedy bits. Shravan Katikaneni, the editor of the film, does his job well and tries his hand at being inventive at places. Minus the flaws, Save the Tigers is one of the few genuinely well-made sitcoms out there. A good start for authentic Telugu sitcoms.
Rating: 3/5
