Plot : A Sanitation worker, how he stumbles upon magical powers which leads to a riveting new ride for the man, and how it stirs his humble life.
Cast : Bhuvan Bam, J. D. Chakravarthy, Atisha Naik, Shilpa Shukla, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Deven Bhojani, Nitya Mathur and Prathamesh Parab.
Director : Himank Gaur
Ratings : ⭐️⭐️ ½
Review : Taaza Khabar, the debut web series by prominent YouTuber Bhuvan Bam shows the life of a Mumbai chawl resident who runs a pay-and-use public restroom experiences some unexpected twists and turns. The young man gains the ability to predict the near future and control both his and the fate of the lady he loves as a result of a good deed and a subsequent miracle. More magic would have improved the series as a whole.
Vasant (Vasya) Gawde is a poor youngster who desires a better standard of living for himself, his mother, his beloved, and his pals in the six-episode Hotstar Specials programme, which is directed by Himank Gaur, who earlier oversaw Bhuvan Bam’s YouTube series Dhindora. The show also features a thug with political aspirations and a prostitute in romance. The impact of the two persons on the protagonist’s life is so evident that there is very little chance that the love-and-lust triangle will include any major surprises.
Taaza Khabar’s fundamental idea may be novel, but the characters and specifics of the plot are as dated as last week’s events. There isn’t anything in it that could be considered hot out of the oven. The protagonist amasses an absurd amount of fortune by betting on cricket matches whose outcome he knows in advance, makes a mint, and then—unsurprisingly—realizes that there is more to life than money.
The Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal screenplay, which depends on the protagonist’s knowledge of future events and the benefit he gains from his clairvoyance, is shallow, laborious, and devoid of any real understanding of what a guy stuck in a rut should be pursuing.
A rags-to-riches tale, Taaza Khabar, is produced by Bam’s own company and is filled with trite reflections on the distinctions between jadoo (magic) and chamatkar (miracle), dhokha (fraud) and yakeen (believing), shraap (curse) and vardaan (blessed), kismat and karma, and other concepts. Even in the show, a guy by the name of Kismat (Mahesh Manjrekar makes a brief cameo) boasts that he owns a “jugaad market.”
The performance by Bhuvan Bam is genuine. He truly inhabits the role, and he delivers it with authority. His trip is divided into two parts: the timid and fearful Vasant, and the Vasant who comes to think of himself as “God.” Both of the character’s facets were effectively depicted by Bhuvan, and the transition was seamless. His performance stands out because it meshes with the story. Together with Bhuvan, Shriya Pilgaonkar as Madhu, Deven Bhojani as Mehboob Bhai, and Prathamesh Parab as Peter make up a funny and dynamic ensemble.
The world of Taaza Khabar is made to look quite real thanks in large part to the cinematography and music. The dialogue play is believable, but nothing special. They effectively complement the show but do not make it stand out. The appeal is in fusing the fantasies of these small-time city inhabitants with their aspirations for greatness. Taaza Khabar is exactly what you would expect it to be, neither more nor less. It moves along smoothly and concludes before losing momentum. This weekend, it will be fun to watch.