Web Series Review: The last three episodes of SHOWTIME are disappointing. The finale is too simplistic

Star Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Mahima Makwana, Rajeev Khandelwal, Mouni Roy, Shriya Saran

Director: Mihir Desai, Archit Kumar

Synopsis:
SHOWTIME is the story of an insider’s face-off with an outsider. After the events of the fourth episode, Mahika Nandi’s (Mahima Makwana) ambitious project 1857 gets bad publicity. Superstar Armaan Singh (Rajeev Khandelwal), accused of having an affair with a star named Saira, tries to repair the damage but it backfires. Raghu Khanna (Emraan Hashmi) regrets blasting Yasmin Ali (Mouni Roy). He wants her back and is ready to accept their unborn child. Yasmin, however, disappears. Prithvi (Vishal Vashishtha), meanwhile, has an altercation with Mahika over his script after the latter insists that Satya (Neeraj Madhav) should direct it after 1857. What happens next forms the rest of the series.

Showtime Season 3 Story Review:
The story has a lot of twists and turns. But Sumit Roy, Lara Chandni and Mithun Gangopadhyay’s screenplay fails to make the desired impact, though a few scenes manage to leave a mark. Jehan Handa and Karan Shrikant Sharma’s dialogues are conversational but could have been more hard hitting.

Mihir Desai and Archit Kumar’s direction is decent. He keeps the execution simplified and impresses in a few scenes like Raghu destroying Saajan Morarka’s (Vijay Raaz) iPad, Armaan’s live streaming that goes wrong, thanks to Mandira (Shriya Saran), etc. Also, there are a lot of unpredictable moments; you never know who will do what next. The run time of each episode is also short and that also helps.

On the flipside, one starts losing interest in these last 3 episodes as the characters end up doing silly stuff. Mahika’s decision in the end will raise questions; why did she do so and what was so heroic about it? Also, the idea probably was that Mahima lost her morals in the world of showbiz, just like everyone else. But viewers won’t be in awe of her this time due to her wrongdoings. Raghu threatening Saajan on live TV is childish. Also, a few tracks are forgotten in the end. The finale is too simplistic and it seems like the makers ran out of ideas.

Showtime Season 3 Performances:
Mahima Makwana gets the maximum screen time and she makes good use of the opportunity. Emraan Hashmi suits the part and rocks the show with his badass moments. Rajeev Khandelwal is impressive, though his track’s culmination should have been better. Mouni Roy plays a difficult role with panache. Shriya Saran is dependable. Vishal Vashishtha does well but his family’s track is forgotten. Neeraj Madhav is great. However, he gets a raw deal in the end. Vijay Raaz is terrific. Shataf Figar (Rustom Boxwala), Denzil Smith (Deven) and Sanjeev Dhuri (ED) lend able support. Lovekesh Solanki (Montu Morarka) leaves a mark. Lillete Dubey (Sarika) is wasted. There are sadly no cameos this time.

 Showtime Season 3 music and other technical aspects:
The songs are forgettable. Anand Bhaskar’s background score is appropriate.

Vivek Shah’s cinematography is neat. Anaita Shroff Adajania and Akshay Tyagi’s costumes are ultra-glamorous and it makes sense since the show is all about celebrities. Amrita Mahal Nakai’s production design is regal. Manan Ashwin Mehta and Sarvesh Kumar Singh’s editing is more or less fine.

Showtime Season 3 Conclusion:
On the whole, the last three episodes of SHOWTIME are disappointing.

Rating – 2 stars