Bestseller Season 1 Review: Mystery and drama with poetic sentiments of the heartland

Amazon Prime Video has frequently outperformed rival streaming companies searching for high-quality, original Indian entertainment. As a result, the streaming behemoth has extended its horizons with quality series and movies. But, its most recent release, Bestseller, may cause you to reconsider. Bestseller, made by Mukul Abhyankar, professes to be a compelling mystery from the start, yet it falls short during the first few mins of playing.

During the first scene, we meet glossy fiction author Tahir and his spouse Mayanka, with a disgruntled Tahir informing us what his talented lady does by openly criticizing her. The narrative then introduces the series’ other personalities, such as Shruti Haasan, who portrays Meetu Mathur, a small-town woman.

Tahir attempts to manipulate and rework Meetu’s life narrative for a prequel to his work, but it only comes out superficially. The talent of writer Anvita Dutt adapts poorly and ineptly to the screen. From the banter to one of the most shocking discoveries, the programme struggles to elicit any passion, strengthen the tale, or keep you hooked.
Mithun Chakraborty, whose been listed as the main character, debuts only in the third chapter as a funny officer with a horrible hairstyle. Four chapters were made available for preview, and all of them just moved the plot from one place to the next without making any attempt to keep things exciting or keep you involved.

The only constants were Satyajeet Dubey’s blank-staring ‘Chapter One,’ ‘Chapter Two’ speech after each chapter, and Shruti Haasan’s immaculately groomed hair, which doesn’t budge a centimetre even when she is in a hospital’s waiting room. Gauhar Khan and Mithun, who provide a significant improvement, are the only redeeming graces.
Bestseller fails spectacularly in nearly every facet, especially in writing, casting, and performance.

Arjan Bajwa’s performance as author Tahir is underwhelming, as is Shruti Haasan’s performance as the small-town girl woman with a haunting background. Mukul Abhyankar and Anvita Dutt attempt to maintain the story fresh by incorporating parallel threads, but Bestseller does not make for bestseller content. It performs worse than Prime’s other failed original show, Tandav.

Mithun Chakraborty makes his web series breakthrough in Bestseller, in a part that may appear to be a sleek version of the sarcastic, street-smart persona that propelled the experienced actor’s superstar status in Bollywood in the 1980s. He doesn’t quite put on his dancing shoes here, but filmmaker Abhyankar can’t help but put Mithun in a floral shirt and a beach hat for a party scene.

Mithun attempts to inject the occasional light moment into a part but generally sticks quite close to the standard filmy police format. His supporters will be relieved when the series concludes since season two intends to focus on Lokesh Pramanik’s background. Sonalee Kulkarni, who portrays Pramanik’s secretary Urmila, appropriately downplays the turmoil around her role.

Bestseller blends relatively tragic drama with poetic sentiments of the heartland, never losing a beat on the tension aspect. It is technically sound and generally appealing as mainstream fare. It is suggested if you enjoy your thrills with a side of smouldering anxiety.