'Newsense' Web Series Review
Cast: Navdeep, Bindhu Madhavi, Ramesh Konambotla and others
Music: Suresh Bobbili
Cinematography: Anant Nag Kavuri
Producers: TG Viswa Prasad and Vivek Kuchibotla
Story – Screenplay – Direction: Praveen Kumar
Talented actors Navdeep and Bindhu Madhavi have arrived this weekend with a brand new web series titled 'Newsense'. The promos created a lot of interest and the audience are curious to see what 'Aha' offered us with this series. Let us dive into the review straightaway.
Story:
Madanapally in 2000…There are journalists who cover the news completely but claim that they only give the truth to the people. Ayyappa is an innocent man who gets his land grabbed but claims that educated people don't get sold. Police people who encounter people who are carrying explosives…the murder of a driver who works for a ruling party MLA…A wife who tries to find his lost husband…a sacrifice made by a mother to save his son…a lot is happening. Despite knowing everything and the reason behind all this, there are reports who take the money and hide the news and sideline them completely. This is the premise of 'Newsense'.
Analysis:
This web series is written based on the true incidents which happened in Madanapally. It contains six episodes and despite creating curiosity with titles, the story and screenplay lacks any creativity. The media often tries to hide the news and Shiva who works as a Republic TV reporter goes through a lot of internal conflict but does not take any action. He thinks that police should give them the way out of respect but not fear. He knows what he is doing is wrong as a journalist but he does it for a living. A past that is chasing him…the death of Ayyappa…pressure from politicians…people who want to kill him and others which shows that he is under constant pressure all the time. He always comes up with meaningful one-liners like 200 rupees if you write a story and 2000 rupees if you hide a story, people should salute powerful people but not throw stones at them and many more. Season one is filled with such dialogues and the makers wrote Shiva's character in a very complex manner as one cannot relate with him.
Shiva does nothing as the main lead in this series throughout the first season. We need to see what he does in the second season. Bindhu Madhavi is a news reader who has a love track with Shiva but she is shown as taking money from the opposition party leader at the end. This is what creates a lot of curiosity about the second season. We will know the reason behind showing love towards Shiva and taking money from Raju in season two. Ellis looks after political matters despite being a reporter. He is always skeptical about Shiva and we will get to know more about him in the next season.
SI Edwin comes in the place of SI Murali who gets suspended due to a fake encounter. He sets his own rules wherever he goes and makes sure that the law and order are in place. He is rough but sincere as he warns the reporters not to write anything without evidence. This shows his character and MLA Karunakar Reddy plans to occupy Sugalimitta lands he thinks that land rates will increase once the factory in Madanapally closes. Why he kills his own driver remains as suspense.
'Newsense' has a regular story but the characters have a lot of depth and intensity which creates a lot of interest among the viewers. We get a feeling that something is about to happen throughout the season but nothing happens at the end. With Shiva thinking of doing something all the time, people expect a lot from him but the makers confined the first season to setting the premise and establishing the key characters and their conflicts.
The locations are perfect for this period backdrop movie. The dialogues are completely in the Chittoor dialect. The story and screenplay doesn't take you out of Madanapally which makes you get involved in the series. But there is a lot of scope for the first season to be better. It is quite good to take a journalist backdrop for a web series but 'Newsense' can be made in an even better manner. Though the characters and their behavior create a lot of intrigue, the makers failed to use them to the fullest. The first episode starts off in an engaging fashion but the story and narration become weak as the series progresses. We don't get an idea of what the director is trying to say and the ending of the first season is not that great as well. The series goes on without keeping you bored but it does not engage you or entertain you in most parts. Despite the unsatisfactory first season, we will have an interest in knowing what Shiva does next in the second season of 'Newsense'.
Performances:
Navdeep's manly look in Shiva's character is quite good. He portrayed his character in a very mature and dignified manner. We get a feeling that there is a wonderful actor inside Navdeep which was not utilised properly. He owned the character completely. Bindhu Madhavi looked amazing and gave a decent performance. She made sure that her character leaves a mark and doesn't look like a glam doll. Her character is going to be even more interesting in the second season. Ramesh impressed with his subtle acting as Press Club Chairman Eshwar. Nagireddy and Karunakar Reddy did what was required of them. The actor who did the role of SI Edwin did a very good job. Ayyappa, Eeramma and others too did complete justice to their roles.
Technicians:
With the backdrop being 2000, the nativity is kept intact and the camera work suits the tone of the series. The cinematography is very impressive. Suresh Bobbili's music engages the audience. Praveen Kumar impresses in certain parts of the series. It is a fact that he failed to be clear about a few aspects in the season one. The production values of the People Media Factor are adequate.
Verdict: Half-Baked 'Newsense'!
Disclaimer : This Review is Just An Opinion of One Person. Please Do Not Judge The Movie Based On This Review And Watch Movie in AHA OTT
