Indian Drama Series Review: Call Me Bae
Or you can call me a cliché dramedy. Whatever works for you.
Call Me Bae chronicles the fall and rise of a naive, privileged young Indian woman, all shot through a rose-tinted lens. A typical Karan Johar production.
Lead cast: Ananya Panday, Muskkaan Jaferi, Gurfateh Pirzada, Vir Das, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Varun Sood, Vihaan Samat, Mini Mathur, Sahil Shroff
Director: Colin D'Cunha
Written by: Ishita Moitra, Samina Motlekar, Rohit Nair
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Number of episodes:
Plot: Call Me Bae tells the riches-to-rags-to-self-discovery story of Bella aka Bae. She was born into an ultra-wealthy family in Delhi and is clueless about the real world and how it functions but kind-hearted. She’s constantly trying to follow in her brother’s footsteps, but her mother always says no.
Typical Indian ma.
Eventually, she is married off to another rich kid to save her family from the dreaded fate of becoming “middle class”. Things take a turn when she cheats on her husband with her trainer, Prince, and gets kicked out, landing her in Mumbai.
Long story short she becomes “poor” *cough cough* and begins a journey of self-discovery, sparked by a viral video where she critiques a two-faced desi journalist’s branded luxury outfit. With her social media journalism course (taken during her rich-kid days), she decides to become a journalist.
Apologies to anyone who’s struggled for years to become a journalist on behalf of everyone who watched this darn show.
It’s unclear whether the show pays homage to classics like Legally Blonde and Confessions of a Shopaholic, if it’s satirizing how blindly adopting Western culture has become a trend among the elite, or if it is genuinely meant to be an Indian rom-com. 🤷♀️
The first episode was headache-inducing. I had to take a painkiller just to get through it. Surprisingly, after that, the rest of the episodes became somewhat bearable, maybe thanks to the painkiller.
Is life really that easy?
Bella’s loneliness and lack of “Pilates” (code word for sex, given the constant presence of household staff), pushes her to make wrong moves. When she moves to Mumbai, she meets Saira, a hotel staff member who kindly takes her in (because apparently, in this world, everyone is endlessly kind and ready to help).
Once Bae’s viral video (shot and posted by someone else) takes off, she meets a junior reporter from TRP Channel who offers to take her in as her roomie and gives her a crash course in budgeting, and more. Is the world really that generous? She struggles as a rich kid but breezes through life as a broke woman.
Love magically appears but seems forced and superficial
Bae’s arranged marriage to Agastya is as shallow as it can get, yet she can’t seem to get over him despite cheating on him. She has an affair with Prince and leaves him for his own good.
Out of nowhere, she falls for Neel, a charming news anchor and reporter (obviously named Neel just for the “kneeling” joke in the final episode). Their relationship faces its first hurdle when Neel snaps at her for attempting to broadcast a sensitive story without proper evidence. To top it off, after their ridiculous argument, she’s heartbroken when she spots Aggi with another woman.
Seriously? Bae earns a boo from me with her inconsistent words and actions.
Ma’am, find a man and keep him. And no, cheating irrespective of the reason is not excusable. I said what I said.
A subtle dig wherever possible
I’m not sure what the intention was but the show is sprinkled with fictional brand names like Toykea (imagine if Toys R Us and IKEA had a baby) and PinkCloud, a cheeky reference to PinkVilla. These names add a humorous touch to familiar brand names to fit its over-the-top world. Also, no clue why they took a dig at Koreans by mocking a certain Mr Lee with unwanted humour and glamour.
Performances were a hit-and-miss
Ananya Pandey nails the role of Bae, possibly because it mirrors her real life. She’s often clueless, and it surprises me every time she speaks. Her fashion sense? A+, thanks to Anaita Shroff Adajania’s styling. But the rest is questionable, at best.
Gurfateh Pirzada as Neel is convincing. Very demure, very mindful… but sometimes erratic. Maybe Bae is the breath of fresh air he needed after his failed marriage to a serious economist but he is confused about what he wants.
The standout is Vir Das as Satyajit, the most complex character in the series. Starting from humble beginnings, Satyajit rises to the top but loses his way, viewing news as nothing more than sensational clickbait for TRP. His downfall is tied to his relationship with Mukesh Sahai, the story’s antagonist and Vir Das brings depth and conviction to the role.
If it weren’t for the supporting characters, Bae’s life (and this series) would have been a complete flop. The real effort to gather solid proof for the case Bae is covering, along with any actual support, comes from Saira, Sammarra and Prince. Muskkaan Jaferi as Saira steals the show. Niharika Lyra Dutt as Sammarra is convincing. Varun Sood’s portrayal of Prince is sweet but it ends there.
Yet, Bae somehow steals the spotlight and effortlessly keeps her main character energy intact.
Do the subplots give depth to this (almost) shallow dramedy?
In the second half, the series delves into #MeToo issues, with pseudo-feminist Mukesh Sahai exposed for harassing women. But the handling of these issues was borderline wokeism. It also explores abstract subplots like data theft by telecom companies and Saira’s gambling addiction. Hopefully, these topics will be addressed more thoughtfully in the second season.
The series attempts to break stereotypes, showing that not all rich kids are snobby, rude, or stingy. But despite its efforts, it doesn’t fully convince me.
I’m assuming there’ll be a Season 2, especially given the cliffhanger where Aggi appears while Bae is partying with Neel and her friends, and we’re still left in the dark about who or what Centaurus is.
Verdict
Colin D’Cunha, known for movies like PK and Bhaag Milka Bhaag, has delivered quality hits in the past. Unfortunately, Call Me Bae doesn’t quite measure up to his past work. KJo and Dharmatic Productions might want to consider investing in projects that will leave a lasting, positive impression on their audience.
