There is no real ending, it’s just the place where you stop the story. “ Iconic American Science fiction writer Frank Herbert’s comment is probably the best justification for the veritable deluge of web series that have inundated the web space now.
The author of Dune, the best-selling science fiction novel of all time could not have foreseen the current boom time for this genre in its sheer variety. The series in its current form is a departure from the superhero and trope laden storylines of the past. It is neither inspired by the iconic popularity of the superheroes nor the muscle of franchisees. It is driven by the holy grail of filmmaking, the script, the design of content flowing in its purest form.
This is a sign of the times and not an era of the paradigm. It would be fallacious to assume that the audience has suddenly woken up to the magic of the engaging script. The demand for newness, novelty and unpredictability force a vicarious quality in the ebb and flow of the script. The audience is drawn to the fortunes of the characters as they also look for inspiration to deal with the multiple circumstances that they need to negotiate in their own lives, and so the players need to change and convincingly so.
What the makers have realized is that a single character can only change within plausible limits for quality and reality and hence the introduction of new engaging personalities to ensure that the eyeballs continue. This is essentially a need that is generated by the audience more than the logical flow of the plot. Consequently the need to eliminate certain characters to transform in the storyline is just what the spin doctor would recommend. Move over sequels, welcome to the era of the 2nd season.
The web series Mirzapur is a case in point. The first season ends with quite a significant number of the main characters being liquidated to ensure a fresh and clean beginning for the sequel. This has also been necessitated by the all too familiar internecine storyline with its moorings in the cow belt which demand the fresh injection of vitality with a more radical bout of intrigue… This is not entirely original but the disappearance of the characters from the previous season is a step that is not without its perils as one has discarded the raison d’etre of the sequel in the first place, the popularity of the characters, in which a lot of time and capital have been invested.
The crowded webspace demands just a little more in terms of the thrills and spills and one simply cannot afford to slacken the pace as this rollercoaster has to negotiate the sharp spins with a deftness not evidenced earlier. A Sacred Games despite the presence of a star like Saif saw due importance being accorded to the other characters. Afforded the luxury of time, the persona are imbued with shades and hues that make for an engrossing tale as the audience find themselves hooked on to the vicissitudes of the ensemble cast.
Similarly Delhi Crime based on the Nirbhaya case devotes a sizeable length of time to reveal a little more about the lives and attitudes of the investigating team. Mobllity and flexibility are the precepts by which the web series work and the makers tread this path with unimaginable diligence. Sets and locales are scaling new heights of authenticity as the handsomely compensated art director is investing greater effort to add to the look and feel of the creation. Made in Heaven based on the lives of two wedding planners features the lives of the Delhi elite and the luxury and the elegance have been suitably depicted in the episodes.
The depiction of one of the leads, a girl from a lower middle class background who attends a finishing school as she attempts to infiltrate the ranks of the uber rich serves as an appropriate reminder of the effort that is required to acquire the ersatz appeal. This fact that this representation of the swish set is being held up as an example of verisimilitude itself speaks volumes about the newly acquired capacity of the medium to perfect the pitch.
An Article By : Shantanu Sharma
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