BOTTOM LINE
Staple Sports Saga but Works
PLATFORM
JioHotstar
RUNTIME
1 hours 36 minutes | 4 Episodes
What Is the Film About?
Once a celebrated national cricket hero, Rangan, still unmarried at 38, is now a PT instructor at the same academy that witnessed his rise. While a new batch of students joins the campus and forges new relationships, Rukmani, the head of the academy and a rigid disciplinarian, will do what it takes to drive her students to perform their best on the field.
Performances
Coming fresh off a high-stakes sports drama (Lal Salaam), Vikranth looks in good shape, appearing believable and in the right mindset to play a coach seeking to redeem himself and the institution that nurtured him. Although somewhat stiff, Sindhu Shyam stays true to her role as a well-intentioned authoritarian figure. Harish and Niyathi Kadambi (as Mani and Thangam) bring enough freshness to the screen to infuse life into their portrayals, standing out among the cast playing the students.
Analysis
LBW, Jio Hotstar’s new cricket-centric drama in Tamil directed by Ganesh Karthikeyan, feels like a close cousin to Mohanakrishna Indraganti’s Telugu film Golconda High School, which released a decade and a half ago. In both stories, the pivotal characters are young adults who come of age through sport and team dynamics, while the resurgence of an institution is tied to their performance.
While the primary struggle for the coach in the Telugu film was to streamline the focus of distracted students and channel their energies efficiently (and also find love), the situation is grimmer for Rangan. A former international cricketer now reduced to a PT instructor, his fall is attributed to temperamental issues, and he must now find a way to bounce back.
The broad storyline of LBW is familiar to the sports genre, but compelling enough to keep a viewer hooked. A failed hero needs to rise from the ashes, enduring daily insults from students and peers, to inspire his wards to achieve what he couldn’t, perhaps helping them learn from his mistakes along the way. Rangan gets another chance at glory, while the teens find their way in life through sport.
The arc for Rangan is strong; he has to work on himself, stay in the background, and prove his worth again, but this time he is merely the vehicle to ensure results. The story refuses to be solely about him. Mani, a new student, joins the academy precisely to spend more time with his childhood sweetheart Thangam, who is clearly interested in him and yet keeps him guessing.
Rishi, the son of a movie star, is withdrawn but talented. His overweight counterpart possesses raw power, though understandably, agility on the field isn’t his strength. Many students, while struggling to adapt to the academy’s rigours, try to make the most of their newfound freedom, even as seniors attempt to put the new entrants in their place through ragging.
Following widely viewed shows like Heartbeat, Police Police, Nadu Center and Office, Hotstar has found a knack for staying relevant through weekly web serials across genres. The budget is obviously bigger and the storytelling (though expansive) is a notch better than your average television soap. While attracting a repeat audience, they offer a relatively more grounded experience with relatable characters.
LBW is positioned as a product in a market that offers a bit of everything. The aim, perhaps more than the narrative itself, is to widen the platform’s reach. While there is nothing distinctly original about it, there is a clear sense of the young cast having fun with the material. Despite the familiar tropes, there remains scope to play with cinematic language and achieve something that traditional films often cannot.
Those habituated to binge-watching may find this strategy of releasing the season across several weeks slightly frustrating; there is a real risk that viewers might skip subsequent episodes due to plain oversight. Yet, LBW, with its crisp runtime and low-stakes setting centred on underdog victories and late-bloomers, is comforting enough to entice a return.
Music and Other Departments?
Arun Raj’s catchy, brief title credits song sets the ball rolling with reasonable enthusiasm. Given that the show’s emotional beats are strictly functional, there are limitations to what Sudharshan’s background score can do to enhance the material. However, Barathkumar Gopinath’s cinematography and the slick editing by Vignesh Arjun and Sreedhar M successfully widen the appeal of the story. Aruna Rakhee’s story lacks freshness, but this is largely compensated for by a superior screenplay.
Highlights?
Simple, accessible storytelling
Relatable performances
Light-hearted, crisp episodes
Drawbacks?
Offers hardly anything new
Packs an oft-told plot with fresh faces
Basic, generic writing
Did I Enjoy It?
It’s okay and watchable-just an excuse to kill time if you need one
Will You Recommend It?
If you something familiar and comfortable in the sports genre
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