BOTTOM LINE
Absurd, Over-The-Top and Unnecessary
PLATFORM
JioHotstar
RUNTIME
2 Hours (7 Episodes)
What Is the Show About?
After blaming Lord Indra for their problems, Vikram, Rahul, and Ganta Ravi are thrown into a multiverse experiment that swaps their lives. As they navigate these new, strange worlds, the men deal with corruption, rising tensions at home, and the confusing reality of their new situations. Ultimately, the trio must figure out the truth and choose between staying in their new lives or returning to their original homes.
Performances
Most of the performances feel formulaic and mechanical this time. It is only Priyadarshi who maintains some control over Ganta Ravi across the multiverse without being annoying. Chaitanya Krishna is strictly okay, while Abhinav Gomatam struggles to get his act together.
Pavani Gangireddy fares much better among the female leads, and Deviyani Sharma passes muster. Gangavva and Jabardasth Ravi are way over-the-top for comfort. Srikanth Iyengar, Sunaina and Harsha Vardhan do not get much scope to make their presence felt. Vennela Kishore appears quite disinterested in a strange cameo as Lord Indra.
Analysis
Every time a potentially good show becomes a franchise, the creators ultimately compete with the first season. How does one at least match it, if not better it, and make another new instalment feel necessary? This lack of clarity is evident in Save The Tigers, which started out as a modern-day upgrade to the hit film Kshemanga Velli Labhanga Randi and has struggled to replicate its impact in later seasons.
If the second season of Save The Tigers positioned itself as a slice-of-life drama over a buddy comedy, the third time around, the show neither manages to be funny nor strikes an emotional chord. Desperation sets in as the creators, Pradeep Advaitham and Mahi V Raghav, weave in a socio-fantasy element, and the characters are forced to grapple with a multiverse experiment.
There is obvious trouble in paradise with all the protagonists: Rahul, Vikram and Ganta Ravi. Ravi and his family struggle to adapt to life in a gated community. Vikram’s marital woes continue to mount as Rekha refuses to negotiate a divorce. Rahul has lost his corporate job while Madhuri is unsure about her pregnancy. As the men vent their trauma, their lives undergo a sea change.
A casual remark to Lord Indra about marriages places the men in a new world with alternative realities. In the other universe, all the men have subservient wives. Ravi grows to be a crooked politician, who gives no voice to the women in the house and even stops his daughter from going to school. Vikram is an out-and-out playboy who does not let his wife practise law and treats his mother-in-law miserably.
Meanwhile, Rahul has fulfilled his dream of turning into a screenwriter, while his dietician wife is asked to close her clinic and lead a strictly domestic existence. When the different versions of the men swap their places in the alternate universes, chaos erupts. The show’s attempt with all these gimmicks is to help the key characters understand their partners better and appreciate them for what they are.
The intention behind the premise is indeed interesting. The men are given everything on a platter regarding their careers and relationships, yet they sense something is amiss. They realise they are not without their share of problems. The void also allows them to realise what they like about their partners and mundane realities, even as they crib much about them.
Yet, the idea is not the problem. The tone is so off, with the characters shouting at the top of their voices to elicit laughs. Apart from the novel situation they find themselves in, there is nothing really to look forward to regarding the characters. With both previous seasons, you are quite aware of their trigger-worthy aspects and issues. You can neither laugh about them nor empathise with them.
Poshavva whines about missing her old house. Rahul’s house-help, Lakshmi, continues to be a good-hearted motormouth. Rekha still stands firm about her decisions. If at all a character stands out, it is Madhuri, who realises the need for some space to express herself freely without judgment. The men get another opportunity to discover that they could be arrogant pricks too.
The frequent interventions from Lord Indra’s aides are irritating, at best. Though the backdrop and the ideas remain interesting, it is hard to recollect a single sequence that is funny or stays with you after the show has finished. The writing is all over the place, and it feels like the makers have taken the audience for granted, presuming they would lap up anything with the same characters in a successful show.
Save The Tigers Season 3 is a show made in haste. It is the weakest of all three seasons and fails to utilise the potential of an impressive cast fully.
Music and Other Departments?
On the technical front, there is nothing really noteworthy to merit much discussion. Ajay Arasada’s background score is too generic to make any difference to the proceedings. Cinematographer Vishweshwar Silamkoti does his bit to bring respectability to the season through his neat, sharp frames. The writing is amateurish, and the screenplay feels rushed and directionless. The only relief is its crisp runtime, where each episode lasts only about 20–25 minutes.
Highlights?
The idea of a multiverse and role-swapping
The intention of the story, to make the partners empathise with one another
Drawbacks?
Poor, silly writing
Over-the-top performances
Neither funny nor heartfelt
Did I Enjoy It?
Not really
Will You Recommend It?
No. Even if you want something safe and formulaic or happened to like the previous seasons of the show, please find better alternatives.
Save The Tigers Season 3 Web Series Reviewed by M9 News
