BOTTOM LINE
Just For Timepass
PLATFORM
PRIME VIDEO
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RUNTIME
3 hours (Approx) – 6 Episodes
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What Is the Film About?
Vaibhav Chak, a Delhi-based youngster turns his expertise in dating into a lucrative career and runs a coaching service ‘womanipulation’, where he imparts his unique methods to men seeking success in love. His life takes a new turn when he lands a job as an image consultant with a controversial politician Pankaj Hooda and falls for his wife Mallika. However, his honeymoon is set to end soon.
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Performances
Pranav Sachdeva is effective as the happy-go-lucky yet manipulative Vaibhav – he has a decent screen presence and displays a good flair for comedy in a role that doesn’t demand much from him. Sandeepa Dhar easily gets the more interesting, messy role, caught between her complex relationship with Pankaj and Vaibhav’s unwanted attention and plays her part from a place of honesty.
The real surprise in the show is Mahesh Balraj. The Gangs of Wasseypur, PK actor gives it all as the temperamental politician and has great fun in bringing it alive. The supporting cast complements the leads assuredly – be it Babla Kochar, Alisha Chopra, Diksha Arora, Hanif Memon or others.
Analysis
Pyar Ka Professor is an unusual romantic comedy involving a seduction coach, a hot-headed politician and his young wife. The show takes you through the highs and lows in Vaibhav’s life, and how he unabashedly manipulates women into falling for him. All’s well with him until a leaked viral video where he mocks Pankaj Hooda’s ways gives a new direction to his career.
The surprise job offer from the politician for an image makeover, ahead of the election season, transforms his idea of love. The show nearly risks romanticising Vaibhav’s misogyny, particularly through a workshop where he dispenses dating advice based on reductive psychological profiles of women. While Pyar Ka Professor seems to aim for quirky humour, this approach feels problematic.
The pacy screenplay, packed with many events, twists and turns, almost makes you forget its problems. Once you come to terms with the protagonist’s flaws, it slightly becomes easier to digest his actions. As an image consultant, Vaibhav is truly good at his job and uses every trick in the book to woo Mallika (using tricks from the classes he conducts for his male counterparts).
Though the show initially focuses on the politician’s ruggedness and how he could be an insensitive husband, especially in bed – your perspective of him changes with time. As you get a better glimpse of the dynamic that Pankaj and Mallika share, you sense he may not be a bad man at all and one who gives space for dissent with his partner and his staff.
The show gets spicier as Anamika, one of Vaibhav’s exes tries to out him and jeopardise his stint with Pankaj. Meanwhile, Pankaj’s political career flourishes, his trust in Vaibhav grows and the media optics change for the better. Also, Vaibhav and Mallika’s equation takes a new turn. The narrative never settles for the obvious and the writing choices keep the viewer invested.
Amidst all the political action and romantic encounters, the show also captures the bittersweet relationship between Vaibhav and his father. The flashback sequence, where the dad buys a car just to please his school-going son, evokes a sense of nostalgia. However, Pyar Ka Professor still could’ve done a better job of elaborating on Vaibhav’s dysfunctional childhood and how it might have contributed to his manipulative approach to relationships.
The ending is particularly interesting because it suggests that Vaibhav has a conscience after all and he thinks twice about cheating the woman whom he really loves. It doesn’t deal in broad strokes and leaves a few aspects open-ended. Is Vaibhav really a transformed man after the ‘episode’? Does Mallika still have a thing for Vaibhav? There’s scope for interpretation and it’s not a bad idea at all.
Pyar Ka Professor is a timepass fare that chooses instant gratification over depth. While the premise leaves you slightly uneasy, you savour it better as the lead characters evolve. It’s meant for light viewing and you won’t regret watching it.
Music and Other Departments?
Anadi Nagar’s energetic numbers and lively score give the show momentum and complement its funky, comic-book-style execution. Arkodeb Mukherjee’s bright, vivid cinematography strengthens its technical finesse. The editor’s storytelling choices—like the intercuts between his dating workshop advice and his romantic endeavours with Mallika—are innovative. The production design and colourful costumes also give the show a boost.
Highlights?
Quirky, unusual premise
Neat performances
Engaging screenplay
Drawbacks?
Confusing characterisation
Doesn’t care for depth
Did I Enjoy It?
In parts
Will You Recommend It?
If you don’t have anything else to do and have low expectations from the show
Pyar Ka Professor Web Series Review by M9
