Prime Video’s Big Budget Disaster: 8 Episodes of Torture?

The Revolutionaries, Nikkhil Advani’s latest period series on India’s armed freedom struggle, has received a largely underwhelming response from viewers. Many are even calling it a major disappointment!

The Prime Video series explores the underground resistance against British rule through figures such as Rash Behari Bose, Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Bagha Jatin and the Ghadar movement. However, audiences have criticised the screenplay for moving from one historical event to another without developing the emotional depth of the revolutionaries.

The show has also been accused of stretching its material across eight episodes. That makes it a tedious watch.

One major criticism is that the series appears more interested in spectacle than storytelling. Elaborate sets, action sequences, chases, stylised visuals and dramatic slow motion moments have not impressed viewers. Most people expected a more grounded and emotionally powerful account of the freedom struggle.

Some users described the screenplay as boring. It even stretched to the point of switching off the television and never wanting to revisit the show.

The performances have also come under fire. While the ensemble includes Bhuvan Bam, Rohit Saraf, Gurfateh Pirzada and Pratibha Ranta, viewers have questioned the acting and screen presence. One person also bluntly claimed that Bhuvan Bam’s acting skills are “zero” and that his screen presence is poor.

The criticism has also triggered a debate on whether filmmakers and producers should be more careful in creating period dramas, especially the ones that combine history and fiction.