Netflix has recently taken in a sizeable influx of Hindi-language Indian productions into their lineup, but most of it has been expectedly overlooked by the West for the most part. I stumbled upon Hasmukh somewhat randomly and, as a self-respecting fan of foreign-language TV, I dug into it blindly but enthusiastically. It's an awesome feeling to find something yourself. Starring Vir Das as the title character, the show follows his quest to become a great comedian, but the catch is that he can only perform if he murders somebody before going onstage. A pretty interesting, absurd premise. However, I can't describe Hasmukh as anything but... alright, so that whole "finding it myself" thing felt somewhat hollow afterwards in this case.
One big thing that needs to be considered going in is that this is a show about an aspiring comedian who is regarded as a God of Comedy by other characters. As a non-Indian, I expected that the culturally-exclusive humour would not always land so well to English-speaking ears. Comedy is incredibly difficult to translate well across borders when we all have different languages and senses of humour. I get the feeling that the producers tried really hard to give this show a multinational appeal as it lacks many of the tropes and conventions popularly associated with Indian cinema and TV. However, after some research, a lot of Indian reviewers confirm that, yeah, the show isn't really that funny. Most of Hasmukh's material is weak, relying on bland husband-wife humour and often going on disturbing diatribes that make him sound like, well, a serial killer. Yet his audiences find him utterly uproarious. Hasmukh serves as a good example of why the Tough Room trope can be our friend, because it can get annoying when a show is always doing the laughing for you.
The show undeniably has some charm and amusing farce to it - it hinges on your willing suspension of disbelief that a person can casually get away with murder. Although the show is often dark and dramatic, the writers chose to make it about a killer comedian so you'd expect his jokes to make more of a splash. It's like making a show about a T.S. Eliot Prize-winning poet even though you know nothing about how to write poetry.
A lot of other reviewers I've seen diss Vir Das as a bad actor but I think he does a fine job, as does Ranvir Shorey as Jimmy "The Maker", Hasmukh's agent who ironically provides the most laughs.
Series A killer comedian yet the room is dead
Netflix has recently taken in a sizeable influx of Hindi-language Indian productions into their lineup, but most of it has been expectedly overlooked by the West for the most part. I stumbled upon Hasmukh somewhat randomly and, as a self-respecting fan of foreign-language TV, I dug into it blindly but enthusiastically. It's an awesome feeling to find something yourself. Starring Vir Das as the title character, the show follows his quest to become a great comedian, but the catch is that he can only perform if he murders somebody before going onstage. A pretty interesting, absurd premise. However, I can't describe Hasmukh as anything but... alright, so that whole "finding it myself" thing felt somewhat hollow afterwards in this case.
One big thing that needs to be considered going in is that this is a show about an aspiring comedian who is regarded as a God of Comedy by other characters. As a non-Indian, I expected that the culturally-exclusive humour would not always land so well to English-speaking ears. Comedy is incredibly difficult to translate well across borders when we all have different languages and senses of humour. I get the feeling that the producers tried really hard to give this show a multinational appeal as it lacks many of the tropes and conventions popularly associated with Indian cinema and TV. However, after some research, a lot of Indian reviewers confirm that, yeah, the show isn't really that funny. Most of Hasmukh's material is weak, relying on bland husband-wife humour and often going on disturbing diatribes that make him sound like, well, a serial killer. Yet his audiences find him utterly uproarious. Hasmukh serves as a good example of why the Tough Room trope can be our friend, because it can get annoying when a show is always doing the laughing for you.
The show undeniably has some charm and amusing farce to it - it hinges on your willing suspension of disbelief that a person can casually get away with murder. Although the show is often dark and dramatic, the writers chose to make it about a killer comedian so you'd expect his jokes to make more of a splash. It's like making a show about a T.S. Eliot Prize-winning poet even though you know nothing about how to write poetry.
A lot of other reviewers I've seen diss Vir Das as a bad actor but I think he does a fine job, as does Ranvir Shorey as Jimmy "The Maker", Hasmukh's agent who ironically provides the most laughs.