'Bring On The Night' is a far cry from the neurotic reality TV shows and weepy family soaps we've been subjected to, for aeons now, writes Nafeesah Ahmed .
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
No! None, zero, zilch, absolutely nothing at all! In hindsight, there are no excuses for having missed the initial episodes of MTV's latest fiction series - Bring On The Night. And yet, I did!
But then, if I were to blatantly pass the buck, it would certainly point us towards the fact that today, most content on TV, often touted as "the latest," "never seen before," "fresh," etc, often ends up disappointing royally.
So, having missed the opportunity thrice, of discovering the joy of "bringing on the night" along with the rest of the world, I wearily turned to YouTube, hoping to catch the series online.
To my surprise, not only did I find the episodes uploaded officially, but was also amused to come across the version that had 'UNCENSORED' slapped atop the viewing window. And although, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for, when I pressed 'play', I have to admit, it was well worth all the effort.
Bring On The Night turned out to be far removed from reality, that is, from the usual neurosis accompanying reality TV shows and weepy family soaps that we've been subjected to, for aeons now. This ten-part mini series seemingly uncovers the Mumbai that comes alive after dark.
The show unfolds with a contemporary story line, fortified by a bunch of talented young actors, a cinematic style of storytelling, coupled with some slick editing work and wacky dialogues, although the humour tends to be a tad bit involved at times.
Plot line
For the uninitiated, Bring On The Night is simply the story about "a wolf pack of four friends" — Kabir Dalal, Patrick Fairbottom, Devang Oza and Maakad, who are young and raring to go and are "constantly looking for alternative ways to express themselves."
Borrowing a line from the narrative perhaps describes them best — "Kyunki inka hisaab alag hai. Din mein ek ek pal ginte hain, lekin sooraj dhalne ke baad, inka gear badalta hai."
With the show's uninhibited portrayal of the life and choices made by the urban youth today, the makers of the series are confident that young India will relate well with the scene settings, the protagonists and their shenanigans.
And relate you will! Episode one opens with a slick montage cut to a voiceover, depicting city life that you and I have learnt to call our own. The narrative provides a peep into the lives of "real time characters," that come complete with their own set of idiosyncrasies, an appetite for liberal use of expletives, inane conversations revolving around superheroes and not to forget the 'Sexy Chetta' chapter, that set the ball rolling for the rest of the series to come. All of this and more, make for a very entertaining opening episode.
Soon after, you are introduced to the main plot, depicting how, when opportunity strikes, all these characters take it upon themselves to turn a dilapidated 200-year-old bungalow into an all night party-place, which plans to defy the 2 am deadline, when all the nightspots in the city of Mumbai are expected to close for the night.
Episode two sees Kabir Dalal, or KD, sowing the germ of an idea into his friends' minds and convincing them to help revamp the house in ruins, into the most happening nightclub in the city. The highlight here being Devang Oza's ingenious acquisition of a license to sell coconuts, in lieu of the usual documents required for running the nightclub.
As the story progresses, we see how the run-down bungalow becomes the venue for a secret gig and Devang comes up with yet another novel way of acquiring permissions for the event, by turning it into a wedding sangeet function to fool the cops.
To keep the act authentic, Patrick and his ex-girlfriend Sheila, who also doubles up as the chef at the nightclub, pose as the bride and groom accepting entry fees in wedding envelopes at the gate!
Needless to say, but as with the first, the second episode also tables some fine performances by the cast, while some absurd Parsi humour dominates the flow of the story — a brilliant example of the seasoned wit and a fresh take on mundane situations, introduced by the dialogue writers at work.
In this case, the humour overflows courtesy 'Weird Ass', Vir Das's comedy consultancy, that includes stand-up comics like Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya, besides the likes of Ram Jaane and of course: Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy.
And with Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy as writer-director for Bring On The Night, there was perhaps little chance of it going wrong.
Most popularly known as the frontman for the internationally acclaimed — Indian band 'Scribe', Vishwesh, a man of many talents, other than being a musician, has contributed to media as an ad film maker, has directed animation virals, done stand-up comedies and theatre, and has been the voice behind many commercials. He was also the man behind the successful music and travel show The Dewarists, on Star World, which helped take Indian music to an entirely different level.
As he tells this engaging tale of a restless urban pack, his experiences as a seasoned comic, an actor and an adman simply shine through.
And, as for rest of the story, I'd rather not risk giving away too much and simply suggest you catch the latest episodes of Bring On The Night on MTV, or simply watch it online. I assure you of more than just a few good laughs.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
No! None, zero, zilch, absolutely nothing at all! In hindsight, there are no excuses for having missed the initial episodes of MTV's latest fiction series - Bring On The Night. And yet, I did!But then, if I were to blatantly pass the buck, it would certainly point us towards the fact that today, most content on TV, often touted as "the latest," "never seen before," "fresh," etc, often ends up disappointing royally.
So, having missed the opportunity thrice, of discovering the joy of "bringing on the night" along with the rest of the world, I wearily turned to YouTube, hoping to catch the series online.
To my surprise, not only did I find the episodes uploaded officially, but was also amused to come across the version that had 'UNCENSORED' slapped atop the viewing window. And although, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for, when I pressed 'play', I have to admit, it was well worth all the effort.
Bring On The Night turned out to be far removed from reality, that is, from the usual neurosis accompanying reality TV shows and weepy family soaps that we've been subjected to, for aeons now. This ten-part mini series seemingly uncovers the Mumbai that comes alive after dark.
The show unfolds with a contemporary story line, fortified by a bunch of talented young actors, a cinematic style of storytelling, coupled with some slick editing work and wacky dialogues, although the humour tends to be a tad bit involved at times.
Plot line
For the uninitiated, Bring On The Night is simply the story about "a wolf pack of four friends" — Kabir Dalal, Patrick Fairbottom, Devang Oza and Maakad, who are young and raring to go and are "constantly looking for alternative ways to express themselves."
Borrowing a line from the narrative perhaps describes them best — "Kyunki inka hisaab alag hai. Din mein ek ek pal ginte hain, lekin sooraj dhalne ke baad, inka gear badalta hai."
With the show's uninhibited portrayal of the life and choices made by the urban youth today, the makers of the series are confident that young India will relate well with the scene settings, the protagonists and their shenanigans.
And relate you will! Episode one opens with a slick montage cut to a voiceover, depicting city life that you and I have learnt to call our own. The narrative provides a peep into the lives of "real time characters," that come complete with their own set of idiosyncrasies, an appetite for liberal use of expletives, inane conversations revolving around superheroes and not to forget the 'Sexy Chetta' chapter, that set the ball rolling for the rest of the series to come. All of this and more, make for a very entertaining opening episode.
Soon after, you are introduced to the main plot, depicting how, when opportunity strikes, all these characters take it upon themselves to turn a dilapidated 200-year-old bungalow into an all night party-place, which plans to defy the 2 am deadline, when all the nightspots in the city of Mumbai are expected to close for the night.
Episode two sees Kabir Dalal, or KD, sowing the germ of an idea into his friends' minds and convincing them to help revamp the house in ruins, into the most happening nightclub in the city. The highlight here being Devang Oza's ingenious acquisition of a license to sell coconuts, in lieu of the usual documents required for running the nightclub.
As the story progresses, we see how the run-down bungalow becomes the venue for a secret gig and Devang comes up with yet another novel way of acquiring permissions for the event, by turning it into a wedding sangeet function to fool the cops.
To keep the act authentic, Patrick and his ex-girlfriend Sheila, who also doubles up as the chef at the nightclub, pose as the bride and groom accepting entry fees in wedding envelopes at the gate!
Needless to say, but as with the first, the second episode also tables some fine performances by the cast, while some absurd Parsi humour dominates the flow of the story — a brilliant example of the seasoned wit and a fresh take on mundane situations, introduced by the dialogue writers at work.
In this case, the humour overflows courtesy 'Weird Ass', Vir Das's comedy consultancy, that includes stand-up comics like Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya, besides the likes of Ram Jaane and of course: Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy.
And with Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy as writer-director for Bring On The Night, there was perhaps little chance of it going wrong.
Most popularly known as the frontman for the internationally acclaimed — Indian band 'Scribe', Vishwesh, a man of many talents, other than being a musician, has contributed to media as an ad film maker, has directed animation virals, done stand-up comedies and theatre, and has been the voice behind many commercials. He was also the man behind the successful music and travel show The Dewarists, on Star World, which helped take Indian music to an entirely different level.
As he tells this engaging tale of a restless urban pack, his experiences as a seasoned comic, an actor and an adman simply shine through.
And, as for rest of the story, I'd rather not risk giving away too much and simply suggest you catch the latest episodes of Bring On The Night on MTV, or simply watch it online. I assure you of more than just a few good laughs.