Like millions of others in India, I have almost entirely stopped watching movies, let alone visiting a theatre. Web series are my go-to form of entertainment, or sometimes binge-watching a favourite TV show. However, lately, I started feeling that there is a lull in web series content too, a certain sameness and inertia. That is until I watched NCR Days by The Timeliners.
I chanced upon it by coincidence while I was surfing YouTube to watch something. The first episode gripped my attention and then it was only a matter of time before I binge-watched the entire season in one go and am now eagerly waiting for the next.
Thumbs Down
Let me get the negative comments out of the way first. Yes, the series is very blatant in advertising its sponsors. You are reminded again and again about who has put money in the show. However, given that NCR Days is available on YouTube to watch for free, that much product placement is understandable. So, I am quite willing to overlook that.
What works
Now, let me talk about what I actually liked about it. It has been a while since I saw a show or a movie about people from different walks of life and backgrounds becoming unlikely friends. Belonging to the NCR (or National Capital Region of India) myself, I have actually gone through that experience during my college days. People from all over the country come to NCR to study or to work. But like me, the characters in the show also formed lasting friendships among their diverse groups.
We are first introduced to Monu (portrayed by Nikhil Vijay). It was actually the first time that I saw Vijay on screen. But I am happy to say that his acting in NCR Days is as good as his writing in Gullak (which is also one of my current favourite shows).
Next to be mentioned has to be Ambrish Verma. Verma is also the show’s writer and he definitely leaves his mark in your memory as Naveen, the young gun from HR 26 (which stands for Gurgaon).
For me, these are the two main characters, supported by some excellent actors such as Chote Miyan (Arun Kushwaha), who provides the lighter moments of the show. Monu and Naveen are both dealing with their inner demons and conflicts as they try to navigate the world of an MBA college in NCR. However, their issues could not be more different than each other. Despite this, they manage to find common ground and emerge as friends, and this is essentially what the show is about.
Ambrish Verma deserves a special mention here. He is portraying a character with more shades of grey than white. But his presence on the screen is so calming that when I finished watching NCR Days I found myself looking for his other shows.
Verdict
The show aptly captures the conflict between ‘bada sheher, chhota sheher’ and ‘badi soch, chhoti soch’. What dreams do people bring when they come to NCR, the land of opportunities? How do they navigate the darker side of bigger cities like Delhi and Gurgaon?
Overall, this short web series is a must-watch and I would highly recommend it.
