Here’s what we liked and didn’t like about 'Call Me Bae'

Sometimes, you need to watch the bad to appreciate the good. While we’ve seen countless stories on the rags to riches trope, watching the riches to rags storyline has grown into a genre and our guilty pleasure. That is one of the main reasons why there will never be a show quite like Schitt’s Creek. The thing about that series was that its writing was in touch with its surroundings and the ground reality. Cut to the present day, and one sees Call Me Bae, a show that’s loosely based around the same premise—a character who loses everything and now has to hustle amongst commoners. 

Do you expect the same treatment considering the makers have a tried and tested template to follow? Yes. But do you get it here? Sadly not. Here’s what we liked and disliked about Call Me Bae that’s currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video

The show struggles to fit in for it tries to fit in too much

While we’ve watched countless offerings where we watch the absurd, the main reason for liking those shows is because of the conviction shown in the makers to not deviate from what they’re trying to show us. We like the cringe because it’s unapologetic in being so. The problem with Call Me Bae is that it tries to do everything, which is why it doesn’t fit anywhere. It tries to be funny by showing us how the rich and famous live a lavish life, and at the same time wants us to take the protagonist seriously. 

Everyone seems to be too eager and in a rush to get things done and not let things and characters breathe. The makers don't want you to spend time in thinking what could happen next. It’s not a surprise to see the show shine in the scenes where it seems like things aren’t done in a hurry. The chemistry between Panday and Gurfateh Pirzada is one of the few good things about the show because that's what happens when you just let things and people be themselves. 

Out of touch with reality 

The representation of South Delhi high society is nowhere close to what it is. This is what happens when people not living in the city write about what they think life in that region is. What you get is a show that is out of touch with reality. You can’t create caricatures and personality traits of South Delhi based on just a few things that you know about them (which in this case might seem that it’s the only thing the writers know about). When the rich experience the normal, the comedy comes from how they feel in their new and natural surroundings. It's they who have to learn and adapt for the poor never have the time. Here, her middle-class friends are always available for her and are more invested in her life rather than doing things for herself. 

The hustle and grind look extravagant here for a reason. Let’s not forget that there’s a touch of Karan Johar here in the show. And if we’ve learnt anything from the kind of projects under the Dharma Production banner, it’s that things will always be lavish. If one is made to believe that a Raichand mansion of that size in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham could exist at a stone’s throw away from Chandni Chowk, audiences can surely sit down and not ask a single question about why the hostel and 1 BHK apartment that Panday resides in makes the hustle and struggle glamorous for lack of a better word. This is why you see a shack on (not at) a Mumbai beach (something never seen before), or well-done interiors of the rickshaw that Bae commutes in.  

The same brush and strokes don’t paint a pretty picture for Panday 

Audiences are yet to see the best of Ananya Panday, because there is yet to be a role made for her that sees her step outside her comfort zone. In Call Me Bae, we see her play a privileged girl who has her heart in the right place yet again. With such portrayal of characters, Panday is as real as reel can get as there’s little to no difference between what she is and what she has to be. It’s time she essays roles that see her step outside her comfort zone and picks up roles and scripts written for her that require her to elevate her acting chops. 

A crash course in fashion

Yes, there is something good about the show and that’s the fashion and brands on display. For those who know nothing about fashion and luxury products, here’s a show that will tell you about the products that fill up the wardrobes of the rich and famous. One gets to see the Birkin and Balenciaga bags (that Bae talks to when she’s all by herself), Louis Vuitton suitcases, Dior scarves, Louboutin pumps, Manish Malhotra outfits, and earrings from Ananita Shroff Adajania's personal collection to name a few. Like they always say, too much of a good thing is always bad. In Call Me Bae, luxury does what words do not. 

Despite being a story about hustle (so they say), there is little to no emotional connection with the characters, especially the lead. You might think about why you're not rooting for her. You don't care because the show is telling you more about how they look rather than how they feel. Which is why, instead of the dialogues, you have a Manish Malhotra jacket taking the story forward. 

And that’s why you might feel let down at the end of the show. 

Lead image: Prime Video

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