Cast: Swara Bhasker, Kavin Dave and Akshay Oberoi
Platform: Eros Now
Rating: 2/5
The eagerly-awaited Flesh, which was released on Eros Now a few days ago, is a mediocre attempt at storytelling that works in parts but fails to make a solid impact. The series revolves around the flesh trade and highlights the dark side of society. The basic plot is gripping and highlights a sensitive issue. However, it does not live up to the potential due to the unimpressive execution.
The narrative, which features three parallel tracks, lacks a sense of urgency and tends to drag at several points. It also spreads itself too thin, which dilutes the impact of the subplots.
Flesh opens on a terrific and chilling, which is not meant for the faint-hearted. Things, however, go downhill pretty soon as the pace is highly inconsistent. The scenes involving the kids make a decent impact and have been handled with a fair deal of maturity.
Similarly, the portions focusing on the inner workings of the flesh trade are reasonably hard-hitting. Some of the twists serve their purpose despite not being as effective as expected
The sequences involving ‘Zoya’, however, fail to hit the right notes as they lack the organic intensity needed to make an impact. Similarly, some of the more gruesome scenes have a ‘shock value’ but feel forced.
Coming to the performances. Swara Bhasker puts her best foot forward and gives a good account of her acting abilities. She, however, gets limited scope in the opening episodes.
Kavin Dave springs a surprise, doing justice to a character that is quite different from anything he has done in the past. Vidya Malvade is underutilised. Akshay Oberoi, however, makes his presence felt and adds a new dimension to her character. The supporting cast is decent.
The editing is decent even though a few of the sequences overstay their welcome. The cinematography is pretty good and adds a dark feel to Flesh, setting the stage for what is to follow. The background music, however, is quite generic and this makes it difficult for the viewers to care about the more intense/thrilling sequences.