'Call Me Bae' movie review: Ananya and Vir save the show

Ananya Panday’s latest is a confusing hodge-podge to say the least. Although it has its moments of fun, it leaves the viewer wanting more, wanting better.

The eight-episode web series revolves around the life of Bella Choudhary aka Bae (Ananya), a young Delhi socialite so far removed from the reality of the country she lives in that she calls auto rickshaws ‘tuk tuks’, and wonders where the seat belt is located. Bae is shunned by her husband and family when she is caught messing around with her gym trainer. A series of loosely-defined incidents then land her in Mumbai, where she plans to start afresh. The plan is to make a life for herself without her family’s help.

This is when Bae lands an internship at a leading news channel — thanks to a course she once did in social media journalism. She’s a pro at reporting in-depth stories in less than 140 characters, or so she claims. At this point is when the series gets interesting, thanks to some good ol’ investigative journalism.

The storyline has potential, and so does the cast. Ananya shines in the role, and even showcases good comic timing. Plus, brownie points to whoever casted Vir Das as Satyajit Sen, an obnoxious, TRP-hungry TV journalist. He truly makes you detest the character.

Oh, and of course the fashion game is on point. It had to be.

Although director Collin D’Cunha was headed in the right direction, the show fails to create an identity on its own. Bae is reminiscent of characters from ‘Legally Blonde’ and ‘Emily in Paris’, but has nothing more to offer.

A riches to rags story holds the viewer’s attention when the ‘rich’ are thrown head first into the life of the ‘ordinary’ and have to cope on their own. Instead, in ‘Call Me Bae’, almost every single person in Bae’s new life panders to her whims and fancies. And of course, one can’t ignore Bae’s love interests — a jock, a nerd and a business tycoon. The writers clearly left no stone unturned. There’s a cliché waiting in every corner.