Review: 'OK Computer' is an innovative & refreshing watch despite some obvious flaws

I get it, I totally get it why Anand Gandhi (Ship of Thesus) has not only chosen to write this show but even produce it. However, this is just a tad too anomalous even for Gandhi's reputation.

Apart from Gandhi, the show is created and directed by Pooja Shetty and Neil Pagedar and while there might be quite a lot of flaws, it is one of the bravest attempts in Indian filmmaking. The inspiration from the likes of Jacques Tati, Dogulas Adams and Isaac Asimov is more prevalent than one can imagine but the makers still attach their own touch to it. One of the best things about OK Computer is the sheer originality and being a huge step ahead in sci-fi filmmaking in India. Yes, it is a genre we continue to struggle to present well especially coinciding with Indian sensibilities but OK Computer does a fair job in doing so.

Billed as India's first sci-fi comedy, the show starts brilliantly with some fine jokes and even laugh-out-loud moments in-and- during a crime scene. However, that fades away over the period and while some situations and other dialogues are incredibly funny, a lot of the humor ends up being underwhelming and forced.

However, credit where it's due and I am a sucker for noticing the details and Easter eggs which OK Computer has a plenty. Be it Laxmi's (Radhika Apte) Greta Thunberg moment or cameos by comedians Kunal Kamra and Tanmay Bhat, there are some amazing moments enough to keep you hooked to it.

The thing where OK Computer lags a bit is trying to create a whodunit mystery that literally ends up stretching over 6 episodes. The makers try their best with quintessential twists and turns along with a lot of political commentary as well but with little to no character development for the human characters, it doesn't feel complete. The show has everything - a futuristic India where AI powered technology is at its peak, the lines are being blurred between robots and humans in terms of their motives and even how no matter however we advance - some Indian things might not change. For example, the news channel treatment in India 2031 is the same as today and while your human hawker might coax you to buy something (today), that can also happen in future with a robot hawker.

The aberrant treatment ends up being too much but is complemented well by the leading actors. Vijay Varma as an angry, lonely but determined detective is absolutely brilliant and so is Radhika Apte. As unusual as their pairing sounds, it works wonders and their love-hate relationship is a huge boon for the show. Jackie Shroff has pretty much a cameo as environmentalist madman Pushpak Shakur and seems wasted of which could have been so much. But a fun cameo by Rasika Duggal is a good addition. The find, however, for this show is Kani Kusruti who plays the intern Monalisa. She is absolutely amazing as an intern who has her history but tries to make something of herself in her life. The mockumentary style introduced earlier seemed fun but somehow the show forgets to adhere to it later.

OK Computer is eccentric, ballsy and for some - batshit crazy with the sheer vision it tries to achieve and the technology supporting it. And while it may not be an entire triumph, it is indeed a fine chapter for Indian sci-fi verse and I would be intrigued to see this world grow if there is a Season 2. I would, however, love it to switch genres and try an adventurous sci-fi show with good comic moments.

Rating - *** (3/5)