All the stories that cannot be told on the silver screen are narrated through the digital space. Most of them that released as web series and web films are experiments and content-driven projects. Young actor Santosh Shoban has been balancing his career with films and web-based projects. His last one Ek Mini Katha released on Amazon Prime. He is now testing his luck with a web series ‘The Baker and The Beauty’ that is streaming on Aha. The web series comes with 10 episodes and is a romantic entertainer. Annapurna Studios bankrolled The Baker and The Beauty. Jonathan Vesapogu directed the web series and it featured Santosh Shoban, Tina, Venkat, Vishnu Priya in the lead roles. Here is the review of The Baker and The Beauty:
Story:
The Baker and The Beauty is the story of Vijay (Santosh Shoban) who comes from a middle-class family who runs a business of supermarket and a bakery. He loves his childhood friend Mahi (Vishnu Priya) and decides to propose on a fine day. Before this, Mahi proposes to Vijay. When Vijay spots Ira (Tina Shilparaj) who is a star heroine, he likes her on the first go. It is then Vijay rejects the proposal of Mahi. In a sudden surprise, Ira turns close to Vijay. She breaks up with her boyfriend before she meets Vijay. After a smooth sail, disturbances and misunderstandings bring enough gap between Vijay and Ira. The rest of The Baker and The Beauty is what happens next.
Analysis:
There is enough confusion in The Baker and The Beauty and it is because of enough confusion among the characters. The lead characters Vijay and Ira change completely and they have no common stand. Vijay admires Mahi but he soon shifts towards Ira. Soon he gets frustrated with Ira and proposes Mahi. Soon, he gets back to Ira and says sorry to Mahi. This leaves enough confusion among the audience. Ira too breaks up with a person before she turns close to Vijay. The Baker and The Beauty starts on a smooth and casual note but the web series misses many logics.
As The Baker and The Beauty is a web series, a small plot is expanded so much. The entire Dubai episode fails to make an impact. The Baker and The Beauty is a story that can be completed in five episodes but it is expanded to ten episodes. As the entire story happens between 3-4 characters, the director introduced several unwanted roles and characters. Frankly speaking the roles of Mahi (Vishnu Priya) and Lakshmi (Venkat) are penned better than the roles of Venkat and Ira. Mahi looks pure and honest. Venkat essays the role of Ira’s manager in The Baker and The Beauty.
Performances:
Santosh Shoban looks natural and he impresses the audience with his performance. He looks matured when compared to his previous attempts. He excelled in the emotional episodes. Tina looks beautiful and she looks like Rakul Preet Singh in some of the shades. Vishnu Priya essayed a role that will be remembered for a long time. Venkat makes a comeback after a long time. Jhansi and Srikanth Iyyengar have been good in their roles. All the other actors did their parts well.
The Baker and The Beauty has a plot that fits well for the digital audience. But the treatment fails to impress the audience. Most of the episodes are extended and The Baker and The Beauty has so many unwanted characters. The editing work is quite poor. The production values are good and some of the episodes are shot in Dubai. On the whole, The Baker and The Beauty is a mixed bag and has few impressive moments.
Verdict:
The Baker and The Beauty should be restricted to five episodes and looks dragged and boring because of the stretched content and unwanted characters.
