Tahir Raj Bhasin, Amala Paul, and Amrita Puri’s performances make ‘Ranjish Hi Sahi’, inspired by Mahesh Bhatt and Parveen Babi’s life, an endearing and intriguing watch.

Ranjish Hi Sahi, an 8 episode series streaming on Voot Select is a period romance-drama loosely inspired by Mahesh Bhatt and Parveen Babi’s romance, one of the most controversial affairs of the show business.

The series is set in the Bombay of 70s, the era of Bell Bottoms and golden years of Bollywood. Mahesh Bhatt has been credited as the creator of the series while it is written and directed by Pushpdeep Bhardwaj. It stars Tahir Raj Bhasin as Shankar, the protagonist whose character has been inspired by Mahesh Bhatt’s life, Amala Paul who plays the role of Aamna Parvez, the character inspired by Parveen Babi, and Amrita Puri who play’s Shankar’s wife, Anju.

Mahesh Bhatt and Parveen Babi have had the most controversial love affair in the late 70s when Mahesh Bhatt was a struggling director and Parveen Babi was one of the most popular actresses of the time. Their short affair ended when Parveen Babi was said to have developed a mental disorder, schizophrenia and disappeared from acting. The plot circles around this same romance in the Bollywood of 70s. It showcases stardom, glamour and the dark sides of the show business. While the makers try to give an ode to this romance, it is only loosely inspired and doesn’t tantamount to a biographical picture on their life. Nor is this series a bio-pic of Mahesh Bhatt as it solely focuses only on his relationship phase with Parveen Babi. Mahesh Bhatt has previously tried to present this same story in Woh Lamhe.

The story, honestly is very cliché and enough done. However, what makes this series fresh and watchable is the performances. Tahir Raj Bhasin performs commendably and is extremely good with carrying agonized and perplexed emotions on his face. Amala Paul is terrifying as Aamna Parvez. She is such a brilliant actor and her performance not only terrifies you but also leaves a lasting impact. Amrita Puri is the sweet cherry on this cake and adds wonderfully.

The series is very aesthetically and neatly shot. Kudos to the DoP and Cinematographer. The Bombay of 70s is brought alive with great details and a good production design. There are a lot of glitches in the same though, especially in the scenes of Cooper Hospital. However, the same is very hard to notice and doesn’t reduce any value.

On the whole, this series totals to only 8 hours and is a good watch. A little dark and gritty, this series shouldn’t be your pick in case you expect drama, glamour, and stuff like that. If you have witnessed the 70s’ Bollywood, this might do some nostalgia service to you and for the others, this will take you to an unseen world.

Watch the trailer of “Ranjish Hi Sahi” here: