Director: Hemant Gaba
Cast: Madhoo, Meet Mukhi, Aekam Binjwe, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Luke Kenny, Riva Arora
Where: Zee 5
Rating: 1 star
With a storyline that possesses good intent but is executed in a very dated fashion, 'Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu', directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Hemant Gaba, attempts at exploring broader ideas of good vs evil, environment conservation and friendship, but falters miserably on the account of its technicalities.
The myth in obscure town Bheem Mukteshwar suggests that the Sanjeevni tree (Elixir of Life) emerged from the forces of nature and found a significant place for itself on the planet, with the tribals swearing to protect and safeguard it. Evil eyes have always desired it to fulfil their own benefits, but to no avail. Parth (Meet Mukhi) is a dejected young boy, who has failed a year in school and feels isolated by his family and loved ones. He meets Jugnu (Aekam Binjwe), the young custodian of the tree and the rest of the series traces the trials and tribulations of their friendship.
Written by Alok Sharma, Nupur Sharma and Pallavi Sharma, the broadstroke idea of deploying a mythical concept to deliver a contemporary narrative is appreciated. However, the screenplay and the dialogues are clearly written as if they're still stuck in the 90s. This is not an adult observation but this is coming from a point of view where we are well aware of how do the much younger audiences converse these days. The language and the tonality here is cut away far from reality.
While the cast leave little to no room for any complaints, the trouble is they aren't necessarily adding any value with their performances too. One has to ask what were the makers or Madhoo thinking, when she was approached to play the role of a grandmother. Given that much of the show is largely centered around the two principal leads, they don't register a considerable impression, despite their sincere efforts.
Equally and dangerously troubling is the length. You can't tell why did this series have to be elongated for over 10 episodes, each over 40 minutes and above, when this could've been a quick short or a theatrical release, designed for about 90-120 minutes of runtime. Given that enough options for recreation are available for kids of today, the makers shouldn't take their attention span for granted.
In the 'content for kids' space, there is a dearth of options and the playground possesses enough opportunities. With better production and much clever writing, 'Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu' and more of their kind, can enjoy the audience, they rightfully deserve.
Until then, all that there is, is hope.
