WEB SERIES REVIEW: PILL

The highly renowned director of movies like Whoever Killed Jessica, Raj Kumar Gupta, makes his OTT debut with the medical drama Pill, which stars Riteish Deshmukh in the major role. Pill doesn't have a compelling storyline or give you the chills.

The plot, which revolves around an honest physician taking on a massive pharmaceutical company that conducts illegal drug studies and releases the same drugs even after they fail all medical criteria, is rather simple. Prakash discovers there is a problem with the diabetes medication manufactured by Forever Cure Pharma as soon as he starts his new job. He begins to investigate it and discovers a Pandora's box.

He determines that pharmaceutical firms cannot continue to mess with human lives in order to maximize profits, and he makes this decision alongside a young journalist and a subordinate. Of course, there are obstacles in the way because wealth is accompanied by politics and power. Pharma tycoon Brahma Gill (Pavan Malhotra) makes every effort to stop Prakash. He is the archetypal evil, taking advantage of people's weaknesses just because he can. Profit is the only thing that matters to him.

Even though Prakash doesn't have the customary dumdaar language of a Hindi film hero, he nevertheless steps up to the plate when it counts and triumphs.

The plot of Pill could have been sharper, more exciting, and contain some exciting moments, but it isn't. And the biggest disappointment is that. There are no surprises, no suspenseful moments—none at all. What therefore justifies watching Pill? It's the acting, particularly Riteish Deshmukh's. He is commanding the screen even if he is portraying a rather one-dimensional role. His poker face even makes you giggle. He portrays a somber demeanor well, which is refreshing to watch him do.

Although Neha Saraf, who plays his wife, doesn't get much on screen, her sardonic banter with Riteish injects much-needed humor to the otherwise dull series. Both Akshat Chauhan and Pavan Malhotra do a decent job as Brahma Gill and the investigative journalist, respectively. Anshul Chauhan, Riteish's subordinate, provides valuable assistance as well. The ensemble cast is passable. The show is a slow burner overall, even though the majority of the episodes run for forty minutes. The climax is also quite foreseeable because there aren't any unexpected components.

Sure, if you have nothing better to do with your weekend, you may binge watch the show. While there aren't many WOW moments in the show, it also isn't a "slam-it-right-then-and-there" kind of show.