WHAT'S GOOD :
1. Presence of actors that are actually from the north eastern states of India. Once upon a time a movie based on boxing champion Mary Kom, who hails from Manipur, was made and Priyanka Chopra, who looks nothing like Mary Kom, was cast to play the lead role. Thankfully the creators of this show decided to do the sensible thing and gave opportunities to actors that actually look like the characters they are playing. It is extremely important to have representation from the states that are cut off from us in every possible way. If more films or shows are made in the north east, or more actors from those states are given opportunities in Bollywood films, then you never know what it might do for the states that have faced neglect and discrimination for a very long period of time. Inclusiveness will reduce the friction that exists between us. More publicity and exposure will allow their regional film industry to grow, and give them the freedom to make the kind of movies they always wanted to make. There was a time when Indian films just meant Hindi cinema, but today Tamil and Telugu films are extremely popular and are constantly producing blockbuster films, Malayalam films have caught everyone's attention with their unique, experimental and out of the box storylines and Kannada film industry has given us KGF. If the north eastern states are given enough encouragement, you never know they too might soon come up with their own 'Baahubali'.
2. The show has a fresh storyline. I had never heard about 'Jhakri's and Shamanism, so it was quite a learning experience to know about them and see what they do, how they do. The supernatural element of the show is very interesting and it does remind you of Inception (2010) and Tenet (2020), not in terms of quality or execution but in terms of the similarity between the central plot of the movies and this show.
3. The acting was not great, but that should not deter anyone from watching the show. We don't know the kind of acting schools that are there in the north eastern states, or if there are any at all. All actors look for opportunities, if they perform....well and good, if they don't....then it becomes an experience for them, now they know what not to do. But if they are never given a chance, then how can anyone expect them to learn, or improve their craft, or hone their acting skills ? Among all the actors and actresses from the north east, Tenzein Choden stood out for me. She played the role of Doma in the show and was really trying hard to portray her character with full conviction. Tenzein has a very expressive face and I can easily say that as an actress she holds a lot of promise. It was quite surprising to see Dev not showing any interest in her, considering how gorgeous she was.
4. All the Hindi-speaking actors were pretty decent, with Shahana Goswami being the standout performer. Unlike Raveena Tandon in Aranyak, she does not play a parallel lead, something I was hoping for, but regardless she was quite strong in every scene of hers. The Last Hour introduces Shailee Krishen, who plays Pari, and for a debutant she did really well. Shailee's face has a striking resemblance to Bengali actress Swastika Mukherjee, but both of them have no connection to each other at all. I hope Shahana Goswami gets to play a much bigger role in the next season.
5. The location is extremely beautiful. The mountains and forests of Sikkim provided the right amount of atmospherics required for a mystery show like this. I feel more shows and movies should be made with a backdrop like this. Also, why is it necessary to film in Switzerland and Russia, when we have so much beauty in our own country ? Doing this would also help in the development of those regions.
WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD :
1. There is a lot of repetition in the show. In every episode, someone dies and then we know what's going to happen, because the same routine is followed every single time. That could have been completely avoided or they could have shown the flashback scenes with a little more creativity.
2. Pacing is definitely an issue with the show. It's not a story that should have taken eight episodes to reach its conclusion.
3. Some questions remain unanswered. Why were Doma's father and Dev brother killed by the policemen? The series never went back to that subplot. How is it that Pari has the special power of experiencing things before they take place ?
4. The story needed a little more development. They had the fantastic idea of Jhakri's, Shamanism, time travel, a girl who could see ghosts from the other side. But the creators just couldn't go beyond Yama Nadu chasing Dev, and the romance between Dev and Pari. I wish they had added more layers and subplots to the story, doing that would also have justified the show's length, but unfortunately that didn't happen.
In conclusion, this show definitely deserves to be watched because it offers something very different from what we are used to watching. If there is a second season in the making, then the creators of the show should definitely take feedback from the audience, because that is the only way to improve. Also, if possible the producers should conduct acting workshops before filming begins, doing that would really help actors break into the characters and in their overall grooming as well. And of course, they should definitely increase Doma's role, portrayed beautifully by Tenzein Choden in the first season.
1. Presence of actors that are actually from the north eastern states of India. Once upon a time a movie based on boxing champion Mary Kom, who hails from Manipur, was made and Priyanka Chopra, who looks nothing like Mary Kom, was cast to play the lead role. Thankfully the creators of this show decided to do the sensible thing and gave opportunities to actors that actually look like the characters they are playing. It is extremely important to have representation from the states that are cut off from us in every possible way. If more films or shows are made in the north east, or more actors from those states are given opportunities in Bollywood films, then you never know what it might do for the states that have faced neglect and discrimination for a very long period of time. Inclusiveness will reduce the friction that exists between us. More publicity and exposure will allow their regional film industry to grow, and give them the freedom to make the kind of movies they always wanted to make. There was a time when Indian films just meant Hindi cinema, but today Tamil and Telugu films are extremely popular and are constantly producing blockbuster films, Malayalam films have caught everyone's attention with their unique, experimental and out of the box storylines and Kannada film industry has given us KGF. If the north eastern states are given enough encouragement, you never know they too might soon come up with their own 'Baahubali'.
2. The show has a fresh storyline. I had never heard about 'Jhakri's and Shamanism, so it was quite a learning experience to know about them and see what they do, how they do. The supernatural element of the show is very interesting and it does remind you of Inception (2010) and Tenet (2020), not in terms of quality or execution but in terms of the similarity between the central plot of the movies and this show.
3. The acting was not great, but that should not deter anyone from watching the show. We don't know the kind of acting schools that are there in the north eastern states, or if there are any at all. All actors look for opportunities, if they perform....well and good, if they don't....then it becomes an experience for them, now they know what not to do. But if they are never given a chance, then how can anyone expect them to learn, or improve their craft, or hone their acting skills ? Among all the actors and actresses from the north east, Tenzein Choden stood out for me. She played the role of Doma in the show and was really trying hard to portray her character with full conviction. Tenzein has a very expressive face and I can easily say that as an actress she holds a lot of promise. It was quite surprising to see Dev not showing any interest in her, considering how gorgeous she was.
4. All the Hindi-speaking actors were pretty decent, with Shahana Goswami being the standout performer. Unlike Raveena Tandon in Aranyak, she does not play a parallel lead, something I was hoping for, but regardless she was quite strong in every scene of hers. The Last Hour introduces Shailee Krishen, who plays Pari, and for a debutant she did really well. Shailee's face has a striking resemblance to Bengali actress Swastika Mukherjee, but both of them have no connection to each other at all. I hope Shahana Goswami gets to play a much bigger role in the next season.
5. The location is extremely beautiful. The mountains and forests of Sikkim provided the right amount of atmospherics required for a mystery show like this. I feel more shows and movies should be made with a backdrop like this. Also, why is it necessary to film in Switzerland and Russia, when we have so much beauty in our own country ? Doing this would also help in the development of those regions.
WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD :
1. There is a lot of repetition in the show. In every episode, someone dies and then we know what's going to happen, because the same routine is followed every single time. That could have been completely avoided or they could have shown the flashback scenes with a little more creativity.
2. Pacing is definitely an issue with the show. It's not a story that should have taken eight episodes to reach its conclusion.
3. Some questions remain unanswered. Why were Doma's father and Dev brother killed by the policemen? The series never went back to that subplot. How is it that Pari has the special power of experiencing things before they take place ?
4. The story needed a little more development. They had the fantastic idea of Jhakri's, Shamanism, time travel, a girl who could see ghosts from the other side. But the creators just couldn't go beyond Yama Nadu chasing Dev, and the romance between Dev and Pari. I wish they had added more layers and subplots to the story, doing that would also have justified the show's length, but unfortunately that didn't happen.
In conclusion, this show definitely deserves to be watched because it offers something very different from what we are used to watching. If there is a second season in the making, then the creators of the show should definitely take feedback from the audience, because that is the only way to improve. Also, if possible the producers should conduct acting workshops before filming begins, doing that would really help actors break into the characters and in their overall grooming as well. And of course, they should definitely increase Doma's role, portrayed beautifully by Tenzein Choden in the first season.