Live Telecast Review: Venkat Prabhu Makes a Dull OTT Debut With Kajal Aggarwal’s Horror Series (LatestLY Exclusive)

Live Telecast Review: In 2007, when maverick filmmaker Venkat Prabhu broke into limelight with Chennai 600028 - one of the best sports-comedies in Indian cinema (also helps that this genre isn't attempted much) - he brought in some freshness in Tamil cinema, usually ruled then by massy flicks. Saroja and Goa, and to some extent, Mankatha, continued on that promise. So it feels a little heartbreaking to see none of that freshness and irreverence in his future attempts (save for that delightful Chennai 600028 sequel), including in his debut OTT outing, Live Telecast. Live Telecast Song Naam Indru: The Track From Kajal Aggarwal Starrer In SP Charan’s Magical Voice Is A Beautiful Melody That Can Be Heard On Loop!

Live Telecast, a seven-episode series streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is about a television crew trapped in a haunted house, after they attempt to catch a ghost live on TV. Jenny (Kajal Aggarwal) is the creative head of a popular show called 'Dark Tales' (But I keep hearing it as 'Duck Tales'), that recreate real-life horror stories through fictional reenactments, with some sexualisation. When a The Entity-inspired narrative creates outrage among viewers, the channels pulls the plug on the show leaving Jenny and her team disheartened.

It is then Jenny has the idea of having a new reality show called 'Live Telecast' where they capture a real ghost live on television. For that, they choose a haunted bungalow, where a woman (Priyanka), her teenage daughter and her Prosopagnosia-afflicted son are trapped by a possessive ghost. What follows next are some very cliched haunted house trappings, as Jenny and her team get their TRP's but at the cost of their own lives.

Watch the Trailer:

Does Live Telecast bring anything fresh to the table? While I want to reply in affirmative, sadly, that's not the case. It is no secret that Venkat Prabhu's films are often 'inspired' - his Saroja was a remake of Judgement Night, while Massu was a massy copy of The Frighteners. Live Telecast's inspiration might have come from a lesser seen British film called The Last Broadcast, though we have seen a similar theme being tackled in Ragini MMS 2. Live Telecast might not have Sunny Leone, but it also doesn't have the scares either. That's what disappointed me the most.

Venkat Prabhu, who also wrote the series, just couldn't seem to stick what exactly he wants to convey here. He wants to tell a straight horror story, at the same time, he also wants to please fans of his brand of cinema. So we get frequent doses of humour - including a cameo from his younger brother Premgi Amaren (forced, but still enjoyable to watch) - interspersed in its supernatural narrative. He also might want to satirise the media, but falters there too. In the end, neither the humour nor the terror, or satire, works. Maanaadu Teaser: Silambarasan TR Makes a Power-Packed Entry in This Venkat Prabhu Directorial.

There is not a single scene that bring a genuine terror. Still, Live Telecast does turn interesting when the crew is trapped within the haunted house. It's another matter that Prabhu takes about three episodes to make that happen. The horror portions have some amount of tension, but some very average writing and haphazard direction suck the chills out of these portions. The finale is highly sentimental, with an emotional flashback that lazily tries to explain the supernatural ongoings. However, by then, we needed an exorcist to get rid of the boredom that had already setted episodes back. The only genuine moment of ingenuity comes at the end of the sixth episode, and even that is ruined by what follows later.

Live Telecast is also let down in its technical aspects - the spooky effects and makeup are terrible - and even in its performances. Kajal Aggarwal looks the part of the feisty showrunner, only that her performance is very inconsistent. The only two actors who manage to make some impression are Vaibhav Reddy (playing Jenny's art director Sekhar) and Priyanka.

Yay!

- Vaibhav and Priyanka

Nay!

- Writing and Direction

Final Thoughts

The scariest part about Live Telecast is how lacklustre Venkat Prabhu's work feels in his digital debut, especially for yours truly who is a huge fan of his earlier films. When Tamil horror tries to break new grounds with Pizza, Raatsasan and Andagaaram, Live Telecast aims to be all that but relies on tired tropes to elicit the thrills. The series is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 12, 2021 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).