Web Series Review: Manav Kaul’s strong acting, but ‘Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper’ got a little long

Tribhuvan Mishra, a principled middle class man, is facing a severe financial crisis. To fulfill the basic needs of his/her family, Tribhuvan becomes an escort. But will this way of earning money by becoming a gigolo be the solution to his/her problems?

Story of ‘Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper’

The series begins with the journey of Tribhuvan Mishra (Manav Kaul), a chartered accountant working in a government office. he/she lives in Noida with his/her cake-maker wife Ashoklata (Naina Sareen) and their two children. Tribhuvan, who has unwavering integrity and is a man of no corruption, is in trouble when his/her hard-earned money becomes inaccessible due to a bank crisis. Desperate, Tribhuvan takes the tough decision of becoming an escort. he/she hopes to pay off his/her debts in a discreet way. But this dual existence brings challenges for him/her. he/she tries to balance his/her other respectable public life with the unknown and mysterious situations of his/her new profession.

Things take an interesting turn when Tribhuvan finds it difficult to deal with the consequences of both his/her jobs, especially when one of his/her most loyal clients, Bindi (Tillotama Shome), turns out to be the wife of a contract kidnapper, Teeka Ram Jain (Shubrajyoti Barat).

Trailer of ‘Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper’

‘Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper’ web series review

The series is essentially a collection of stories that delves into the struggles of a middle-class man who lives his/her life as a gigolo and fulfills the desires of women beyond physical intimacy, to listen to and watch them. Conceptually, it is not new. On screen, the series reminds us of films like ‘Desi Boys’, where Akshay Kumar and John Abraham’s characters become male escorts after the global recession. While the film was fun to watch, ‘Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper’ lacks that charm. Its hour-by-hour episodes often seem far-fetched and unintuitive. However, the excellent acting of Manav Kaul and Tillotama Shome definitely carries the show forward.

Puneet Krishna has co-directed the show along with Amrit Raj Gupta. The show is an attempt to explore human weaknesses, which balances the story well. The story focuses on Tribhuvan’s double life and his/her journey through the criminal underworld, which includes hilarious mishaps as well as violent confrontations. The series moves forward with a brilliant screenplay and some fun comedy. But it does not reach the level that was expected, especially when the lives of the characters get intertwined.

Manav Kaul has done a wonderful job portraying a dual personality as a simple family man and a ‘CA topper’. he/she has given an honest performance and steals hearts with his/her moves on many popular Bollywood dance numbers. Tillotama Shome has also done a wonderful job as Bindi. She is a lover of Bollywood romance. She has a good on-screen chemistry with Manav Kaul.

Shubhrajyoti Barat makes an impression as the halwai (sweet shop owner), though her contract killer part seems overdrawn. Jitin Gulati is good as another gigolo, Vinit, who explains the tactics of the profession to Tribhuvan. Shweta Basu Prasad and Sumit Gulati are also good, but their character graphs don’t fit well. Naina Sareen as Tribhuvan’s wife Ashoklata and Faisal Malik as the inept cop Hyder Ali have also done a good job.

The series also mentions the loyal fans of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, with dialogues like ‘Salman’s fans don’t get married’ appealing. Apart from this, Ram Sampath’s music makes this comedy spicy. But many episodes of the nine-hour series seem to be stretched too much. At times, it seems that it would have been better as a film. Even the climax is such that it leaves you confused.

Overall, the only thing that keeps this series going is the strong acting of the actors, especially Manav Kaul and Tillotama Shome. Apart from that, there is nothing special in this series.