Don’t judge a book by its cover

Don’t judge a book (web series) by its cover (trailer): My quick take on Abhay Deol’s web series “JL 50”

The only good thing about the web series is its trailer, it was precisely what intrigued me to watch this 4-episode long web series on Sony liv. It not only boasts of the wonderful cast with the likes of Abhay Deol, who seldom picks up a lame project, Talented Pankaj Kapoor who too is equally choosy about his role, Maverick but supremely talented Piyush Mishra, but also the interesting storyline of a plane crash landing in the scenic hills of Northeast which had taken off 35 years ago. (It is supposed to be based on a true story which took place in the US in the 1950s)

This is a great testimony of how one can ‘botch-up’ a great concept and reduce it to childish science fiction. What could have been desi answer to “Dark” ended up in becoming a ‘rayless’ disaster. What starts as a promising thriller ends up becoming a schoolboy’s science project on time travel and wormholes. Well, it is not as bad as Love story 2050 or as stupid as Akshay Kumar / Aishwarya rai’s Action replay (SORRY, I am guilty of watching these too). Looks like our writers are looking at this sci-fi genre seriously, maybe just to encourage them you can watch this series.

Few good things about the web series apart from the promising cast are the Northern Bengal's picturesque landscape, and my beautiful city of joy which picturized so beautifully ( I am in love with this old lady), and the best thing is the episodes are hardly 30-45 mins long, hence one need not feel the “time” in this “time-travel” plot.

You can either go through the Indrajaal comic’s “Flash Gordon” series which again would be 35-40 years old or get into this “wormhole” (without feeling like one) and enjoy the flight JL50.