Riteish
Deshmukh
makes
this
medical
drama
watchable!
exclaims
Namrata
Thakker.
Raj
Kumar
Gupta,
who
has
helmed
critically
acclaimed
films
like
Aamir
and
No
One
Killed
Jessica,
makes
his
OTT
debut
with
the
medical
drama
Pill
starring
Riteish
Deshmukh
in
the
lead.
Pill
is
neither
gripping
nor
gives
you
any
goosebumps
through
its
storytelling.
It’s
a
pretty
straightforward
story
about
a
sincere
doctor
who
combats
a
giant
pharmaceutical
company
for
conducting
illegal
drug
trials
and
releasing
the
same
drugs
despite
failing
all
the
medical
standards.
Prakash
Chauhan,
played
by
Riteish,
is
transferred
to
the
Medical
Authority
of
India
where
his
job
is
to
inspect
pharma
drug
testing
and
approve
the
same.
As
soon
as
Prakash
joins
his
new
gig,
he
realises
something
is
fishy
about
Forever
Cure
Pharma’s
diabetic
drug.
He
starts
digging
into
it
and
opens
a
Pandora’s
box.
Along
with
a
subordinate
and
a
young
journalist,
he
decides
that
it’s
time
for
accountability
and
pharma
companies
can’t
play
with
human
lives
just
for
profits.
But,
of
course,
the
road
isn’t
easy
because
with
money
also
comes
power
and
politics.
Brahma
Gill
(Pavan
Malhotra),
pharma
tycoon,
goes
all
out
to
stop
Prakash.
He’s
the
quintessential
villain
who
preys
on
people’s
vulnerability
because
he
can.
The
only
thing
that
matters
to
him
is
profit.
Though
Prakash
isn’t
your
typical
Hindi
film
hero
with
dumdaar
dialogues,
he
rises
to
the
occasion
when
needed
and
obviously
wins.
Story
wise,
Pill
could
have
been
crisp,
more
thrilling
with
some
rousing
moments
but
it’s
not.
And
that’s
the
biggest
let
down.
There
are
no
twist
and
turns,
no
cliffhanging
moments,
nothing.
So
what
makes
Pill
worth
watching?
It’s
the
performances,
especially
Riteish
Deshmukh’s.
Despite
playing
a
very
one
dimensional
character,
he
commands
the
screen.
He
even
makes
you
laugh
with
his
poker
face.
It’s
nice
to
see
him
play
a
subdued
character
for
once
and
he
does
justice
to
it.
Neha
Saraf,
who
plays
his
wife,
doesn’t
have
much
screen
time
but
her
sarcastic
banter
with
Riteish
adds
much-needed
humour
in
the
series
which
does
get
boring
in-between.
Pavan
Malhotra
is
pretty
good
as
Brahma
Gill
and
so
is
Akshat
Chauhan
as
the
investigative
journalist.
Anshul
Chauhan
as
Riteish’s
subordinate
also
lends
good
support.
The
rest
of
the
cast
is
decent.
While
most
of
the
episodes
are
40
minutes
long,
the
show
overall
is
a
slow
burner.
And
with
no
surprise
elements,
the
climax
is
pretty
much
predictable.
So
should
you
watch
the
series?
Yes,
you
can
binge
watch
the
show
over
the
weekend
if
you
have
nothing
to
do.
It’s
not
a
show
with
a
lot
of
WOW
moments
but
it’s
neither
a
‘slam-it-right-then-and-there’
kinda
show
either.
So
give
it
go
because
the
performances
won’t
let
you
down
even
if
the
story
does.
Pill
is
currently
streaming
on
JioCinema.
Pill
Review
Rediff
Rating:
