Hello World review: A relatable workplace drama that recovers well after a shaky start

3/5

Story:

A group of youngsters hailing from diverse backgrounds bag an opportunity to work in a software company. They feel lost and lack focus while coming to terms with the challenges that come their way during the training programme. However, in Raghav and Prardhana, they find mentors, who entrust a huge project in their hands and become their guiding light. Their biggest roadblock during the project is Raghav’s bitter rival Debashish, who never loses an opportunity to pin them down. Will the youngsters move past him and deliver the goods?

Review:

Ee Office Lo, the web show that streamed on Viu a few years ago, was probably the first title in the Telugu digital space to have made an honest attempt to address the many challenges of work-life within a corporate setup. While it was a formidable start to the workplace drama genre in Telugu, it didn’t find many takers in the streaming market, despite the multiple possibilities it presented to tell a wide range of stories. Thankfully, Zee5’s Hello World breaks that barrier with confidence.

Hello World’s premise is instantly identifiable for a Telugu viewer - engineers from contrasting backgrounds with minimal command over their specialisation, land a job in an MNC and find a way to survive in a cutthroat world. From a couple choosing the same company to further their romance to small-town boys not finding their feet in a city and girls having to choose between career and marriage, the writer, director Sivasai Vardhan Jaladanki comes up with colourful characters with relatable conflicts.

The show starts on a shaky note while trying to flesh out the lives of its characters. Their backstories are simplistic and the issues are largely restricted to their love lives and marriage. Two women in a company fall for the same guy and expect different things from him. A girl’s parents stop talking to her because she chooses career over marriage. A girl is frustrated because she has underperformed in a training exam in comparison to her boyfriend. The one-note characterisation is initially disappointing.

In an attempt to dramatise the incidents during the training period of the joinees, Hello World goes a tad too far in exaggerating trivial situations. It’s high time filmmakers moved beyond the stereotypes of ‘smoking and boozing’ merely to establish the personality of an independent, modern-day woman. The sequence where a bunch of women are caught for accidentally carrying a bottle of vodka isn’t in great taste too.

The proceedings are largely banal in the initial three-four episodes. The show makes a big deal about the small-town guy not being able to converse in English and the humour doesn’t pan out well either. When Hello World shifts its focus towards workplace challenges, there’s not much scope to complain. The director has a nuanced understanding of the gamut of issues that may arise during a project, from ego issues to insecurities to work-life balance and last-minute tensions.

The young protagonists are groomed by two seniors Prardhana and Raghav, who know the thin line between being amiable with them and still mean business when it comes to work. While the backstories of the engineer passouts may appear flippant initially, Sivasai draws interesting parallels between their parts and of his seniors later. The director finds space to discuss the importance of closure in relationships, the need for a personal identity beyond work and to not undermine the contributions of the loved ones back home.

In another instance of dramatisation gone wrong, Hello World is desperate to slot Raghav’s rival Debashish as an antagonist. The reason behind their personal rivalry is too bizarre for a viewer to digest. While the director has impressive ideas all along, the show fails to make a strong impact because of the convenient resolutions. The primary advantage of the digital medium is the space to explore characters in depth with all their complexities and Sivasai doesn’t make full use of the opportunity.

Among the newcomers, Ram Nitin is the best of the lot - he has the good looks and also the screen presence to pull off challenging sequences. Nikhil V Simha is a natural in front of the camera and gets one of the better-written roles in the show. Sudharsan Govind is passable while Geela Anil could’ve underplayed his performance more. Nitya Shetty, Snehal Kamat, Apoorva Rao and Nayan Karishma pass muster despite not having meaty parts.

Sadaa makes an impressive digital debut with a composed, assured portrayal of a senior corporate employee, exuding grace and also showcasing the inner strength of the character. Aryan Rajesh may not have the boyish charm of Hai and Sontham anymore but matures into a fine performer playing a wise yet frustrated project head. Ravi Varma’s role as the quintessential baddie is a tad too one-dimensional and Jayaprakash hardly gets the time to make an impact.

PK Dhandi’s music score lacks richness. Despite the limitations within the backdrops, cinematographer Edurolu Roju captures the frenetic pace of corporate life through his visuals to perfection. Niharika Konidela yet again proves that she is no run-of-the-mill producer and invests her buck in unique stories that deserve an audience.

Verdict:

Despite the absence of solid drama and meaty characterisation, Hello World deserves praise for throwing light on the corporate world with honesty, through the lens of a bunch of engineering passouts. Sivasai Vardhan, the director, lends authenticity to the portrayal of the corporate setup with his attention to detail. Aryan Rajesh and Sadaa steer the ship with mature performances while Nikhil V Simha and Ram Nitin impress among other newcomers.