Inside Edge 3 review: Bizarre Amazon Prime series gets better but hangs on a cliff

3/5

Story:

In the midst of the greatest show on earth, an India vs Pakistan cricket series, the politics of Indian cricket are revealed, secrets are revealed, and truths are revealed. Even as they are being investigated for corruption, battle lines are being drawn for TV rights, endorsement deals, and the captaincy of the Indian team. But where does the cost of power end?

Review:

The third season of Inside Edge has returned after two long years. After showing how cricketers and politics are intertwined with one another, the latest season takes it to the next level. The second season ends with Yashwardhan Patil, aka Bhaisaab (Aamir Bashir), throwing his daughter Mantra Patil (Sapna Pabbi) and Zarina Malik (Richa Chadha) under the bus to save himself from the betting scam. However, like in earlier seasons, Vikrant Dhawan (Vivek Oberoi) once again meddles in for his own benefit.

The third season opens the doors to the dark past of each character, showing how it conditioned them and laid the groundwork for their future. Several big revelations are made, including Bhaisaab being the foster brother of Vikrant. Meanwhile, we saw how Pansare (Makrand Deshpande) was the adoptive father to Vayu Raghavan (Tanuj Virwani) and Rohini Raghavan (Sayani Gupta). But here, finally, they get to know who their biological father was.

This season also brushes aside the (Powerplay League) PPL and brings in the India vs Pakistan series in the country. Thus, a few new characters are introduced, including Rohit Shanbagh (Akshay Oberoi) and Imaad Akbar (Siddhant Gupta).

The story just becomes cluttered after a point of time spent watching too many characters. The original stars who have been a part of the show are often forgotten and never come onscreen. It's mostly Richa, who is away for a couple of episodes, that the existence of her character is forgotten and there's hardly any mention of it.

There are instances which will remind you, "Oh, this character is also a part of the show." Where are they? The series mainly focuses on only a couple of characters, while the rest of them bounce back and forth as per the convenience of 10 episodes.

This time, the series focuses more on Sapna's character going against her father, Bhaisaab, and it does get interesting, but definitely not something we have not seen on screen. Everything is fair when you are at war with your loved ones and the fight continues till the end.

But that's not just limited to them; it goes between Vikrant and Bhaisaab too, who are "shockingly" related. Oh yes, you remember the dreadful expressions that Vikrant had when he used to talk to the then-no-face Bhaisaab on the phone? Now we know why!

The good part of the series is that, despite having an India vs Pakistan series, it focuses very little on the repercussions of having the neighbouring nation in our country. It just touches on the topic and closes the chapter immediately, making it seem like it's not a big deal at all.

Karan Anshuman, who is the creator of the show, had earlier mentioned how he is not a huge fan of the T20 format in cricket and brings in Test Series, the format which has profound respect by many. The third season also investigates the possibility of legalised betting and more power struggles among the big players, both on and off the field.

The latter overpowers the premise of the series as it shows the side-effects of legalising betting, which is more about investing your black money and minting more money in the process. The flagbearer is Mantra, who, of course, is betting against her dad.

However, the screenplay this time is far more intriguing than in the second season, which was mostly forgettable. The latest season, despite having many loopholes in terms of the runtime of characters, concentrates more on the bizarre story that the series is all about. To be honest, the vision of the creators is stupendous in terms of getting the super-fictitious into the storyline. I wonder what's left to be shown now, with sports-based politics going overboard. But maybe it's just the harsh truth we get to see in fiction with Inside Edge.

When it comes to performances, the good ones are Vivek Oberoi, Aamir Bashir, Sapna Pabbi, Tanuj Virwani, Sayani Gupta, and Amit Sial. These actors hold the show together as it revolves mostly around them.

Tanuj has got more presence than the first two seasons combined, and he even brings a few lighter moments. Sayani continues to be his backbone and also has her individuality this time, apart from being his unconditional support. Being one of the best talents, the actor continues to be a treat to watch.

So does Vivek. This time, there's an emotional side to his character, which, of course, doesn't bring any empathy. But the actor keeps up with his acting prowess and proves how he can blend into any emotion in any given situation.

Aamir, who was a surprise package in the second season, is not that surprising as a character. But he puts forth a decent performance, which makes him a good watch.

Oh yes, Amit has reprised his role as Devender Mishra and is getting into atonement mode for the season. The actor continues with his violent streak in the season, much like Vivek brings his emotional side too. But it is an integral part of the series.

For me, once again, the weak link of Inside Edge is Richa! The actor is hardly seen in the first half of the season, and her character development has also not gotten better. The actor's characterisation sounds too good to be true, by going from being an actor to being involved in the sports ministry to the fullest.

Akshay Oberoi, who is new to the season, has an amazing character that is explored only as a filler in the season. There's not much attention given to him, despite being a well-known face in tow. Meanwhile, Siddhant Gupta has got better screen time by padding him up with nepotism topics.

This Inside Edge is better than the second season, but, of course, it doesn't match the first season, which set the bar very high.

Verdict

Binge-watching the third season of Inside Edge would be a better idea, as you're likely to forget the characters who are a part of the series due to their limited presence. But it's surely a better season than the previous one by touching upon topics but not getting that deep into them.