Star Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Divyenndu, Suvinder Vicky, Sayani Gupta

Web Series Review: GLORY works due to its blend of boxing, family drama and mystery, along with massy moments

Director: Karan Anshuman, Kanishik Varma

Synopsis:

GLORY is the story of boxing, family and treachery. Nihal Singh (Yugam Sood) is a champion boxer who trains under 1986 Asian Games silver medallist Raghubir Singh (Suvinder Vicky) at his institute, Haryana Boxing Club, in Shaktigarh. Unknown to Raghubir, Nihal is in a relationship with his daughter, Gudiya (Jannat Zubair Rahmani). The two are about to elope when they are attacked by unknown masked men. While Nihal dies on the spot, Gudiya survives but is in critical condition. Gudiya’s brothers – Ravinder Singh (Pulkit Samrat) and Devender Singh (Divyenndu) – arrive in Shaktigarh immediately. While Ravinder works in a tractor factory in Patiala, Devender is employed as a bouncer in a nightclub in Delhi-NCR. Both are devastated by Gudiya’s condition and swear revenge. However, this episode also opens up their old wounds. Devender detests Raghubir to the core and refuses to talk straight with him. Ravinder is still struggling to get over his past trauma and has sworn never to fight again. Meanwhile, the boxing aspirants of the rival Shakti Boxing Academy, run by Viju Sangwan (Ashutosh Rana), are up in arms upon learning that Ravinder is back. They have a past enmity with him and want to settle scores. Amid all the drama and chaos, the brothers and the father need to work together to find out who attacked Gudiya and Nihal. The three suspects are – Viju Sangwan, who may have wanted to kill Nihal due to the rivalry between the clubs; Manesar mafia Kookie Yadav (Sikandar Kher), whose nephew was one of the attackers; and lastly, Khap Panchayat sarpanch Dhanda (Yashpal Sharma), who had reservations about Nihal and Gudiya’s union as they were from the same gotra. What happens next forms the rest of the series.

Glory Story Review:

Karmanya Ahuja and Karan Anshuman’s story blends sports with mystery, providing a novel touch. Karmanya Ahuja and Karan Anshuman’s screenplay tries its best to do justice to the plot in hand. A few scenes are quite well fleshed out and also raise laughs. At the same time, the writing is not up to the mark in several scenes. Vaibhav Vishal’s dialogues are satisfactory.

Karan Anshuman and Kanishik Varma’s direction is entertaining. They have kept the tone mainstream and have ensured that there are enough action-packed, mass-appealing and confrontational scenes to keep the excitement up for the viewers. The execution is also stylish. A few transitions are very unique and appealing. The end credits are also something to watch out for. Moreover, this is not just a sports drama. Boxing definitely plays an important part but there’s lots more happening outside the ring. The makers strike a balance, ensuring both tracks get enough prominence. What also works is the humour. The track of Sultan the bull is hilarious. Also, the discovery of the anklet in the car makes for a dramatic watch. Lastly, the suspense is unpredictable.

On the flipside, there are too many cinematic liberties and, after a point, they dent the impact heavily. Joyna Hazarika’s (Sayani Gupta) track is interesting but also quite convenient. Every time she lands up at any place, at the exact right moment, the characters start discussing something important to the case, allowing her to conveniently eavesdrop. It is also puzzling how she manages to find the exact location of the payphone on the National Sports Institute premises. The characters of Kookie Yadav and Dhanda are forgotten after a point, though they are heavily affected by the Singh family’s actions. The whole sequence of Raghubir and Devender being released from prison, as well as the reason behind it, is difficult to digest. Lastly, though the identity of the culprit is unpredictable, it may not seem acceptable to all sections of viewers.

Web Series Review: GLORY works due to its blend of boxing, family drama and mystery, along with massy moments

Glory Performances:

Pulkit Samrat delivers the finest performance of his career. He’s great as a boxer but watch out for him in the emotional and dramatic scenes; it’s clear that the actor has evolved. Divyenndu gives yet another massy performance after MIRZAPUR. His look is quite dashing and the way he plays the angry young man is impressive. It’s also praiseworthy how he could play diverse roles with ease. After KOHRRA and DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE, Suvinder Vicky is back with another strong act. His mere presence, even without dialogues, is quite arresting. Sayani Gupta is let down by the writing, but performance-wise, she’s first-rate as always. Kashmira Pardeshi (Bharti) is the surprise of the show and is sure to get noticed big time by the industry after its release. Her portrayal and complex characterization are impressive. Vishal Vashishtha (Arvind Shekhawat; cop) too puts his best foot forward. Tanisha Sharma (Sonika) is memorable, though her character is forgotten after a point. Ashutosh Rana is dependable, as always. Sikandar Kher and Yashpal Sharma are too good and one wishes they had more to do in the show. Jannat Zubair Rahmani has a small part but leaves a tremendous mark. Yugam Sood, Zakir Hussain (Phogat; DSP), Kunal Thakur (Raka Singh Beniwal), Vladimir Angelove (Rustinov; assistant coach), Renji Panicker (Panicket; head coach), Kamaljeet Rana (Dharam Thakur/Arjun Thakur), Abhishek Thakur (Sunny Bhullar), Bodhisattva Sharma (Kapil), Aaniket Moahan (Shamsher), Aika Kumawat (Nishi) and Durga Kamboj (Shravini; deaf and mute girl) are fine.

Glory music and other technical aspects:

The music is in sync with the show’s Haryanvi setting. However, not a single song manages to register. John Stewart Eduri’s background score has a cinematic feel.

John Russel Schmidt’s cinematography is satisfactory. Sonam Singh and Abhijit Gaonkar’s production design is realistic yet appealing. Theia Tekchandaney’s costumes are stylish and also seem straight out of life. The ones worn by Kashmira Pardeshi are quite glamorous, though they look out of place for the small town depicted in the show. Brahim Chab and Mehmood K Khan’s action is quite gory and disturbing, as per the recent trend. Manan Ashwin Mehta and Maahir Zaveri’s editing is slick.

Glory Review Conclusion:

On the whole, GLORY works due to its novel blend of boxing, family drama and mystery, along with massy moments, humour, stylish execution and strong performances, especially by Pulkit Samrat, Divyenndu and Suvinder Vicky. However, the writing suffers from excessive cinematic liberties, convenient plot turns and underdeveloped characters, which dilute the overall impact to some extent.

Rating – 3 stars

Also Read: Kunal Thakur on his intense preparation for Netflix’s Glory, “This wasn’t just a transformation, it was a war”

Tags : Divyenndu, Features, Glory, Netflix, Netflix India, OTT, OTT Platform, Pulkit Samrat, Sayani Gupta, Suvinder Vicky, Web Series Review