Fireflies Parth Aur Jugnu Review: Starring Madhoo Shah, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Luke Kenny, Zoya Afroz, Varun Kapoor, Akshat Singh, Meet Mukhi, Aekam Binjwe, Harshit Bhojwani and Anaya Shivan, alongside others, this is a kids’ fantasy show following two unlikely friends. Written by Alok Sharma, Nupur Sharma and Pallavi Sharma, the show is created by Animesh Verma. Hemant Gaba joins the crew as the director for the episodes, Jesil U Patel serves as the Director of Photography, and Prashant Panda joins the crew as the editor.
The show explores the power of friendship and the presence of a fantastical element, all coexisting to make it a multi-pronged storyline following various characters on their journey.
– The Fireflies Parth Aur Jugnu Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Kids shows are supposed to be fun to watch. However, this was just ten episodes of terrible writing, plot and fantasy elements that had little to no connection to the main plot. It felt like the exposition went on forever. Until the sixth episode, the story was still kept apart like fragments functioning separately, even though they exist in the same universe. Almost nothing in this show would save the scorching criticism it is about to get.
While the world has moved on, the writers on this show haven’t. It becomes clear that these writers have never interacted with kids this age before because the writing is impeccably outdated and loosely based on every early 2000s show featuring a rebellious kid and an exasperated parent trying to make it work. Meanwhile, in a world where we all realise the importance of being a child instead of an academician, the writers still cling to stereotypes new parents seem to have forgone.
Even if they haven’t, the show presents terrible examples for kids who are just trying to go through life without imparting their self-value to a few numbers on a report card. While this is a conversation for another time, the filmmaking elements are enough to turn anybody off from watching this show. Apart from its long episode duration, the story also moves at a snail’s pace. If this show couldn’t keep the attention of an adult wanting to write about this show, the writer shudders to think about what might happen to a kid.
Turning our focus to the fantasy elements, they leave viewers in confusion because, at least until the first half of the season, all we know are sporadic stories of something lurking in the communal space. At the same time, no information is revealed as the episodes progress. There is a stagnancy in the way the episodes are structured. It seems that the creators had a lot of time on their hands to build an interesting story. Kids’ television shows work best when an obstacle is crossed in each episode that ties into the bigger narrative.
Alas, it would have been too much to expect from this series. The cinematography, lighting and visual effects are also lacking in their respective departments. The cinematographer did manage to insert some interesting shots. However, with the acting being sub-par in most cases, the effort doesn’t shine through in the result. After coming so far in terms of visual effects and computer graphics, the show still seems to be stuck at the level most older kids shows were based in.
Fireflies Parth Aur Jugnu Review: Final Thoughts
This writer would not suggest any adult or child to watch this. It is long, slow and does not manage to create any excitement for the viewer. Multiple plotlines, some that don’t even service the main narrative sequence. Instead, they waste time that could have been used better to create a narrative sequence that doesn’t stray too much.
Furthermore, the moral lessons that one of the older figures from the show imparts to the kids is a trope that has gotten as old as time. It has not managed to make any changes to the larger plot. If this show is greenlit for another season, maybe the writers can upgrade the characters back to this decade.
Fireflies Parth Aur Jugnu is currently streaming on Zee5.
Do you think this a good kids’ show? Let us know in the comments below.
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