OTT Review – Anger Tales

Cast: Venkatesh Maha, Suhas, Ravindra, Bindu Madhavi, Tharun Bhascker, Madonna
Director: Prabhala Tilak
Producers: Sridhar Reddy & Suhas
Music: Smaran Sai
Release Date : 09-03-2023
Streaming On: Disney Plus Hotstar

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Anger Tales is the latest anthology series from Hotstar that has caught the imagination of many with its teasers. Based on the simple concept of anger, director Prabhala Tilak narrates four different stories who deal with this issue in their daily lives and how they burst out after a point.

Plot

The first story is ‘Food Festival’ starring Tharun Bhaskar and Madonna Sabastian. It is about how a modern girl played by Madonna is forced to eat only veg by her husband in spite of her being a non-veg lover. The second story is Helmet Head featuring Phani Acharya. He is in his 30s and is a bald man who gets rejected by everyone. The third story is An Afternoon Nap featuring Bindu Madhavi. She is a middle-class housewife whose sleep gets disturbed due to her nosy neighbors. The last story is Benefit Show featuring Venkatesh Maha and Suhas. It is about an ardent fan who is adamant to hold a benefit show of his favorite stars. How all these characters are tested with their anger management is the story of Anger Tales.

Performances

When it comes to performances, Anger Tales gets full marks. The casting is top notch and things start from the first episode itself. Madonna Sabastian as the scared wife who wants to go all out for eating eggs shows her anger in a very subtle and sophisticated manner. Phani Acharya as a man with low confidence is very neat in his role. The way he brings out subtle anger when he gets rejected in life in every way was good to see. Things start getting solid from the third episode and Bindu Madhavi as the housewife who has issues with her neighbors is spot on. She gets angry in a way that we cannot relate to. There is no shouting or screaming in her episode and the way she portrays her role is superb. The last episode is the benefit show and has mind-blowing performances by director Venkatesh Maga who plays the fan president. Suhas as the local don is also amazing. The scenes between Maha and Suhaas are riveting.

What’s Good

The storyline of each episode
Fine performances
Last two episodes

What’s bad

Weird endings in the first two episodes
Slow Pace

Analysis

Anger Tales is about how anger can bring out the deadly side of you. Mind You, Anger Tales is not about the anger that makes you go crazy and go all out. These anger issues are about topics from daily life and how people are pushed down in life that they deal with things in a weird manner. All the stories are set up so well and have conflict points that we can relate to right away and also have sympathy with the characters shown.

But the sad part is that the way the first two stories are ended leaves a lot to be desired. Madonna Sabastain wanting to eat eggs hiding them and doing such stuff despite being such an educated person is clueless. She gets feared by her husband for just eating eggs and how she breaks free in the end looks quite weird. In the same way, the second story of the bald man filing a case against the government as he loses hair due to wearing a helmet is over the top and disappoints the viewers right away.

But director Prabhala Tilak saves his best for the last two episodes. How a housewife suffering from low confidence and cannot have an afternoon nap is showcased in a superb manner. The human emotions, and how the couple faces trouble are shown in the best way possible. But the most relatable episode is the last benefit show which the youth can connect with right away. How fans go all out and make plans to host a benefit show of their favorite show is shown in the best way possible. Venkatesh Maha and Suhas perform to the T and give the audience a high.

The production values of the show are top-notch as each of the episodes is showcased in the best way possible. The dialogues, BGM, and editing parts are apt and do not disturb the flow of the viewing. Technically, the show is superior and the costume design is also amazing. Director Prabhala Tilak is impressive when it comes to setting up anger issues in the daily life of the main characters.

But the way he ends the first two episodes is hard to understand and makes the audience get disappointed. The show has some brilliant performances and the last two stories are narrated in a gripping manner. But to enjoy this, one has to pass through the first two episodes. Those who like to watch anthologies with a unique backdrop can give this series a shot but be prepared for the different treatment and weird endings.

Bottom Line: Weird but watchable concept-driven drama