OTT Review – Dead Pixels

Cast: Niharika Konidela, Akshay, Sai Ronak, Harsha, Bhavana, Rajeev Kanakala, Bindu and others

Director: Aditya Mandala

Producers: Sameer Gogate, Rahul Tamada, Saideep Reddy Bora

Release Date: 19-05-2023

Streaming On : Disney+ Hotstar

Dead Pixels is the latest web series on Hotstar and has been directed by Aditya Mandala. The show has Niharika Konidela, Sai Ronak, Akshay Lagunasani, and Viva Harsha in key roles and has six episodes in total.

Plot

Gayatri(Niharika Konidela), Bharghav(Akshay Lagusani, and Anand(Viva Harsha) are obsessed with a video game called Battle of Thrones. Their ultimate goal is to win the game. On the other hand, Gayatri and Bharghav are flatmates and work in the same office. Things change when Roshan(Sai Ronak) enters the scene and even joins the game. This changes the equations between the friends and Gayatri, who has a crush on Roshan is a bigger problem now. How all this will be solved is the story of Dead Pixels.

Performances

Dead Pixels is a show where every actor acts a notch higher. This is because everyone is a gaming enthusiast and dreams only of video games. The best of the lot is Niharika Konidela. She makes a comeback with a new look and confidence. She as the one who is for gaming and has a crush on her co-star does so well in her role. If not for Niharika, the show would have been boring. Akshay Lagusani overacts for no reason but Sai Ronak is good in his role. Viva Harsha does not evoke enough laughs in his role.

Technicalities

Dead Pixels is the remake of the British Show with the same theme. So, there is nothing special in terms of writing. Aditya Mandala, the director has nicely adapted it to Telugu standards. The gaming language used, the VFX part, and the video game setup look cool. The manner in which the city of Hyderabad is showcased in a modern manner looks good. The editing is decent but the production design was top-notch. However, the screenplay is a huge letdown.

What’s Good

Niharika’s role
A few comedy scenes

What’s Bad

Lack of emotional connect
Overaction of a few artists
Dull screenplay
Lacks seriousness

Analysis

Dead Pixels is a show which looks wacky at the onset but it is not. One can easily say that it is one of the most aimless shows made for the OTT space in recent times. The characters in the show are obsessed with gaming but the sad part is that they do not try anything else apart from playing the game at home and office and no one even stops them from doing so. Such is the silliness of the show.

Aditya Mandala, the director has introduced his characters well but from there, it is an uphill task for the audience to sit through the show. The proceedings are silly, over the top, and have no emotional connection. Technically the show is good but the way the video game is shown and what difference it creates in the lives of the gamers is not handled properly.

There is absolutely no conflict point in the show as characters are clueless as to why they are behaving in such a weird manner most of the time. The makers have taken time to highlight other things rather than create interest through games and this entirely robbed of the interest from the audience. Also, as the show is only targeted at those who love gaming, the rest of the audience will find it so over the top.

The original British had solid comedy and connectivity with the characters but that does not happen in the remake. Barring a few comedy scenes, the rest of the show has no direction. In the end, it turns out to be a silly show with a bunch of actors overacting like there is no tomorrow. The only exception is Niharika Konidela, who is decent.

Bottom Line – Silly and Over The Top