TVF’s Aspirants may base itself on the trials and tribulations of UPSC aspirants and the emotional challenges that three friends have to navigate in their adult lives, however, deep down, the web-series manages to capture the uncertainty of our millennial selves. There is so much to unpack here. From the uncertainty that hangs upon relationships to strained friendships, TVF’s Aspirants may have started off as a web-series about the burdens that a UPSC aspirant has to navigate during their preparations, however, now, it has evolved into something much more.

As of this moment, TVF’s Aspirants stands as a web-series about true human lives. The creative team behind the web-series, Apoorv Singh Karki and Deepesh Sumitra Jagdish, have managed to direct and write, respectively, pristine narratives around the characters of Abhilash, Guri and SK. Naveen Kasturia, Shivankit Parihar and Abhilash Thapiliyal have truly managed to capture the essence of their characters through their portrayals. Even so, Namita Dubey and Sunny Hinduja have managed to ingratiate themselves with the audience with their outstanding performances. Of course, due credit must also be given to the creators of the web-series, Arunabh Kumar, the founder of TVF and Shreyansh Pandey.

Of course, we all saw the cast and the creative team, behind TVF’s Aspirants, drop the teaser for the season finale during the ‘Covid Relief Livestream‘, that was held in association with The Talented Indian. An immensely important initiative, the entire livestream was a reminder for the need to reach out and help as much as possible in times like these.

I know we are all excited and really want some answers from the season finale. What really happened between Guri and Abhilash all those years back? Did it have something to do with Dhairya all along? And, most importantly, did Abhilash really clear the preliminary exam at the end of episode 4? In the hopes of getting you all up to speed for the finale, let’s do a brief recap of everything that has happened so far.

Episode One introduces us to the three friends that we have come to love. Abhilash, Guri and SK are long standing friends who are all preparing for the UPSC examinations. With the exams looming ahead of them, Abhilash, on his final attempt, wants to change his optional subject. The crux of the episode takes Abhilash’s indecision on choosing an optional subject and spins a larger tale on the idea of being able to stand and make decisions on your own two feet

Episode Two has Abhilash questioning himself about the qualifications of a teacher. For him, the primary concern lies in the uncertainty of whether an individual, who, himself, hasn’t managed to clear the UPSC exam, can provide him with the right guidance. The second episode also introduces us to the character of Dhairya, the primary bone of contention and the reason behind the added strain in the friendship between Abhilash and Guri in the present day. 

Up until now, TVF’s Aspirants has been exploring the primary concerns that most UPSC aspirants face. In the third episode, the web-series delves into more cerebral themes, posing questions towards the qualities that are not only mandatory for bureaucrats to possess but also important in our daily lives. What really separates the wheat from the chaff? On a more romantic one, Abhilash and Dhairya are a thing now, with the both of them finding an understanding in each other. Episode three also has the three friends finally meeting again in the present day, with Guri bracing himself to finally tell Abhilash who he is actually getting married to.

The penultimate episode of the series focuses on everything coming to a head. In the present day, Abhilash and Guri, finally, open up about the things eating at them and confront each other, while SK reveals his frustration towards both of his friends, touching upon how they have always been caught up in their own angst and almost always avoided focusing on the larger friendship that exists between the three of them. Back in the past, we get a glimpse of Abhilash deciding to finally resign from his job, the one he had taken a sabbatical from to prepare for the UPSC exam. We also see the first cracks that begin to form between Abhilash and Dhairya. The episode ends on a real cliffhanger, with Abhilash clearing his preliminary exam being left ambiguous.

And the season finale episode TVF’s Aspirants is a real treat with a culmination of all the emotions. From the heartfelt message of Sandeep bhaiya to Abhilash’s realisation to his final monologue. Instead of describing it in words, let your visual senses give you an emotional treat. Cheers to a beautiful and inspiring finale!

Relationships are one of the hardest things to maintain. Be it family, friends or significant others, it is almost impossible to be harmonious all the time. And it takes a lot of effort to make any relationship a successful one. But on what basis do we call it successful? Trust, number of fights, empathy? I say it is the quality of friendship. Yes, friendship is the common denominator in all relationships. Almost like a measuring unit of it. 

Of course, being ex-lovers adds some awkward hurdles in the path to friendship but that never means that it can’t exist. And it exists beautifully in ‘when you meet your ex’ a three-episode Youtube Series whose final instalment released this year. Produced by RVCJ, this series is the perfect balance between warmth and emotion. Ashwin Salunke, the Executive Producer at RVCJ, stated, “Being an emotional person I have always been excited to be a part of such heart touching concepts. I am glad that our team has done full justice to each and every word, emotion & feelings which writer had put in the script!

A lovely blend of dialogue and music makes it an amazing watch. I must say, the dialogue supported by some phenomenal acting from Shreya Gupto and Ayush Mehra take all the spotlight. “The series has so much depth,  maturity,  confusion, trouble and probably every kind of hard emotion. As an actor, it’s always interesting to get into the skin of such emotions,” recalls Shreya.

It only goes on to show that circumstances may keep people apart but feelings never die. There is a beautiful set of dialogues in the second episode where the characters compare feelings to radioactive decay. The conversational nature of the series also adds immensely to the depth of each character.

The episodes!

Episode 1 starts off with the two ex-lovers meeting up after a very long time. It has a natural sense of awkwardness with some taunts thrown the other person’s way. But the maturity of the ending and the overall conversation makes it a really peaceful 16-minute watch!

Episode 2 takes place sometime after episode 1. And both the characters have evolved a lot separately and are now helping each other out as friends. They are not shy to mention the elephant in the room and work their way through all the tension and awkwardness. There’s some fantastic dialogue coming your way too.

The final instalment is an excellent wrap up to the entire story. And it features superb music from Rohan Pradhan and Rohan Ghokale, it is nostalgic, touching and very emotional. This series will surely help all those who have been heartbroken in love, to finally get some closure and move on happily with their lives.

Writer Sajal Kumar says, “The series is about closure and catharsis. In a relationship with a lot of love and emotional investment, things can still go wrong, and making peace with it is an emotional reality that a lot of people have lived. But this is one scenario that has hardly been explored in our mainstream stories, and this was one such attempt.”

“The Series is so well written and executed that it required a perfect balance of emotion and warmth with a melodious soundtrack”, recalls Rohan Pradhan and Rohan Gokhale, the musical duo for this project. Huge credits to RVCJ media for incubating such amazing talent and showing it to the world! We can’t wait for what’s to come!

With increasing awareness regarding feminism, it is important to raise awareness regarding the basic ideology that fuels discrimination between men and women. It is important to address the root causes which lead to female exploitation and to trace back its beginnings, we need to question one’s grooming as a child, starting primarily from the house. Aisi Hun, by Sejal Kumar, is an informational as well as an inspiring song which sheds light on the same.

In her first ever original song, Sejal tells the tale of an ordinary Indian girl being brought up in a middle-class household. The problems highlighted in this video are not individualistic, rather represent the issues faced by the women community as a whole. Through the journey of this girl, it caters to trivial day to day occurrences like hiding sanitary pads in presence of a male member of the family, parents shying away from providing their kids basic sex education, imposing clothe restrictions and male interactions. At the same time, it also deals with how ignorant and reckless men are when it comes to dealing with unwanted pregnancies. The way they abandon women in times of need and fail to take responsibility for something they equally partook in highlights the faultiness in their upbringing. Matters catering to feminism can not just be solved by women alone. Equal participation of men is of vital importance and so is parental support in such cases.

It is the parents who can inculcate in their boys the basic ideology of respecting women and redefine what “being a man” means. At the same time, they should raise their girls to be strong and confident, and at the same time infuse in them equality and the will to fight for their rights. Aisi hu is a part of Creators for Change, a global movement for girls’ education with Michelle Obama.

The impending release of the movie Dil Bechara, debut movie of director Mukesh Chhabra, casting the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi has been finally confirmed. The movie would be released on 24 July on Disney+Hotstar. The trailer of the movie was released on 6^th July and has received a really good response.

The movie is based on the bestselling novel “The Fault In Our Stars” by John Green which was released in 2012 and was really admired by the readers. The trailer of the film is really promising and the people are investing high hopes in the film. The film is about a tragical love story of Kizie and Manny. It is a not a love story that is conventional, it is not a love story you find next door it will strike you with the unexpected. The story revolves around Kizie and Manny, both being cancer patients. It narrates the tale of the blooming love between them and follows next is for you to find.

Mark the dates on your calendars because Dil Bechara is a must watch film. Meanwhile spend some time watching the trailer.

Wrong Number is a tickling comical romance with chaos, confusion and barrel of laughs directed by Sumit Kumar. Season 1 of the web series celebrated great success and with more belly laughs the season 2 is released.

Let’s catch up with the season 1 and recall where we left!

Teenage love is obsessive right, something that cannot be forgotten easily and surely it’s hard enough letting it go. The story begins with Khushi, an MBBS student, who in hopeless memories of her school time boyfriend Rajat, texts him as a daily ritual of her life in hope of mending things with him. Adding to the humor is the unexpected twist; the number that belonged to his ex-boyfriend is now assigned to an engineering student Karan. Karan receives all the messages intended for Rajat and shares the obvious confusion with his roommate who suggests him of taking the disguise of Rajat and talking to Khushi. The situation is certainly funny and it only gets funnier. And while you’re laughing out loud at these hilarious incidents don’t be blinded to notice the building romantic elements of the plot.

Everything is goes well they bond and talk creating a realistic mirage for Khushi. Her roommate Ruchi, although, is quite sceptic of the situation and suggests her to call. Trapped huh! They find a way out and his roommate tells Khushi that he is not there. The illusion is well plastered with lies, until one day when the wall of illusion decided to collapse and Khushi calls with an unknown number and catches him in the act.

She is furious at this deception by Karan. Karan is equally sad and guilty of his act, not to forget he maintained the lie out of his fondness! The tension is built in the scene and a sense of curiosity is evoked. However, with a comical relief and with his roommate’s advice he finally convinces Khushi. The season ended with a phone call that leaves our curiosity lingering.

Now stop pondering about that phone call and watch season 2 to unravel the plot ahead. Adios!