A novel effort to dispel the lockdown blues
Background
The prevailing Covid-19 pandemic has opened many avenues of creativity and one of the results of such creativity is A Viral Weddingwhich is a novel concept based micro web series produced by Shreya Dhanwantary and Pratha Narang Naik in lock down by strictly following all applicable rules and norms.
Creativity and talent have no boundaries. The restrictions due to lockdown all over India has provided an opportunity to think differently and come out with an entertaining concept along with an appealing content to cheer up the gloomy atmosphere by A Viral Wedding.
A Viral Wedding is a tribute to all those front line warriors who are fighting a never ending battle against COVID-19. A Viral Wedding, Eros Now Quickie and D2R Indie initiative which is streaming now on Eros Now is a self-made micro web series made in lockdown with a disclaimer “No Humans were harmed” which is quite apt.
Story Line
Nisha (Shreya Dhanwantary, who is quite familiar to Telugu audience with movies like Sneha Geetam and Josh and last seen in the hit series The Family Man as Zoya) and Rishabh (Amol Parashar of Tripling by TVF fame) are supposed to get married and at a time when everything is going on as planned, the lock down announced suddenly due to spread of Corona Virus spoils all their wedding plans. Nisha, who posted a video about her prospective wedding that is going to take place soon on a social media network with great sense of joy gets the shock of her life in the form of lockdown leading to cancellation of her wedding.
Nisha is left with no other alternative except to make use of social media and digital medium to enter into wedlock. After having long discussions with bride groom Rishabh and her brother Nishant (Sunny Hinduja), mother Neena (Sonali Sachdev) and her friend Aditi (Aishwarya Chaudhary), Nisha finally chooses to get married online to which her family members and bride groom agree.
This is followed by engaging pandit UP aka Ujjwal Pujari (Sharib Hashmi) to perform this wedding online. Though this may sound quite weird, nowadays online wedding seems to be the best option available and most convenient method also to get married which is hassle free and cost effective too. So this wedding of Nisha and Rishabh is going to be a precedent for all future online weddings.
Artist Performances
Performances are quite awesome. All the actors particularly Shreya is really brilliant. Notwithstanding many constraints and limited resources, she has displayed every expression with ease and carried on the whole show quite admirably. Her presence has made this micro series a real treat to watch.
Sunny Hinduja and Amol Parashar have done exceptionally well in their roles adding the much needed sparkle to this wedding. Hashmi as UP aka Ujjwal Pujari is excellent in a cameo role who is instrumental in successfully conducting this wedding with a tinge of humor which is an added attraction.
Technical Departments
Its Shreya again who emerge with flying colors with her impeccable writing and direction. She is multi-talented and she needs to explore further and try her hand at other crafts too apart from acting. Noteworthy is the contribution of Raj & DK duo who extended their support in providing the shape and clarity to this exclusive concept. Even the music of Mahesh Shankar which runs in the background leaves its mark in this homemade video and has done a great job along with all other technicians including Mahesh DB for his near perfect editing.
Whoever has shot the videos (mostly self-made) with the help of web cams, mobile cameras or DSLRs, if any, they have done a commendable job and even self-videos are perfect in terms of lighting and clarity. Great job!
More than anything else, the effort itself is commendable and all those who are associated with the concept, development and execution of A Viral Wedding turns out to be an irrefutable winner.
Our honest feeling
Out of box thinking is what we can learn about this whole micro series. To convert inconvenience to an opportunity and trying something different is USP of the show. This effort may not get them any awards but this goes a long way in proving their capabilities showcasing their talent and creative abilities giving them the immense satisfaction during these troubled times. They need all the support, encouragement and appreciation to motivate them to come out with many more unique concepts in future to provide the much needed entertainment to all of us.
