Showtime S01
Director: Sumit Roy
Cast: Emraan Hashmi as Raghu Khanna Mahima Makwana as Mahika Nandy Naseeruddin Shah as Viktor Khanna Rajeev Khandelwal as Armaan Singh Mouni Roy as Yamini Shriya Saran as Sarla Khanna Vijay Raaz as Hussain Vishal Vashishtha as Gaurav Neeraj Madhav as Aman Lillete Dubey as Nani
Showtime – Season 1 is a Bollywood-set drama that excavates the intense ambition, backdoor politics, and personal upheaval behind the glitz. The plot centers on Mahika Nandy (Mahima Makwana), an ambitious reporter who unexpectedly inherits ownership of Viktory Studios—a legendary production house run by patriarch Viktor Khanna (Naseeruddin Shah). Tensions escalate with her half-uncle Raghu Khanna (Emraan Hashmi), leading to a generational clash over the studio’s vision and legacy FugitivesThe Times of IndiaWikipedia.
Season 1’s tone blends sharp satire with glitzy melodrama: familiar tropes—temperamental stars, manipulative insiders, and tabloid temptations—pervade the narrative. The treatment is unabashedly flamboyant and surface-dwelling, trading subtlety for spectacle and insider drama The Times of IndiaFugitivesThe Times of IndiaThe Times of India. Standout performances—including Emraan Hashmi’s brash entitlement, Rajeev Khandelwal’s scene-stealing turns, and Mahima Makwana’s emotional evolution—carry much of the show’s energy despite script weaknesses The Times of India.
Critics offered mixed to negative perspectives, highlighting the show’s glossy visuals and star power but critiquing its lack of depth, clichéd writing, and caricatured portrayal of industry dysfunction The Times of IndiaThe Times of IndiaFugitives. Viewer sentiment echoed this: Reddit threads and user reviews praised the production design and Emraan Hashmi’s charisma, yet commonly lamented uneven storytelling and underwhelming writing RedditRedditIMDbIMDb.
In summary, Showtime – Season 1 is a visually opulent, star-studded glimpse into Bollywood’s backstage power games—best enjoyed as guilty-pleasure entertainment rather than incisive industry critique. While it capitalizes on melodrama and spectacle, it stops short of delivering emotional resonance or narrative depth.
Showtime – Season 1 is a Bollywood-set drama that excavates the intense ambition, backdoor politics, and personal upheaval behind the glitz. The plot centers on Mahika Nandy (Mahima Makwana), an ambitious reporter who unexpectedly inherits ownership of Viktory Studios—a legendary production house run by patriarch Viktor Khanna (Naseeruddin Shah). Tensions escalate with her half-uncle Raghu Khanna (Emraan Hashmi), leading to a generational clash over the studio’s vision and legacy FugitivesThe Times of IndiaWikipedia.
Season 1’s tone blends sharp satire with glitzy melodrama: familiar tropes—temperamental stars, manipulative insiders, and tabloid temptations—pervade the narrative. The treatment is unabashedly flamboyant and surface-dwelling, trading subtlety for spectacle and insider drama The Times of IndiaFugitivesThe Times of IndiaThe Times of India. Standout performances—including Emraan Hashmi’s brash entitlement, Rajeev Khandelwal’s scene-stealing turns, and Mahima Makwana’s emotional evolution—carry much of the show’s energy despite script weaknesses The Times of India.
Critics offered mixed to negative perspectives, highlighting the show’s glossy visuals and star power but critiquing its lack of depth, clichéd writing, and caricatured portrayal of industry dysfunction The Times of IndiaThe Times of IndiaFugitives. Viewer sentiment echoed this: Reddit threads and user reviews praised the production design and Emraan Hashmi’s charisma, yet commonly lamented uneven storytelling and underwhelming writing RedditRedditIMDbIMDb.
In summary, Showtime – Season 1 is a visually opulent, star-studded glimpse into Bollywood’s backstage power games—best enjoyed as guilty-pleasure entertainment rather than incisive industry critique. While it capitalizes on melodrama and spectacle, it stops short of delivering emotional resonance or narrative depth.