Before watching the show, I was going through a few reviews and one of them compared the latest Netflix Indian offering, Typewriter to Stranger Things. Now after watching the show, I think this comparison is not fair really. I agree that Stranger Things is a far grander show but calling Typewriter boring does not do justice to it as well. This is a fun show to watch from the beginning to the end. I agree that it is not as scary as you would expect it to be but the show will still manage to keep you engrossed till the last episode. Typewriter can be many things but boring it is definitely not.
Written and directed by Sujoy Ghosh, Typewriter tells the story of a family that moves into a house that is notorious as being haunted. The family starts experiencing paranormal phenomenon shortly after. There is also a group of ‘curious kids from the town who are interested in the history of the house and what is now happening in it after the new family moved in. The father of one of those kids is the local policeman who also gets involved in the mystery.
Netflix Typewriter
I know, this whole story sounds like it has already been done to death. But if you think about it seriously, it has been done to death by ‘Hollywood’. For the Indian market, making a show something like this is still on the experimental side; and for once, I can definitely say that they did a great job. After watching all the cheesy horror flicks by Vikram Bhatt in the last few years, Typewriter is definitely a refreshing look on the horror genre; which I do not think has been popular every in Indian Cinema. From Ramsay Brother to Vikram Bhatt, Horror flicks were always considered to be B-Grade material; and were never so well received, with the exception of a few. Typewriter tries to do horror in a different manner; and to some extent, succeeds in keeping the viewers entertained.
The show is brilliantly shot for most part. There are a couple of jump scares that will actually create the impact intended. The story slowly unfolds and builds up, managing to grab your attention. Episode after episode, you will binge watch the show and will never feel bored or disinterested. The whole horror factor combined with mild humor works like a charm. The performances of Palomi Ghosh and Purab Kohli definitely deserves an applaud. The child actors do a good job and remain brilliant throughout the show. Each character has its own life, and you find yourself rooting for all of them.
Final Verdict
Predictability is more or less the worst part about the show. It starts off really well but a couple of episodes later, you will realize that we have seen it all in Hollywood flicks and shows. At a point, it almost starts to feel as if the director picked up some safe elements from different movies and shows and then combined them together in an Indian version.
I read someone complaining about that the show never gets too serious like it should have been for a horror series. But I think that worked more in the shows favor than against it. Making it more creepy and darker would just have killed it even more. But keeping it on the lighter side with a bit of humor keeps the show refreshing. In the end, I will say that Typewriter is a great show as long you do not compare it with any shows or movies you have seen before. Just watch it without any comparisons or high expectations and you will definitely enjoy it. I am really hoping that they will make a second season of it.
