Director - Collin D’Cunha
Writer - Ishita Moitra, Samina Motlekar, Rohit Nair
Cast - Ananya Panday, Gurfateh Pirzada, Vihaan Samat, Varun Sood, Vir Das, Lisa Mishra, Niharika Lyra Dutt, Muskkaan Jaferi, Mini Mathur, Shiv Masand, Akashdeep Arora, Anmol Oberoi, Naman Arora, Shiv Masand, Sahil Shroff
Platform – Amazon Prime 
Episode – 8 
 
Oh, where do I even begin with Call Me Bae? If there’s an award for the most gloriously misguided show of the year, this Prime Video disasterpiece is a shoo-in. Imagine a glittering disaster where luxury brands are treated like minor characters and Ananya Panday’s performance is the slow-motion car crash at the center of it all.
 
Bella, played by Ananya Panday, is the epitome of what happens when wealth and cluelessness collide in a messy heap of drama and designer labels. Her fall from the high horse of South Delhi’s elite to the world of the working class is supposed to be poignant and relatable. Instead, it’s about as believable as a unicorn giving up its magic for a day job. Bella’s life revolves around her Gucci bags and her husband Agastya (Vihaan Samat), who is so unremarkably rich and useless that he makes a cardboard cutout look dynamic.
 
The drama kicks off when Bella’s gym affair with Satyajit (Varun Sood) becomes public. And what a scandal it is! The only thing more scandalous than the affair is the utter lack of chemistry and depth in the entire plot. Bella’s struggle with her newfound “normal” life is supposed to be comedic gold, but it’s more like a poorly executed skit with all the flair of a damp firecracker.
 
Ananya Panday’s performance is the show’s pièce de résistance—of disaster. Her portrayal of Bella is so wooden that it makes Pinocchio look like Daniel Day-Lewis. It’s a shame because the role of a privileged princess turned commoner has potential for nuance and growth. Instead, we get a series of vacant stares, vapid monologues, and a level of acting that seems like it was phoned in from a designer boutique.
 
The supporting cast, including Vir Das as a cringeworthy Arnab Goswami knockoff and Mini Mathur as Bella’s cliché-ridden mother, adds little to elevate the show. Vir Das tries his best with his over-the-top portrayal, but even his comedic timing is overshadowed by the sheer ridiculousness of the script. Mini Mathur’s character is a perfect example of a wasted opportunity—she’s there to serve as the “down-to-earth” counterpoint to Bella’s superficiality but ends up being as forgettable as the rest of the ensemble.
 
The show’s attempt to dive into the world of journalism and social media is laughable at best. Bella’s take on journalism—”in 140 characters or less”—is a mockery of real reporting, serving as a painful reminder of the show’s superficial approach to serious issues. And the love triangle? It fizzles out faster than you can say “misplaced subplot.”
 
Call Me Bae is a masterclass in how to squander potential. It’s like watching a high-fashion runway show where every outfit is designed by someone who has never actually seen clothing before. Ananya Panday’s performance is the pièce de résistance of this glittering trainwreck, proving that you can have all the luxury and none of the substance.
 
If you’re in the mood for a show that’s as hollow as its protagonist’s emotional growth and as lavishly pointless as a high-end shopping spree, then this is your ticket. For everyone else, it’s best to steer clear of this extravagant flop and let it remain a cautionary tale of how not to handle a fall-from-grace narrative.