I was really looking forward to see Vikrant Massey and Harleen Sethi reprise the third season of AltBalaji's famous franchise, Broken But Beautiful. For me, they were the life of the series and one of the most important reasons for it to be a hit, besides its melodious music, of course.
But Sidharth Shukla, who I am not a very big fan of, has left me surprised with his performance in the series' latest season, Sonia Rathee will take time to grow on you but she has also delivered more than I expected and in spite of being hungover in Vikrant and Harleen's magic, this season has left me with a smile.
The plot, just like the previous seasons, deals with love, heartbreak, losing yourself and then reinventing. Agastya, played by Sidharth, is a struggling theatre director, who doesn't know better than expressing himself through aggression and anger. Rumi, portrayed by Sonia, is someone constantly looking for validation, appreciation from her family and chasing her childhood obsession, Ishaan.
Destiny gets Agastya and Rumi in each other's path and their story begins with hatred, then lust, then love and destruction. Although the storyline may sound cliche but the projection is fresh, the representation is engaging and the performances even better.
Priyanka Ghose beautifully brings out the importance self-empowerment through self-destruction. 'You are the only one who can complete yourself,' is the theme of this season and it touches and reaches to your heart straight away.
A few loopholes would be in the show's pace. Although the screenplay is engaging in most of the parts, but it does drop towards the end of the show. However, the magical background score brings your attention back. Teri hogaiya, Yeh Kya Hua, Boriya- the gems from the previous seasons form a major part of the series besides the new additions. The production value of the show is neat and the entire look and feel is classy and bang on.
Sidharth Shukla is truly the hero of the show, in all aspects. His personality does not overshadows his performance and he maintains a fine balance between the two. Sonia Rathee will also leave you impressed with her screen presence, though her character of Rumi is not in my list of favourites, but I guess that was the motive and she nails it. The supporting cast- Jahnavi Dhanrajgir and Ehan Bhat have also done a wonderful job.
And we cannot wrap this review without mentioning the special appearance by Vikrant and Harleen (though insignificant to the storyline) they will get your heart beating once again. So, overall, Broken But Beautiful 3 has a different flavour than its previous seasons but it succeeds in making its own place on the menu. So, I'd say it's Bingeworthy and rate it 4 stars.
Image source: AltBalaji