Media365
Rajkumar Hirani explores the dynamics of the duo in his maiden OTT venture Pritam And Pedro, an investigative thriller the filmmaker has co-written and jointly produced. Hirani is known to squeeze out the sentimentality of his audiences, delivering impactful emotional highs and lows through his endearing characters. He masterfully achieves this with his buddy cops Pritam (Vir Hirani) and Pedro (Arshad Warsi).
Pritam And Pedro are supposed to be two sides of the same coin. As a seasoned Goan cop, Pedro’s world is macho and brash, so he keeps reminding us by stressing upon his natural flair as a field officer. Gunmen call the shots here, and one wrong move could spell death. Pritam, meanwhile, is a keyboard warrior, a tech genius with exceptional cyber skills. Their camaraderie in crime-solving, putting to use Pedro’s killer instinct and Pritam’s street smart ways and his eccentricity, forms the crux of this not-so-grim, oft humourous police procedural.
It’s surprising that this show hails from the director of Paatal Lok, Avinash Arun. Though set in the world of crime, Pritam And Pedro and Paatal Lok have their own, distinct DNA. Hirani’s imprint is hard to miss as Pritam And Pedro swiftly switches between tense and funny, almost giving the show the feel of a dark comedy. Arshad, who has played the director’s most popular sidekick Circuit in Munna Bhai movies, both embraces and breaks free from the shadow of his iconic character to spotlight Pedro’s humane side. As we learn more of his heartwrenching backstory, and how much of a burden a cop’s life becomes on his interpersonal relationships, his humourous guise as a hardened police officer starts to feel disturbing and emotional.
Pritam is the poster boy for technology and finds himself tangled with Pedro’s police affairs after a drunken incident. Effectively, Pritam And Pedro sets up as an ideological war between two generations, the modern and the obsolete. However, they meet at common grounds, reinforcing that in moving forward, the past need not be discarded. The story blends vices of the digital world – cybercrime and digital theft – with palpable human emotions like loneliness, betrayal and trauma, packaged and presented in signature Hirani style. To many, the series may feel old school, and it is, in a good sense. The old-fashioned storytelling, Hirani-style, need not be something to look down upon as glitzy and stylised content takes over screens. Heartfelt storytelling, with emotions in the right place, has always struck a chord with the audience. Pritam And Pedro hits the mark with its emotional quotient despite being a typical crime thriller.
Vir Hirani impresses with his grasp of the layered character of Pritam. He switches between ineffusive and unintentionally funny rather well and finds his match in an impressive Arshad. In their unconventional partnership lies redemption for both. Pritam And Pedro packs introspective and earnest moments and sharp performances make sure the narrative doesn’t slip into the mundane.
