Sunflower

#sanjuzzreviews A web series in the Dark Comedy, Murder Mystery & Thriller Genre, Sunflower is about a murder that happens in a housing society & how a simpleton resident Sunil Grover unwittingly becomes a prime suspect.

What Works for this: A different kind of script, not often seen in Indian Web Series. Hats off to the makers for attempting something different.

The cast is stellar with known faces like Sunil Grover, Girish Kulkarni, Ashish Vidyarthi, Ranvir Shorey. Works well & keeps viewers engaged.

There are some genuinely funny moments where the hospital staff who have come to collect the murder victims body wrap it and use it as a pillow to rest while having their cuppa tea.

Earnest effort put in by Sunil Grover, Girish Kulkarni and Ranvir Shorey. Ashish Vidhyarthi is sadly wasted in an inconsequential role.

What Doesnt: Too many unnecessary sub plots cause the story to deviate from the primary storyline. These have no relevance to the story and look as if they have been added as fillers to increase the length of the episodes.

The Story doesnt reach a conclusion (a la Samantaar or the Raikar Case), perhaps to pave the way for the next season. Not ending the story after 8 episodes is criminal indeed.

Whether to watch or not: I liked it for the innovative thinking on th part of the makers, quirky storyline & smartly introducing genuine laughter invoking moments in a story of a truely dark nature.

Could have been better though. Watch it if you like something thoda hatke !!

Adios ...🙂

This series is slower than the slowest slow. Some times it just meander along pointlessly. Had to fast forward and skip like 25-30% part which made no sense at all. But the remaining part is intresting and good. There is no suspense and viewers know right from the first episode who is the culprit. But its not a whodunit so its fine. Ending is ambiguous and without any conclusion which is frustrating because series felt like a long long watch (because its too slow). In summary 1 hr plot is stretched to 5 hours.

Couldn't stand more than 3 episodes. What is it? What is it being praised for?

8/10 ..(-2) for bad ending .. really suddenly ends up without closing all the related stories ..

Sunflower is a comic murder mystery web series laced with huge amounts of black comedy and sarcasm, delivered to us by some fantastically written characters. I wonder why many critics in the leading news channels expected the show to be a typical crime noir and a serious murder mystery and misread the intent of the series. I believe the purpose of this series is tickle the viewer's funny bones and it does a wonderful job in that. Full credit to writer & director Vikas Bahl for taking us on a hilarious joyride, Sunflower looks like a grown up version of his 2011 hit Chillar Party. The web series has some of the most intriguing set of characters, that I have seen together in a desi web series since Sacred Games. Sunflower is just a lighthearted take on our society in general, while tickling our funny bones in bargain.

Cinematography is simple and neat sans unnecessary flamboyance. Screenplay remains the top draw of sunflower, that entertains us every five minutes with some exiting situations. Yes, the series is a tad slow at times but rises up remarkably well enough quickly. Production design, costumes and makeup are par, if one considers the production budget. Editing has its fair share of glaring errors, filled within a runtime of 308 minutes across 8 episodes. Sunflower's back ground score was just O u t s t a n d i n g. A well known star cast does deliver some very nice performances adding the overall humour quotient many notches up. Mukul Chaddha and Ranvir Shorey put up remarkable performances ably supported by Sunil Grover in the lead.

Overall, though after 308 minutes, the season ends in a cliffhanger, with no acceptable end. The entire journey towards end was totally one hilarious joyride so it wasn't a big deal breaker for me. I would recommend the show to people who love comedies and highly recommended the show to people who love black comedies. Though Sunflower is a bit asymmetrical and is constantly distracting and even sub-standard at times, You will not regret sitting this one out. 6.7 stars out of 10 for some outrageously written hilarious scenes and quirky characters in the mix.