Review of Amazon Prime's Hush Hush

Plot

Hush Hush follows the story of four friends - Ishi, Zaira, Saiba, and Dolly - who get tangled in a murder mystery involving one of them. After an untoward incident at a party, the friends find their lives spiraling out of control as they find themselves in the middle of a crime that may be too big for them to comprehend. As they try to save themselves, they are pursued by a highly motivated and smart cop, Geeta Tehlan. As skeletons tumble out of the closet, the friends are in for a surprise as they realize that Ishi had a lot of secrets.

Acting

The performances in Hush Hush are lackluster and don't do justice to the talent of the actors. Juhi Chawla's enigma doesn't excite you enough to discover the truth behind her death. While Shahana and Soha have meatier roles to play, their characters lack the depth required for you to relate to them. Kritika Kamra, as Dolly, is perhaps the only character you can somewhat relate to due to her natural annoyance with her in-laws and family members. The standout performances are given by Juhi Chawla and Ayesha Jhulka.

Cinematography

Hush Hush is set in the posh Golf Course Road of Gurgaon, where the rich, powerful, and mighty of India reside. The affluence and influence of the characters and the starkness of violence in the middle of it sets up the shock beautifully. The show's packaging and treatment remind us of similar stories like 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Pretty Little Liars' but falls short due to too much family drama and peripheral plots that overshadow the central story.

Direction

The direction of Hush Hush is unsure of what it wants to be or what it wants to say. It is, at times, a commentary on the powerful and corrupt in India and, at other times, a mirror of the depravity in the country's ultra-rich. And at its core, it is also a whodunnit. The show can't multitask, and when it tries to play up one aspect, another suffers. Whole threads and subplots are abandoned for episodes, characters are introduced without context, and characters behave out of character a little too often and conveniently.

Overall Verdict

Hush Hush starts on a mysterious note that sustains our curiosity for the first few episodes but veers off in different directions aimlessly. Instead of creating shock and awe, what you get is a predictable template. The performances are lackluster, and the execution is slow, further complicating matters as the show goes into an endless loop of past and present. The plot thickens, presenting several perspectives of a dark crime, but the loose threads don't converge upon a single focal point for some kind of resolution. In parts, Hush Hush does fulfill its initial promise, but only barely. The talent deserved better, and so do we all.

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