Rangeen review: Viineet Kumar Siingh leads a drama about male sex work that doesn't know where it's headed
Rangeen, starring Viineet Kumar Siingh and Rajshri Deshpande, is utterly confused about the chaos, danger and apathy that surrounds the lives of gigolos.
In a country where sex-related crimes and sexual repression are at an all-time high, one would expect that a show like Rangeen, now available to watch on Prime Video, would treat the subject of male sex work with some amount of sensitivity and respect. Unfortunately, keeping that expectation put me on the wrong track to begin with, because Rangeen does not know whether to empathise with its protagonist or laugh at him, so as a case study, it attempts both at one go and ends up doing neither.
Vineet Kumar Siingh plays a journalist turned gigolo in Rangeen.
The premise
Rangeen begins with Adarsh (Viineet Kumar Siingh), who runs a local newspaper. He is too busy trying to make ends meet and make sure that things are in place at work to even notice how lonely his wife, Naina (Rajshri Deshpande), feels, even when he is present at home. Then comes the shocking revelation when he catches her with a young gigolo named Sunny (Taaruk Raina). Adarsh loses it, and Naina leaves. His humiliation now drives him to seek what it is that he lacks, and this curiosity leads him to take up the job of a gigolo himself. He wants to experience this and prove that he is no less. If I thought I didn't understand men, maybe the character of Adarsh would be the prime example to prove my point.
None of what Adarsh does next makes sense. It is a series of baffling character choices, none of them attuned to any iota of emotional unrest. One fails to understand Adarsh as he chases the goal of becoming a gigolo, letting his journalism instincts go like it meant nothing to him, and refuses to allow some common sense into him, even when that arrives from the elusive madam, Sitara (Sheeba Chadha), who is running the gigolo business. In the same chain of events, we follow the parallel tracks of Naina as she takes refuge in her parents' house, and that of Sunny, who is revealed to work in a local meat shop.
What doesn't work
Rangeen is a show that is utterly confused about the subject of sex work, one that piles up a series of bizarre situational plot twists and shocks. The scenes that follow after Adarsh ruins and embarrasses his way through the trial session are so clueless and unnecessary in their context- we are seeing a man setting up for his own humiliation. Are we meant to laugh at him then? The writing seems peculiarly rushed and unsupervised, running around in circles and barely aware of the next steps once the central crisis is in place. Look, it says, a man so desperate to prove himself. Hear, as this woman displays her nonchalance and strength to say there is nothing wrong with cheating.
What is most jarring is the comic background score that continuously underlines and sets up the tone of the series in most parts. I could almost hear the disclaimer of a scene ending with the phrase- ‘Thoda halka rakhte hain.’ The show is obsessed with keeping the punchlines light, the observations colourful. Therefore, it forgets the very desire, the primal need that these people crave. Sex is as intimate as anything human there is, but the makers of Rangeen seem to have made up their mind that sex work also includes some provocation that is meant to be seen through a lighter lens. The tonal inconsistency snatches away from any emotional connection with the characters, and we are left with a bunch of foolish people running blindly around the same circle.
Final thoughts
Rangeen has barely any insight into the sexual repression that a country like India deals with. Perhaps it does not want to deal with it in the first place, because nowhere is the psychological inquiry present. The characters speak as if they are joking all the time, speaking like cardboard cutouts and in urgent need of a therapist. Even in Sunny's track, there is a shocking absence of the socio-political dread of belonging to a certain class and community. He seems to be living without any idea of where he is or what his future looks like.
Only Rajshri Deshpande's presence reflects an awareness of the responsibilities of playing a character like Naina. She seems to be working overtime in a show that does not know where to start the dialogue, so she fills the dialogue with her mere presence. Viineet Kumar Siingh seems to be as confused as Adarsh himself, and there's hardly anything to write home about. Even the chain-smoking bit feels misplaced when there is no emotional context. He also has a rather patriarchal undertone to his view of the relationship that magically disappears somewhere along the line. How? Why? Better to ask no questions and dive along, because what's more fun than shaming sex and desire? More than just a vision check, a show like Rangeen needs to open its eyes first.
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’.
A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own.
Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience.
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