BOTTOM LINE
Timepass Campus Thriller
PLATFORM
Amazon MX Player
RUNTIME
5 hours (10 episodes)
What Is the Film About?
Kisha joins Fair High to find her missing sister, Anara, discovering her connection to the secretive Heartbreak Club (THC). She navigates dangerous games and broken hearts, including her own growing feelings for Tavish. Over time, Kisha deals with THC’s chess-like hierarchy, facing threats and betrayals. She eventually unearths the identities of the King and the Queen, who hold the access to THC’s database. Where will Kisha’s quest to find Anara culminate?
Performances
Anushka Sen is an apt fit to be the face of the show in terms of her age, appearance and portrayal, delivering a neat performance as a girl who goes all out to find her sister and loses her way. Prit Kamani continues to prove that he’s a talent worth watching out for, playing a college heartthrob and an insecure lover with restraint. In her brief screen time, Priyamvada Kant is equally convincing.
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Chetan Dhawan is another interesting find from the show, with a deceptive performance that keeps you guessing. Sonya Saamoor is passable within the limited scope of her role, while Siffat Gandhi, Kiara Khantwal, Nihal Shaikh and others are alright in limited roles, driving the story forward effectively.
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Analysis
Kill Dill – The Heartbreak Club (an adaptation of Novoneel Chakraborty’s The Heartbreak Club) is an unusual campus saga where the protagonist (Kisha Sen) will not leave any stone unturned until she finds her missing elder sister (Anara). While it is vaguely influenced by American/European teen dramas that drown themselves in secret societies in campuses, the show has its share of novelty, aspiring to be a heady cocktail of crime, love, friendship and betrayal.
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Every character in the show has an ulterior motive and a dual identity. Kisha, for starters, disappears out of the house without her parents’ knowledge in the pursuit. She gradually finds her feet in a new college (where her sister studied) and its dangerous underground society, THC, which could lead her to Anara. She forges newer friendships and finds love, and her curiosity often gets the better of her.
While Kill Dill may not be consistently riveting, the storytelling is sincere and has conviction. The directors – Glen Barretto and Ankush Mohla – display a sharp understanding of the rebellious spirit, child-like optimism of life and insecurities in relationships of teenage years. The show keeps progressing at a good pace, packed with one event after the other, leading Kisha towards THC and the mystery behind Anara.
Given the newness in exploring underground societies in an Indian setting, it may take a while for a viewer to make sense of its inner workings and the chess-like power hierarchy. The use of chess pieces is a smart move to deepen the intrigue around society. For a dose of familiarity, there’s adequate focus on the romance too, brought alive efficiently by the charismatic lead actors.
Though the suspense, thrills and twists keep the viewer invested, Kisha’s love life is among the brighter spots of the show, highlighting her ambiguities in love and where to draw the line between friendship and romance. While the identities of the characters in THC are intentionally concealed, there could’ve been a greater effort to elaborate on the twisted philosophy behind the society.
At another level, Kill Dill can also be viewed as a cautionary tale in the era of data breaches, where your confidential information can be used against you and the worry of being monitored everywhere haunts you. Beyond the love angle, not all interpersonal relationships have nuance; the show’s core aim is only to be an edge-of-the-seat experience in a campus backdrop, and the attempt is genuine.
For someone with a taste for dark stories set on campuses, Kill Dill is a decent one-time watch and could be your cup of tea. Don’t expect high-quality art, and you won’t be disappointed.
Performances by Others Actors
Shaan’s songs are a breath of fresh air in a generally tense story. The background score (by Sangeet-Siddharth, Dharmik Samani) is decent, keeping the mystery in the ambience alive, though it slightly exaggerates the situations at times. Anubhav Bansal’s cinematography is a major asset to the show. The vibrant colour palette and good choice of locations work in his favour.
Writer Novoneel Chakraborty’s finesse in tackling unconventional thrillers is of good help to the show and helps the storyteller lend a new spin to a campus saga. Sumrit Shahi and Durjoy Dutta’s screenplay does its best to stick to the core purpose behind the story, though there are occasional blips in its momentum. Disha Dey’s production design and the costumes contribute to the authenticity of the backdrop.
Highlights?
Novel story
Decent performances
Engaging screenplay
Drawbacks?
Lacks depth
Occasional blips in momentum
Simplistic portrayal of the secret society
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts
Will You Recommend It?
If you like dark campus stories, go for it
Kill Dill – The Heartbreak Club Series Review by M9
