A few days ago, I mentioned in one of my reviews that Amazon releases very few originals compared to its counterparts. Now, the streaming platform has come up with several new shows and films that I have difficulty picking and choosing.
Hush Hush is the latest Hindi web series on Amazon Prime Video. It is a suspense drama that aims to be emotionally hard-hitting and mysteriously captivating. What intrigued me about Hush Hush was its lead group of actors who are all female, quite an uncommon phenomenon in India.
Furthermore, the series is seven episodes long, translating into five hours. If you are planning on watching this Amazon Prime Original, here’s my Hush Hush review to ease your decision-making process.
Hush Hush Review Summary
Accompanied by a good enough storyline and average mysteries, Hush Hush relies on performances. The show is slow in the first half and gains traction towards the end to enchant you.
Keep reading my review of Hush Hush to learn about the merits and demerits of this Indian series.
Hush Hush Synopsis
Four friends unknowingly become part of a dangerous incident at a lavish party. To survive the mammoth accusations and protect their personal and professional lives, they must stand together and hide the truth. Things get even murkier when a cop sets her foot on their trail.
Directed by Tanuja Chandra, Kopal Naithani, and Ashish Pandey, Hush Hush stars Juhi Chawla (Ishi), Soha Ali Khan (Saiba), Kritika Kamra (Dolly), Shahana Goswami (Zaira), Karishma Tanna (Geeta), and Chaitannya Choudhry (Ranveer) in lead roles.
What Works for Hush Hush?
Storyline
Hush Hush is a tad high on drama in the beginning. But the show makes a great comeback when it turns into a murder mystery with investigations and trepidations making their way into the plot. Despite having heavy emotional fronts and conversational bonhomie, Hush Hush never feels dreary.
The story is able to allure you deeper into the runtime. When a friend is under tremendous pressure, and her honesty is being questioned by everyone, how challenging is it to maintain dignity while talking to others? Moreover, added to the chaos is an event that can shake anyone from within.
With such a demanding plot, Hush Hush needed to master the story, and it does that to a large extent. Yes, there are hiccups that I will mention soon, but they don’t entirely take the show down.
Suspense & Mystery
Interestingly, the buildups generated after the first episode of Hush Hush succeed in creating a sense of curiosity in the viewer’s mind. Though it initially has a snail’s pace, the show enchants you with rising suspense.
As a viewer, you can feel something will come in due time. Eventually, the mystery works well for this Amazon Original series. Credit for the same should also go to the riveting background score.
Writing
Hush Hush’s writing is not hurried. You won’t find unnecessary or forced intrusions in the plot. Everything is well-defined and connected to the crux of the idea. Overall, I won’t call it maturely written, but it is handled in a composed manner.
Just to point out a contrast, several moments could have been accentuated further but were let down by a poor writing setup. However, such instances are not many in number.
Performances
Soha Ali Khan shines in an intricately executed outing as Saiba. Scenes where she is emotionally drenched, hit you hard. Moreover, Soha’s outbursts are tempting in Hush Hush. We are all used to her craftiness in front of the camera, but Khan manages to fascinate us every time she makes an appearance in this series.
Juhi Chawla plays Ishi in Hush Hush. Her motherly hold on other characters is rarely seen these days. The actress’ trademark eye contact adds to the amusement of the viewers. You would find her acing everything flawlessly in the show.
Shahana Goswami brings extreme nuances to the frame and surprises you with her performance. It is not necessarily a character that suits her personality, but Goswami stunningly details Zaira in Hush Hush. I specifically liked her unprompted dialogue delivery combined with delicate expressions.
Karishma Tanna, as Geeta, is probably the best performer after Soha Ali Khan in Hush Hush. She shows her intense, fierce, yet controlled side. Honestly, I haven’t been exposed to Tanna’s recent performances; still, I feel this is the first attempted experiment from the devout actress.
Kritika Kamra plays an overt Punjabi woman in Hush Hush. As Dolly, Kamra infuses much-needed stimulations into the show. Her character is relatable to many Indian women surrounded by psychological walls created by dominating elements of society.
At any cost, I cannot miss mentioning Chaitannya Choudhry, who portrays Ranveer in Hush Hush. He presents a supportive husband who backs his wife come what may. The actor exudes immense confidence through an expressive demeanor.
What Doesn’t Work for Hush Hush?
The Initial Pace
Hush Hush is very slow in the beginning. In other words, it takes a lot of time to set things up. I felt a few things could have been done differently, for example, character introductions. Instead of setting an ominous mood straightaway, the makers could have gone for a mixture of intrigue and allure.
I am saying this because then the pace would not have felt as slow as it did, and we might have got a better first impression of Hush Hush.
Dragged Narration
At times, Hush Hush feels stretched for no reason. The way the police investigation began, I felt its effect would be more, which didn’t happen. Maybe, this had to do with the screenplay that allowed the viewer’s experience to slip.
Predictable
When you are relying heavily on suspense and mystery, it becomes vital to look after the unforeseen probabilities. Unfortunately, I felt it was easy to guess the eventual conclusions of Hush Hush. As the end nears, the story becomes predictable.
It doesn’t mean you won’t find it interesting. For the general audience, the story remains incalculable to a large degree.
Final Word
Hush Hush can be watched; however, there’s nothing out-of-the-box about this Hindi show on Amazon Prime Video. A little bit of crispness was needed to ensure a ballistic presentation. Maybe, the second season will be better.
*The following section contains spoilers.*
FAQs
Hush Hush ending explained.
They have probably tried to create curiosity for the second season of Hush Hush. In the final scenes, we see the hitman (Advait) of Baldev, who ran the trafficking gang, visiting him at his house. They discuss how to blackmail the wealthy clients who used to take advantage of young girls. Moreover, Advait gives Baldev a pen drive containing videos and other proofs of the clients with the girls.
Later, Advait tells him that he has left a gift for the three girls at the same place and asks how they should deal with them. He shows Baldev some pictures of Saiba, Zaira, and Dolly talking to Geeta, the police inspector.
However, Baldev is not impressed by his deductions and tells him that females can never cause him trouble because he is a male.
In the next scene, we are shown the three ladies entering La Opulenza, where another dead body has been found. Radha is dead, and probably, Advait is behind her killing. But the twist in the tale is that we are also shown Meher in a mysterious state.
Jaaved Jaaferi enters the scene as Shantanu, a CBI officer. He has to uncover several mysteries in the second season of Hush Hush.
I feel that Radha is killed by Advait, and Meher has sent the video of Vinayak’s killing to Shantanu. Why would Meher do that? Because she has a temper and is also angry with Zaira’s condescending tone.
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