The teenage years often bring a raging volcano of confusing emotions, new aspirations, dilemmas, self-doubt, and more. And that's precisely what Prime Video's latest original series, Dil Dosti Dilemma, is trying to tap into. The series features a young woman named Asmara (Anushka Sen) as the protagonist; a typical teenager from a very rich family, whose existence revolves around the validation of her best friends.
She wears trendy clothes, talks trendy, loves to shop and party, and is ashamed of any aspect of her reality that doesn't align with the carefully crafted chic girl personality that has been constructed by Herself. She is embarrassed by her grandparents' obnoxious gifts and can't seem to share her true emotions in front of her equally pretentious friends.
When her mother realizes that Asmara may have grown into an entitled, ungrateful adult who has lost all respect for her roots, she decides to cancel her two-month trip to Canada and send her to her grandmother's house in a small town. as a punishment
Revathi Pillai's character is quite gullible in the show and has a lot of self-esteem issues
What follows is a predictable sequence of events where the spoiled girl struggles to adjust to small town life, only to end up falling in love there. The show evokes stories we've all heard and seen many times. Don't be too surprised if it reminds you of childhood morality tales, because it's just as sugary, if not more so. The occasional screen presence of Shruti Seth, playing Asmara's mother in the series, whose acting skills still seem frozen in time, might remind you of the popular 90s show Shararat, if you an ardent fan like me.
While the show tries to superficially portray the complex emotions that teenagers experience, it barely gets a taste of reality. Everyone is too loving, understanding and accommodating – the series often ends up being like the coming-of-age version of Sooraj Barjatya. It's a world where there's nothing as dark as HBO's Euphoria. In this version of the world of Toyland, a teenager can easily become a moral torchbearer, and adults not only silently follow, but also engage in frenzied celebration of the person. It's as if the show was written by a teenager determined to spread kindness to the world.
Tanvi Azmi plays Anushka Sen's grandmother in Dil Dosti Dilemma
The show tries to touch on teenage relationships when it shows a boy trying to manipulate Asmara's best friend Naina into thinking she likes him, only to use her to get to her father, who is a renowned tennis coach. Even though he feigns interest in her for his ulterior motives and is an expert at gaslighting, the character is still treated in a saccharine manner.
The one thing that stood out about the show was how honestly it tries to show the sense of self-doubt that sows deep within the hearts of teenagers. It captures very well that sweet spot of adolescence where innocence and sinfulness coexist.
Anushka Sen's character keeps lying to her friends about being in Canada while on Tibbri Road
The series, however, shirks where it should show similar care to its other characters, blatantly portraying Hindi speakers as uncool and downright stupid. Vishakha Pandey's character, for example, looks like a fool without any common sense, just because she is from a small town and speaks wrong English words. Similarly, Arjun Berry's character is looked down upon just because he has a rich Hindi vocabulary. He and his language are only teased for a few laughs, none of which ever feel earned.
If you're looking for something that treats the subject with the seriousness and care it deserves, I'd recommend skipping this one. However, if you want something to run in the background while you finish your to-dos or other tasks, you can tune in to this simple series, or maybe if you're interested in a delusional vision of teenage utopia, where happily ever after exists. .
