By Anil Merani: Jio Cinema and Alchemy films have tried to pull out all the stops in their recent medical drama, Doctors, starring Sharad Kelkar and Harleen Sethi.
This ten-episode series delves into the core elements of a classic medical drama, touching on crucial themes such as medical negligence, euthanasia, and drug abuse. It’s a comprehensive exploration that will keep you engaged and intrigued.
The writers (Siddharth P Malhotra) have also focussed on death and fear of death (End-stage cancer), which every doctor and critical illness patients face every other day.
The organ donation and parent of the brain-dead patient track especially moved me. I shudder to think how I would feel if I were the parent and Doctors asking for organ donation. On the flip side, the same organ can save someone else’s life.
I must congratulate the writers for thinking outside the box and making the female lead, Nitya (Harleen), flip for the man Ishaan (Sharad) she hates. Human emotions are never simple. Such an equation will never sell on broadcast TV.
I have been a big buff of international medical thrillers (Code Black and Grey’s Anatomy) and did not find doctors wanting to be in any department. It was as good as any American or K medical drama.
The research team has worked hard to make the show look authentic with medical jargon and procedures.
Doctors is a pure medical drama, unlike most TV series (Dil Mil Gaye, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge), which focus more on romance. It offers a realistic portrayal of hospital life, making you feel connected and empathetic towards the characters and their struggles.
Core GEC audiences never warmed up to the above genre Dhadkan, and its recent sequels were good attempts, yet both were tracanked.
I hope the young audience watches Doctors in droves, supporting this unique attempt at a medical drama. With your support, we can look forward to more such innovative series.
It all boils down to numbers. The success of a series like ‘Doctors’ is often measured by its viewership, which determines its longevity and potential for future seasons.
Still, the makers could have set the services in a govt hospital rather than a five-star hospital. I am also unsure if the practice of unsex locker rooms is prominent in desi hospitals.
Given the noble white coat, I congratulate the team (Producer Jyoti Deshpande and Director Sahir Raza) for avoiding unnecessary nudity and vulgarity. Some of you might get turned off by the constant swearing, but that is real-life hospital talk. You get to hear cuss words in all languages in any medical setup.
Dr Dev, also known as ‘D ‘, stands out as the game changer for Ishaan and Nitya at the very end. Aamir Ali has done a swell job of bringing out the contrasting emotions in this pivotal character, whose actions significantly impact the narrative.
Every resident (Dr Kay) and senior Doctor (Dr Abhi) has an issue. The sequel will have lots of angles to play up. I look forward to what happens next in Nahida and Dr Lekha’s life.
PS I know I have reviewed doctors late, but then, as they say, it’s better late than never.
