Newscene starring Navdeep and Bindu Madhavi in the lead roles is out on the noted OTT platform Aha today. Let’s see how it fares.

Story: Set in Rayalaseema’s backdrop, Shiva( Navdeep) is a smart journalist in Madanapalli, who manages the events in and around his village for personal benefit. He is in love with another local journalist Neela(Bindu Madhavi) and cleverly rises the bar while staying in the good books of two local leaders – Nagi Reddy, and Karunakar Reddy. While Shiva’s conscience keeps haunting him frequently, his survival instincts get the better of him. When a new SI enters the town, Shiva’s life takes an unexpected turn, forming the crucial crux of this web drama.

Performances: The lead pair Navdeep and Bindu Madhavi did a fine job. Both talented actors lived up to the expectations and made things believable with their commendable acting.

The six-episode series doesn’t offer easy solutions and looks at multiple layers, and perspectives to every situation – common man, media, cops, and politicians.

As a viewer, you are with the woes of the ordinary folk, and the treatment is quite believable. Be it the elderly man who loses his life with the unavailability of a bus or the farmer who fights for his land illegally occupied by miscreants or the woman who keeps searching for her missing husband, all the elements are captured well.

Alongside the lead cast, it’s the supporting cast that holds the show together – Nanda Gopal, Katta Anthony, and Shelly Nabu Kumar are spectacular in their brief segments. Nalla Sreedhar Reddy, Mahima Srinivas, Venkataramana Ayyagari, and others make an impact with their performances.

Technicalities: Even though there are several events and subplots, the narration doesn’t lose its grip and the director Sri Prawin Kumar adopts an understated approach in his execution part.

Suresh Bobbili is a fine form with the background score, he doesn’t try to overpower the situation and elevates the mood of the series well. The only song in Newsense – a romance track Myneeru Pillagada (sung superbly by Hari Teja) – arrives quite unexpectedly and Navdeep-Bindu Madhavi’s terrific chemistry takes us to a relaxed mood.

Prawin uses Jayasimha’s dialogues to good effect and makes a viewer introspect. Jayasimha, Priyadarshini Ram, and Sri Prawin take care of the basics – the writing, the treatment, and the conviction in the storytelling – the true surprise package is the visualization.

Analysis: Navdeep gets a role with several grey shades and is quite convincing as a small-town journalist. Bindu Madhavi is a naturally ambitious television presenter and her classy costume styling contributes to the overall consequences of the series.

The ego clashes with the natives although the no-nonsense attitude reminds you of the Fahadh Faasil act in Pushpa. To summarize, Newscene is a nail-biting political drama set in a rural atmosphere. The performances of the lead cast and the neatly packed six-episode series create an impact.

Verdict: Nail-biting rural political drama!

Rating: 2.5/5