'First Act' web series review: Amol Gupte and Deepa Bhatia's docu-series shows acting is no child's play

Cast: Darsheel Safary, Jugal Hansraj, Sarika

Director: Deepa Bhatia

Language: Hindi and English

Amol Gupte adores children, so much so that he revels in grilling them to bring out the gold hidden in their souls and bodies. He did that with Darsheel Safary in Taare Zameen Par, his own son Partho Gupte in Stanley Ka Dabba. And now, we get to see a sea of such innocent faces in Amazon Prime Video’s docu-series First Act. The name is apt, every first is special, especially the first time an aspiring actor faces the camera, and especially if it’s a child.

This series attempts to look at the lives of all the aspiring child actors that have gleam in eyes and hopes in hearts. They don’t have to act, the lines between reality and performance is blurred the moment they begin to speak; it’s the passion that’s doing all the talking. The more they stutter, the more impact their lines have, since the stammering is nothing but a testament to their zeal to do what they have dreamt of. Let their work and not words do the talking.

We also get anecdotes and interviews of their parents, and they are just as important and innocent as their kids. They are amused, but also amazed at their clarity of thought. Cinema is usually a place looked at with disdain, but some households do encourage their teenaged daughters and sons to take the road they wish to. The show is produced, created, and written by Deepa Bhatia, and the sharp cuts and edits in between bring a smile. The moment one story is over, we want to know who’s next, and why this child too wants to be in front of the camera.

But the series isn’t only about outsiders. We get to see Jugal Hansraj, Sarika, and Darsheel Safary talking about the time when they were child artists. Hansraj naughtily confesses he was anything but Masoom, Sarika says life wasn’t easy when she began working so early, and Safary does admit the cult of Taare Zameen Par but also addresses the question about what next he has in store. Uncertainty looms large in this profession, no matter how bolstering your start is.

First Act is heartwarming, so much so that you crave for the success of these tender faces and genuine eyes. But you also wish they retain their innocence when success happens early, if not necessarily easily. It’s not easy to succeed in this profession, but keeping your innocence intact is far more difficult, especially when you bid adieu to your days of growing up. That’s actually your final act.