Netflix, Amazon, Hot Star, and Sony Live have successfully delivered innovative web series with Indian content. The Telugu OTT companies have also tried their hand but have not succeeded so far. In this context, ZEE5 is presenting youthful content as its new web series. The highlight of this series is ‘Pelli Choopulu’ fame Tharun Bhaskar presenting it.
The production of iDream Media, ‘Room No. 54’ is written by Siddharth Goutham and features comedian Krishna Teja and others in the main roles. Popular actors like Priyadarshi and Chitram Srinu have also made guest appearances in this 10-part web series.
As the title denotes the story is set in an engineering college. It focuses on a group of students that stays in a hostel. The story begins with new students opting for Room No. 54 and the hostel warden narrating the stories of 2002 batch students who had stayed in that room.
Each episode narrates one incident in the life of roommates of Room No. 54 - Babai (Krishna Teja), Venkat Rao (Moin), Prasanna (Pawan Ramesh), and Yuvaraj (Krishna Prasad). There are two other girl students – Savatri and Jamuna as well.
It is a pretty regular youthful drama about campus life filled with low-beat jokes and dialogues. It provides occasional laughs. Krishna Teja who appears as a student and aspires to become a filmmaker gets the best lines. His role seems to have been inspired by RGV as he plans erotic films and ghost stories.
“Oka Ammayi Mokalla Varaku Cheera Lepithe Adi Boothu… Ade Mottam Kaallu Kanipinchela Mini-Skirt Veyiste Erotica” is a line mouthed by Krishna Teja is hilarious.
But the series suffers from low-quality production, old-school narration, and dialogue-heavy episodes.
Our Take: “Room No. 54” is much-like “Amrutham” TV series with each episode focussing on simple humorous moments. A couple of episodes have worked out well. But most of them are made in a regular format with dull narration. The performances are decent but the quality and the content are of not today's standards.
Streaming on: ZEE5