‘Postcards’ (2024) Netflix Series Review - A Cross-Cultural Mess

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, a Nigerian film producer, director, actress, and businesswoman, made her filmmaking debut with the 2021 film Namaste Wahala, which, according to Wikipedia, is "a cross-cultural venture of the Nigerian film industry Nollywood and the Indian film industry, Bollywood." I have not seen Namaste Wahala, but Gayle Sequeira's review on Film Companion informs me that "every aspect of the Netflix film is dialed up to 11, giving it the unintentional effect of not just parodying Nollywood and Bollywood movies, but cinema itself," and "the wall-to-wall background score doesn't help. Every moment is underscored by heightened music that tells viewers exactly how they should feel." You can recycle these sentiments for Postcards, too. This cross-cultural venture for the fans of Nollywood and Bollywood has a loud pitch, and it constantly tells us how to feel about it. By the end of its six short and optimistic episodes, I became cynical about the fate of the streaming shows.

Where do I even start? Which issue should I pick first? Perhaps I can start by mentioning what I found to be somewhat admirable about this show. I liked how Bunmi (Sola Sobowale) and her son, Yemi (Tobi Bakre), are used to show two different sides of India. Through Bunmi, we see the rich and the kind side of India, where there are posh hotels and warm doctors. Yemi, on the other hand, experiences the cunning and the rude side of the country, where brokers scam you into buying an overcrowded apartment, and you face bullies at work. Nonetheless, Postcards is covered with good attitudes, so both facets of India are displayed through a compassionate lens. One of Yemi's roommates comments he has friends who want to leave India, but Postcards doesn't delve into the ongoing tensions (these roommates are never seen again in the show).

Postcards instead directs all the hate towards Ronny (Chirag Bajaj), Yemi's co-worker on the movie set. Ronny is one of those irksome characters with a punchable face that is solely there to make us root for the good guy (Yemi, in this case). Why does Ronny actually hate Yemi? There is no solid reason. Postcards, however, offers a nonsensical, one-line explanation regarding Ronny's jealousy of Yemi's talent. If you are an actor feeling insecure by someone like Yemi, then you really are weak and should quit the movie business. Yemi, the dancer, is like an average Instagram reel performer, and in the hands of Bakre, Yemi, the actor, exerts himself to show basic emotions. So when the characters say cheers for the future Bollywood star, you suppress your chuckles.

That explanation regarding Ronny's jealousy is not the only stupid thing here. Zainab (Rahama Sadau; her Hindi is impressive) eventually reveals that she doesn't want kids because of some childhood fear. Where did this fear suddenly come from? It's nothing but Postcards way of pushing a regressive thought: You can't be happily married without children. She also mentions something about how pregnancy would affect her career, but we are never told anything about her profession. What does she do? Where does she work? In the absence of answers to these questions, Zainab's defense becomes insignificant. Zainab sees a text message from Kareena (Lekha Prajapati) on Siddharth's (Rajneesh Duggal) phone and thinks he is being an unfaithful husband. This infidelity point, however, is blithely brushed aside so that the series can move towards happy places.

This whole project reeks of indifference. It feels like something an aspiring/amateur filmmaker would make with his friends to pass the time or hone his/her talents. This is why there is no sense of urgency regarding Bunmi's health complications. Her sickness is turned into an excuse for a reunion, which occurs at a dinner table. Family gatherings have now become a site for dramatic explosion. Postcards follows the same cliché, and it looks very artificial. Characters argue because the script follows an unoriginal formula. Siddharth says he admires Bunmi's confidence, but it seems as if the doctor listened to the voiceover at the beginning of the first episode. His feelings don't come from personal experience because he and Bunmi don't have deep, intimate conversations.

Bunmi's brother, Olumide (Richard Mofe-Damijo), has a miniature Taj Mahal so that we can grasp his love for an old flame is intense. Don't expect subtlety in a show where we see Olumide ignoring a woman during his morning jog because this visual returns later with a tweak to inform us that Olumide has undergone a transformation. This love angle is colored with a lesson about how life goes on. Not everything gets a happy ending. This is another good thing in this show, but it's undermined by other shoddy aspects. Yes, life goes on, and in the sea of mediocrity, a show like Postcards will be lost.

Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times