Never Have I Ever Review: Teenage Comedy that is totally Rocking the Netflix

Release Date: 27 April 2020
Platform: Netflix
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Teen, Romance
Creators: Lang Fisher, Mindy Kaling
Stars: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani
Plot:
The complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl, inspired by Kaling's childhood.
After a traumatic year, all an Indian-American teen wants is to go from pariah to popular — but friends, family, and feelings won’t make it easy on her.

 

Warning: May Contain Spoilers

 

REVIEW:

"Never Have I Ever" is coming of age comedy about the life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl Devi played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
The show was created by Lang Fisher and Mindy Kaling of The Mindy Project, though she only wrote two of the ten episodes. Never Have I Ever tells the story of a young Indian girl raised in America, Devi, dealing with the recent death of her father as she also navigates the more traditional perils of high school like finding a boyfriend and boosting her popularity.

 

The Story starts with the death of Devi's father and she is paralyzed due to shock but proceeds further after she is back on her feet. The story is very well narrated by John McEnroe (former American tennis player) whose voice can be heard giving his opinion or analyzing the moment as if he is watching the show not just narrating it.

Devi is introduced as a class topper who is also passionate about music (playing Harp) but because her father died while she was playing her harp, she decides to give it a skip. Devi has two best friends, Fabiola and Eleanor with whom she always hangs out (three of them together are called as UN), her competition is with Ben who is also a first bench student in her class and her crush is Paxton who also sits on next desk front of her. Devi lives with her mother Nalini (she is kind of strict and protective) and her cousin Kamala who is pursuing her Ph.D. and her family is planning her marriage.

 

This show is about the struggle of Devi who is trying to deal with her teenage life which gets more complicated as the season progresses. She is always finding herself in bigger problems no matter whats she does and what her actual motive is. The Show is different from other teenage comedies because it's not just showing a regular American teenage girl struggle through school but also that girl is of an Indian origin and the result of two cultures brought together is amazing.

 

In any other show (US TV) if you ever see an Indian girl, she has always been presented as a technical nerd or a religious expert but this show broke some of those stereotypes and delivered a cool girl who is breaking all the boundaries to get popular, have a boyfriend, not afraid to experience sex and get drunk at parties.
The only disappointment here is, Every other Indian character in this show except Devi is continuing the same legacy of stereotypes which Devi is breaking and I just hope that any show like this coming in future to try a different approach. They just need to understand that being Indian is not just about celebrating festivals, praying in the temple, wearing traditional baggage, and arrange marriages, Indians can also be more open and aggressive like Devi.

 

The show effortlessly blends humor with some deeply moving emotional moments, and features love genuinely interesting stories. There are a lot of moments which will make you burst into laughter and also some which can make you cry.

 

This is the first-ever acting credited show for Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (who plays Devi) and she has delivered an outstanding performance and I hope she touches great lengths in her future. This is the best production up to this date from Mindy Kaling, she has done a fantastic job in the development of the actors in their roles. All the other actors have performed well in their roles and are impressive.

 

The timing of the show's arrival is perfect and this might be the reason why it is performing so well. This show is trending as #1 on Netflix within a week of its premiere so it will be a surprise if it is not renewed for the second season.

 

"Never Have I Ever" has hinted for not stereotyping the Indians but still there is a long way to go. But this show just can't be viewed only with the Indian glasses. without any doubt, it is very entertaining and I will recommend you to watch it.

 

Final score: [7.5/10]

 

 

Watch Never Have I Ever only on Netflix @ https://www.netflix.com/title/80179190

 

In case you are interested in watching this series, Here is the trailer for the same: