Review of the Pill web series – A hard-hitting show about corruption in the pharmaceutical industry

Medical and courtroom dramas have their own inimitable charm. They almost always make for gripping entertainment and director Rajkumar Gupta’s new web series titled Pill is no exception. This new show, starring Riteish Deshmukh, contains some hard-hitting revelations about the pharmaceutical industry and the way big corporations exploit their underprivileged consumers. It presents a world quite similar to Rajkumar Gupta’s previous works – Raid, No One Killed Jessica and Aamir – so it’s no surprise that Pill offers such a gripping drama.

Set in Delhi and Punjab, the story revolves around the pharmaceutical company Forever Cure. The company is owned by Brahma Gill (Pavan Malhotra), who will stop at nothing to make his company the largest pharmaceutical brand in India and the world. In his ambition, Gill’s company launches diabetes, antibiotics and cancer drugs in the Indian market without proper testing. His greed-driven escapades are thwarted by the sincere efforts of Dr. Prakash Chouhan (Riteish Deshmukh) and his team at the Medical Authority of India. The series depicts the fight of an honest doctor against a corrupt corporation and its exploitation of the drug manufacturing and distribution system.

Rajkumar Gupta’s films have always struck a balance between social relevance and entertainment. His OTT debut Pill follows the same trend. This show sheds light on some hard truths about commercial drugs and drug consumption. Big pharma companies have both a social and health responsibility while manufacturing and marketing their drugs. Sometimes, some companies stumble with their protocols, which can ultimately affect the health and lives of the patients taking the drugs. Pill sheds light on the difficulties of this system with maturity and profound insights.

The show’s main characters, Prakash (Riteish), Gursimran (Anshul Chauhan) and Noor (Akshat Chauhan), fight the good fight against corruption and fraud. Another strength of the show is the theme that people fight problems only when they are affected by them. Noor, an aspiring journalist, takes up the fight against Forever Cure because his mother died while being treated with Forever Cure’s antibiotics. The idea that it’s not our problem until it affects us is the emotional drive of this show.

The performances of the entire cast are top notch. Riteish Deshmukh leads with his naive yet serious character. His performance is a testament to Riteish’s versatility as an actor. His scenes with Baharul Islam, who plays Dr. Basudev, are a tour de force. Pavan Malhotra is also at his best as the antagonist. Anshul Chauhan, Kunj Anand and Akshat Chauhan deliver fantastic performances. The writing team led by Parveez Shaikh and Jaideep Yadav also deserves a mention for their ability to research and portray the real life truth with utmost honesty.

Pill, now streaming on Jio Cinema, is worth watching. The suspenseful sections, especially those involving the Supreme Court, seem a little convenient, but even then, this series manages to be thought-provoking and engaging in equal measure.