The Final Call Review – An Edge Of The Seat Experience
by Paresh B. Mehta
Get set for an edge-of-the-seat thrills with the series of THE FINAL CALL, a ZEE5 Original that is based on Priya Kumar’s book ‘I will go with you‘.
Amidst the chattering of the passengers in an aircraft, while someone is heard cribbing about the services offered in an economy class, the air hostess instructs the passengers to strap up their seat belts… There is a sudden jolt and one of the wings of the plane is on fire. Flight SL502 is about to crash! This is just one of the several unexpected twists and turns in the story. Click here to check out this thrilling series and explore those twists yourself.
Let’s begin with the highlights of this ZEE5 Original – the imposing background score, breathtaking visuals of the Kashmir valley, the in-depth depiction of the Air Traffic Control in the busiest airport of India, and the realistic portrayal of the Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols followed in case of emergency situations. Everything is simply perfect.
Produced by Ajay G Rai, Creative Producer Nishikant Kamat, and written and directed by Vijay Lalwani, The Final Call manages to keep you engrossed in an edge of the seat experience barring a few dull and monotonous moments depicting the childhood and the past of the central characters.
In the series, Arjun Rampal as Captain Karan Sachdev realizes the futility of an armed service person’s life. Regretting his strike at the terror camps which also took several civilian’s lives, he feels that the superiors treated him as a weapon rather than an individual asset.
Javed Jaffrey as the multi-millionaire businessman Siddharth Singhania learns the motive of his life. Neeraj Kabi as Krishnamurthy the astrologer pointed has predicted his end during the non-stop Mumbai –Sydney Flight.
Sakshi Tanwar as ATC Kiran Mirza is impressive during most of the moments. She portrays the true spirit of a woman who is wholeheartedly dedicated to her job.
While the scene-stealers are Anupriya Goenka as air hostess Parineeta and Vipin Sharma as Kale, the Head of ATS – the Anti-Terrorist Squad, it is Arjun Rampal and Neeraj Kabi that almost carry the story forward in the series.
While the series follows the back and forth narrative with regards to establishing the past of the pivotal characters work in favour of the Captain’s and the ATC’s Mirza’s past, Krishnamurthy and the criminal also get enough focus. It is only some times that other characters like Dhruv and Sarah hamper the pace of this otherwise tight thriller.
Other interesting aspects in the series are those tense moments of one-upmanship between the heads of the ATC and the ATS. It gives us an insight into the mindset of those actually performing their duties vis a vis those under the influence of their higher-ups and the ministry.
Coming to the technical aspects, The series is a visual treat to watch the scenery in Kashmir. The background score is the single most important aspect of this story. A special mention goes to Sakshi Tanwar whose character maintains her cool during several moments of this series.
While its first season began with a big bang, the final season sufficiently manages to keep you enthralled with its back and forth narration. To know what the critics have to say about The Final Call, click here.
