Madhuri Dixit starrer The Fame Game marks the mega Bollywood star’s OTT debut. At the time of publishing, the series was trending to number one in India and number 10 on the World Top 10 TV shows to watch on Netflix. The series was created by Sri Rao and produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Production.

The story revolves around Anamika Anand (Madhuri Dixit), a famous and veteran movie star who suddenly goes missing without a trace after returning from an award show. A female cop, ACP Shobha Trivedi (Rajshri Deshpande), is in charge of the investigation. The more she and her team investigate, the more viewers are allowed to see the mind-boggling hidden aspects of her life.

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The series starts showing how picture-perfect her life is, at least from the outside. But, fame is a double-edged sword. It has a dark side which comes with a price. And that’s what the show is all about.

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Anamika Anand lives in her family home with her mother (Suhasini Mulay), husband (Sanjay Kapoor), and two perfect children, son (Lakshvir Saran) and daughter (Muskkaan Jaferi). Her husband, a producer, Nikhil More, has finished shooting his upcoming film with his wife and Manish Khanna (Manav Kaul). Khanna is Anamika’s off-screen ex-lover, but the fans love seeing the duo’s chemistry on-screen. However, a few days before its release, Anamika goes missing.

Manish’s secret is that he’s bipolar. Avi, her son, is a troubled kid who doesn’t get along with his father and keeps inviting trouble. His secret is that he is gay and still figuring out his life while accepting his sexuality. Amu, her daughter, has self-esteem issues but wants to be an actress just like her superstar mom. Anamika Anand’s mother is an extremely controlling maternal figure who keeps everyone under her thumb. She has been dictating everything about her daughter’s life since she was a kid. Add to all of that an obsessed fan who is an orphan, worships Anamika, and manages to become Amu’s confidant during her troubled time.

Anamika, a victim of domestic abuse by her husband, is initially very timid but later turns into this fearless, fierce woman who puts her husband and mom in their place. The series goes between the past and present.

The eight-episode series, 45 minutes long each, slowly and steadily divulges her public life, the secrets of her personal life, all family members, and a few people around them. On an Instagram post, the show’s creator, Sri Rao, posted that he created this show with only the Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit in mind. “My intention was to give her a platform that would do justice to her talent as an actress and introduce her to global audiences to be dazzled by her star power,” Sri Rao wrote.

And that’s what the show does, as Madhuri Dixit is the star of this show. As per the story, the family is held together because of her character, and when she goes missing, they have no clue how to survive.

From Mystery Thriller to Family Drama

All the actors have solid performances, especially the kids. In one heavily-emotional scene, they even have a breakdown which renders them sensitive to touch. Madhuri Dixit is an iconic actor for a reason. She performed the complex role of a superstar and the multiple hats that a woman has to wear brilliantly well. On the downside, the main story is about finding Anamika Anand, and it gets lost in the mix. Every character has a lengthy backstory which makes the show feel dragged. These long backstories can feel like they derail the show.

Though marketed as a mystery thriller, The Fame Game, in reality, comes across as a family drama. The investigation of the case moves at snail speed. There is one particular episode that talks nothing about the case. All individual stories have so much going on but have no conclusive ending, which is confusing at times. Because of this, the story is not gripping enough at times. However, if you’re a Madhuri Dixit fan and reminisce the days when you watched her in smashing hits like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! and Devdas, you will love watching her on-screen.

Where to Watch

The Fame Game was released on February 25, 2022, and is currently streaming on Netflix. The season finale did have a cliffhanger, so there could be another season. A well-known source informed, “Yes, writer Sri Rao who lives in New York, has begun writing season 2 of The Fame Game. The second season of the series will begin shooting in the second half of 2022 and go on air early in 2023.” However, there has been no official announcement from Netflix.