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Clutch Review: A Heartwarming Tale Of Sportsmanship Against The Backdrop Of E-Sports
Available On: Dice Media YouTube Page
Duration: 35 to 38 minutes
No of episodes: 5
Language: Hindi
A scene in Dice Media's series Clutch shows an emotional breakdown of the protagonist Arun who's the coach of an e-sports team at the forefront of the plot. He tells his teammates that they'll never be successful in winning the Indian Pro Gaming League until they keep their fear, ego and a casual approach aside. This crucial scene and the plot after that sets the tone of this engaging show that will take you on a ride of a whirlwind of emotions, sportsmanship, unity and determination.
Story
The plot revolves around Arun (Vishal Vashishtha) a former e-sports champion with the player name Flickshot who left his passion for a dull desk job to make ends meet. However, he goes with his heart to choose his passion and goes on a quest to prepare a team of his own to participate in the Indian Pro Gaming League. However, he soon learns the path for the same is not easy as he has to don the cap of a patient and resilient coach to mentor his teammates.
Direction
The main highlight of Clutch's plotline is that it has a sense of endearing realism to it. The struggle between practicality and passion or the difficulty when it comes to investing emotionally for your team, the experiences of Team Clutch can be felt and lived. The director has etched out all the main aspects of the series beautifully, be it e-sports being undermined as just a mode of recreation and not a career, the struggle between passion and expectations of the family, the toxic environment for female players in e-sports, the ego, anger issues and hyper-competitiveness in the e-sports field, each arena is explored meticulously.
The dialogues especially during the lead protagonist's breakdown in front of his teammates or the teammates looking at how far they've come in the competition sounds endearing. The writing by Sandeep Jain, Abhishek Srivastava, Aditya Khanna and Pranav Tonsekar bring out the subtle nuances in the characters, their inner struggles and frustrations. The fast development of e-sports in India after so many years of being overlooked and the inclusion of blue-collar jobs through this field has also been highlighted in the series. Some of the e-sports jargon used in the series could've however been explained or simplified more to cater to the audience who are not well versed with the dynamics of e-sports.
Performances
Vishal Vashishtha who plays Arun, the coach of Team Clutch is the inevitable guiding anchor of the show. Be it his character's dilemma to choose his heart, his struggle to bind his team together, his breakdown to obstacles or showing his vulnerable side to his family, he's flawless in every frame. Prateek Pachouri effortlessly brings out the rough exterior of his character Raunak. His performance makes his character development extremely endearing.
Saurabh Ghadge is extremely natural as the timid but dedicated Jeetu. His seamless performance gives a human and honest touch to his character who is on a quest to empower his and his family's life through sheer hard work and dedication. Ahsaaa Channa delivers another inorganic act. There is a reason why this actress is acing the OTT sphere so realistically and her performance proves why. Tirth Joisher is very promising and driven in his performance from such a tender age.
Technical Aspects
The gaming and animation detailing are flawless and set the tone of some thrilling and adrenaline pumping e-sports gaming. Brijnandini Jadeja and Anuj Dabral have done a stupendous job when it comes to the nuances of the dynamics of e-sports. The cinematography by Aniruddha Patankar especially in the climax scene of the championship league is visually appealing.
Verdict
Watch this brilliantly done series Clutch to comprehend the impact and growth of e-sports in the country. More so to learn the real meaning of sportsmanship, team spirit and unity. One can also expect an equally impactful season 2 that will trace the further journey of Team Clutch. We give Clutch 4 out of 5 stars.
