A vampire falling in love with a human is a trope we are familiar with—the usual drama of two worlds colliding and two lovers navigating the ups and downs. But Pratim Dasgupta’s hilarious eight-episode web series Tooth Pari: When Love Bites on Netflix takes a fresh bite into the genre, making it a great watch if you are looking for something light this weekend.
The show follows a nervous and lousy dentist Roy’s (Shantanu Maheshwari) love story with a rebellious vampire Rumi (Tanya Maniktala) that sparks during a dental check-up. Yes, vampires too need dentists when they lose one of their canines.
Rumi lives with a group of 30 or so other vampires, far away from the gaze of the human world. Their lair a dingy bar-like setting with red lights and eerie passageways. But they have all the comforts they need. Fresh blood is at their disposal, supplied to them in cartons. And weirdly, it’s a human, who calls himself AD (Adil Hussain), seems to be governing the vampires. Dasgupta’s detailing is impeccable and brings alive before the viewers a world of vampires far different from anything we have ever seen before.
Unlike others in their tribe, Rumi often likes to break the rules and travel up to the human world to hunt. But even the rebellious vampires play by the rules. Their aim isn’t to kill or convert anyone. Just a small bite to quench their blood thirst while their victims lie unconscious, and off they go from the human world.
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A slow love story
The show has plenty of drama and elements that make it a fast-paced narrative. An evil enemy of the vampires, Luna Luka (Revathy), a witch in the human world, adds twists and fire to the screenplay. But opposed to that, a slow love story blossoms between Roy and Rumi, that steals the audience’s heart. This was perhaps even Tanya Maniktala’s best performance since The Suitable Boy.
The two deliver honest and gripping performances. Despite the contrast in their characters, their chemistry is promising from the moment they meet. Even their slow sequences do not take away from the punch the show’s drama delivers, working in tandem. A police officer on the chase, a witch on the hunt — it all blends together seamlessly.
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Tight script, humour
A tight script and crisp sequences with a tinge of humour make the show a success. Even though the plot may not be the newest on the block, this rendition of the human-vampire love story certainly has a newness to it, because of the world created by the writer. Tooth Pari stays true to what we know about vampires so far and explores a side to them we could have never imagined — like how Rumi carries around a vial of blood with herself to parties and pours it for herself in a cup instead of a drink.
Even supporting characters deliver brilliant performances — be it Tillotama Shome who plays Meera, an idiosyncratic vampire or Roy’s helicopter parents played by Rajatava Dutta and Swaroopa Ghosh.
The show has what it takes to provide an entertaining evening. And Tanya Maniktala has really done it this time.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)