With the advent of the concept of Amazon Originals in India, there has been a growing demand for fresh content, that can be the ‘edge-of- the-set’ type; which keeps the viewer enthralled and gasping for that little bit more. The constant ‘what’s going to happen next’ has become a very crucial element in the storytelling of the Amazon Originals. Not only does this bring to the fore, the latent, storytelling talent in Indians, it also opens up avenues for Amazon to invest in Amazon Originals in India.
One of the prime reasons for Amazon to invest in Originals in India is due to the content and stories which are produced in an Indian background with the urban Indian context, thereby creating a strong connect with the target youth audience, which forms the main viewer base of Amazon Originals.Looking ahead and considering the high availability as well as low cost of Internet in India, the viewer base is only set to expand.
The latest stallion from the Amazon Originals stable, who is set to win the race, is a thriller named BREATHE, starring R. Madhavan as the unexpected antagonist who is racing against time to get an organ donor for his son, who is suffering from a terminal disease, and Amit Sadh, the protagonist cop with a keen gut instinct, who is piecing the jigsaw together rapidly to prevent the next murder from happening.
The backdrop of this Amazon Original is to spread awareness about organ donation and how one single body can give life to up to eight individuals.
Danny Mascarenhas (R. Madhavan), a football coach, who also runs an academy, is shattered to discover that his son Josh has only a few months to live. On the positive side, if he were to get the lung donation on time, he could actually lead a healthy life. However, Josh is 4th on the organ receiver list and Danny knows that Josh may not survive till the lung is available. As a desolate, single father, Danny now starts plotting ways to get Josh to the top of the organ receiver’s list.
Kabir Sawant (Amit Sadh) is a Senior Inspector with the Mumbai Police, Crime Branch. He is undergoing a divorce with his wife, in the backdrop of the untimely, accidental death of his 7 year old daughter. Unable to cope with the loss of his daughter, Kabir takes up drinking and right through all episodes, he is seen as an eccentric, erratic and occasionally insubordinate with his seniors. However, his single-minded approach towards solving crimes is what keeps him on the force.
On the other side of the plot, Danny realizes that the only way for Josh to get to the top of the organ receiver’s list is by bumping off the potential donors so that the the donations can be expedited, thereby enabling Josh to become no. 1 on the recipient’s list. Using devious means and exploiting the love affair between himself and Josh’s doctor, Dr. Ashwini, Danny procures the list of the donors and starts devising ways and means of murdering the donors.
The meticulous research, planning and preparation that Danny shows before murdering each donor gives you a glimpse into the mind of a genius. And yet, Danny often gets wobbly legs, right at the moment of the actual murder. It is just amazing, what a father’s love for his child can force him to do. Danny is that perfect, cold-blooded murderer, who does not even hesitate to murder the lady he loves, who also happens to be the same doctor who is treating Josh, Dr. Ashwini by pushing her in front of a speeding car, when she discovers that Danny is the one who is murdering the donors and making their deaths appear as natural or accidental deaths.
Kabir is the investigating officer in this case of these deaths and his gut instinct tells him that these are murders. Assisted by his gut instinct, Kabir does manage to narrow down the suspect to Danny. However, once again, with meticulous planning, Danny manages to throw Kabir off track by framing another recipient’s husband as the murder. In fact, Kabir literally coerces the suspect into admitting to the murders.
The cat and mouse game that ensues between Danny and Kabir sets up a very enthralling
sequence of events, and the end of every episode leaves the viewer letting out a ‘Oh damn! It’s
over! Why can’t Friday come sooner!’
In the first episode, there is a scene where Danny is seen pleading with the family of a comatose man, to at least sign up for organ donation so that at least 8 people can get a better life. This exchange between Danny, a helpless father with a dying son and grieving family, blinded by religious beliefs and unwillingness to sign up for organ donation, brings to the fore an underlying issue of religious beliefs and superstitions, which prevent families from signing up as organ donors. Through Danny’s character, Amazon Originals has tried to deliver a very strong message about the importance of organ donation.
Being a father of a 8 year old daughter and personally having witnessed a dozen transplant cases in my life, I can easily say that I complete empathise with Danny and any father who has to go through such a situation. I may not have set about murdering donors in cold blood, However, I would surely do my bit to spread awareness about organ donation and try to bust myths surrounding this very noble act.
Amazon Originals has done well to set the storyline in urban Mumbai, with a middle class, working father as the central character and using his plight to spread awareness about organ donation.
For me, this Amazon Originals is a ‘must watch’ and on a scale of 1 to 5, I would put it at 4.5, with Madhvan and Amit Sadh’s performance in their respective characters as simply marvellous!
So, If you want to chill this weekend at home and spend some quality time, Then logon to Amazon Prime website and watch the Breathe Amazon Prime Original. We are sure you will have a great time watching Breathe just like we had.
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Peace!
