No matter how old we get or where we land up in life, memories of our childhood instantly bring a smile on our faces.
To some of us who were born in the 1980s, when refrigerators and television sets were a luxury, we spent hours playing in the sun or whatever open space was available and lost track of time chatting with friends or engrossed in borrowed story books.
Video's latest Web series Half Pants Full Pants, based on a book by the same name by Anand Suspi, transports us back in time to those carefree days when childhood was all about innocence and curiosity and less about being the next Mark Zuckerberg.
The central character, Anand Subbarao aka Dabba (brought to life on screen by Ashwanth Ashokkumar) is the youngest son of a 'simple, hardworking' railway guard Subbarao (Ashish Vidyarthi) and Sonali Kulkarni.
In each episode, we are introduced to different situations in Anand's daily life and his inimitable ways of dealing with it. From bunking school to make a magnet out of 10 paise coins to betting with his friends so he can save Rs 15 to buy a Mohammed Rafi cassette for his mom on her birthday, Anand surprises us with his unique talent of getting into trouble and then solving it in his own way.
Although his intentions are always almost right, he ends up disappointing either his friends or parents, one way or the other.
Once when his father repeatedly turns down his requests to learn karate and drums, he even ends up leaving his home to join an orchestra band.
What makes Anand's story of misadventures so interesting is the fact that he is optimistic and a dreamer, who doesn't give up so easily.
In the end, when the young boy decides to do something to redeem his image and respect for the sake of his parents, especially his father, we get to see a completely different side to this naughty, but adorable fourth grader.
Half Pants Full Pants starts on a slow pace, but picks up after the first few episodes when you get to know the characters a little better.
The eight-episode series is a nostalgic ode to the decade when we wrote letters to pen pals with Reynolds ball point pens, used a slingshot to aim at fruits and didn't have Google to verify everything our friends or parents told us.
Suspi's story-telling brushes through a decade of nostalgia that some of us and our parents, maybe even grandparents, grew up in without taking a moral stand.
The characters are effortless, lively and lovable.
At the end of it, you fall in love with Anand, his bunch of crazy and cute friends and the mini world around them.
Half Pants Full Pants is a refreshing, memorable, light-hearted series that will instantly warm your heart.
Half Pants Full Pants streams on
We adults often think about our good old childhood days, when we had the freedom to be naughty, and mischievous and get away with it. Don’t we? But now, we can just go back to those memories either by looking at the pictures or watching a movie that reminds us of how childhood looked like. And the new series on Amazon Prime, Half Pants Full Pants, directed by V.K. Prakash and produced by OSL Studios will take you back to those innocent simple days, taking you on the ride of emotions and nostalgia. The 8-episode series has lead characters played by Ashwanth Ashok Kumar, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Sonali Kulkarni. The series is slow, considering the time it is set in but the heartwarming childhood memories make up for it. And here are our thoughts!
So, Half Pants Full Pants is a series based on the book by Anand Suspi, takes you on a mischievous journey of a little boy, Anand Subbarao ( Ashwanth Ashok Kumar) but popularly known as Dabba among friends. The story is set in a small town in South India. Anand Subbarao, the younger son of a Railway Guard played by Ashish Vidyarthi, has a life full of adventures which at times are followed by bigger troubles. The role of Anand’s mother is played by Sonali Kulkarni and he also has an elder brother, Sriram (Kartik Vijan). And like each one of us, even Anand urf Dabba has a best friend Giddi, played by Vansh P Kersekar. The story of Anand is not really a usual one, he has big dreams and he pursues each one of them in their own way. We get to know about Anand’s extraordinary skills of getting himself into trouble just to get famous, in the very first two episodes. The little boy, who believes that his father owns the railways, is approached by two school kids, with 50 paisa coins to turn into magnets by keeping them on the railway track. And that’s when Anand’s business mind starts working, and he starts seeing himself as the “Magnet King.” Well, in no time this dream shatters, but it does not shake Anand’s belief in doing something great and different in life.
Ashish Vidyarthi plays the role of a simple middle-class man who fears to dream big and wants to make Anand exactly like himself. He is supportive as a father but does not approve of Anand’s range of interests. From wanting to become like Bruce Lee to wanting to pursue drumming as a profession, Dabba’s horizons just get vast with time in the 8-episode series Half Pants Full Pants. The 7-year-old boy’s journey from wearing half pants to finally having a day, when his mother makes him a pair of “full pants” is deeply inspiring and shows that no dream is small. In the course of this journey, Anand makes many mistakes, disappoints his parents, and flees away from home, but the intention of doing something for himself and making his parent proud remains intact. And this pure intention pays off well by the end of the series.
Talking about the characters, Ashwanth Ashok Kumar is endearing and charming in his character as Dabba. He convinces you with his acting and does justice to what the role demands. His puppy face melts your heart and in the blink of an eye, makes you forget everything naughty that he is capable of. Ashish Vidyarthi as a father is exceptional and brings nothing except perfection to the role. Sonali Kulkarni has enough screen presence, but she is mostly the silent spectator of Anand’s mischiefs and confrontations with his father. However, she has done justice to the demands of her role. Other supporting kids in the series are just being themselves and are effortless in their acting. Not a moment where they disappoint you or deviate from their characters.
From direction to background score, Half Pants Full Pants is mediocre in its making. There are moments where the story seems to be dragged a little and might take away your attention. Since it is based on a book, the makers have tried to incorporate the little nuances, which seem to unnecessarily stretch the plot.
In my opinion, Half Pants Full Pants could rather be justified as a movie instead of an 8-episode series, of 30 minutes each. An undeniable fact is that in today’s time, we do prefer longer series only if the storyline demands so. We dedicate our time to series that have a plot with depth, there are character developments, and so on. But for a simple story that revolves around a little boy, with the sole purpose to give you a message, “Never stop dreaming,” could have been delivered with a movie. The performance by the actors is impressive, and the fact it can reconnect you with childhood memories is why I recommend you give the series a try! It is streaming on
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