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Not Fit is a rather clever and succinct euphemism for serial rejections, in the context of the series. If you haven’t already watched the first season of this 10-part mockumentary, you should may be give it a try. Created by Dice Media and available on The Viral Fever’s TVFPlay and YouTube, the series currently stands at about over 1 lakh views for the pilot episode, and a few thousand views for the subsequent episodes.

The protagonist of the series is Neerav Kapoor (played by actor Sudev Nair, who has also finely scripted and directed the series). Neerav or Nero, as he is called, is a struggling (aspiring) actor in the suburbs (almost) of Mumbai who keeps getting rejected at auditions because he is “not fit”. He proclaims that he is an IFS (Indian Film School) graduate and heads an organisation called Models and Actors who are Unemployed, their Society of Individuals, or in short, M.A.U.S.I. — a sort of an agony aunt forum for those who are still trying to make it big in the film industry. If you have already caught on to the drift of it, bear a little, for there’s more.

A few points below the average mark in the common sense and IQ categories, this guy is mostly brawn. He could be a variant of Michael Scott from The Office or Mikesh Chaudhary from Permanent Roommates. We are introduced to him at an audition, where he is ousted by his namesake (the anti-hero of the series if you will). This is what people do in Bombay, Nero tells us, they “step ahead”.

Nero is soon joined by his cousin from Delhi — Robin (Ashish Verma), whom, he tries to constantly mentor and advise (unsolicitedly, of course). Now Robin, as it turns out, is a lot cooler and a little luckier than Nero when it comes to opportunities involving career and women. Needless to say, the ensuing hilarity forms a greater part of the mildly entertaining storyline.

Amid Freudian slips, temper tantrums of girlfriends and the pseudo-intellectual ‘artsy’ folk, there is also an open universe of silly revenges, quid pro quo arrangements, failures and uncertainties. Schadenfreude disguised as concern, jealousy repressed by optimism and stupidity laced with goofy innocent charm stand out well, making us chuckle a little now and then.

A fine line of humour underlining all these themes make it seem refreshingly true and light. For instance, the opening credits of the video ends with the tag line ‘Advanced Acting for Beginners’, which is a hint about what’s coming for the next 15-20 minutes or so. Method actors, the smart alecs who will try to improvise on what the casting director says, those who totally miss the point of auditions — it takes a dig at all those kinds of individuals one would encounter in the world of cinema entrants. The presumption that good-looking folks have it easy in show business is a recurring theme.

There are no elaborate lines or settings unlike what most comic videos are attempting these days. The actors have a large part to play in the execution of the humour element with their delivery and body language. Gagandev Singh Riar as Jubilant/Raunakk is a classic example of this.

We can only guess that those who go through this ordeal will be the strongest empathisers. What could have been a serious documentary has turned out to be a light-hearted and jolly perspective of the harsh realities of show business. Partly an acquired taste, partly for the laughs, you might want to give Not Fit a fair chance. After all, it is a cut above television for the masses.