Celebration of childhood of yore

Half Pants Full Pants

Hindi (Amazon Prime Video)

Director: VK Prakash.

Cast: Sonali Kulkarni, Ashish Vidyarthi, Ashwnath Ashokkumar and Vansh P Keserkar

Rating: 3.5/5

At a time when OTT platforms are crowded with endless thrillers, over-the-top sci-fi adventures and mindless horror capers, ‘Half Pants Full Pants’ literally comes as a breath of fresh air and its old-school charm embraces you like a warm blanket on a chilly night.

Based on an autobiography of the same name by the Delhi-based Kannadiga ad-man Anand Suspi, the series is an ode to the children of the 70s, when Bitcoins and internet were yet to unleash unimaginable havoc.

Set in the decade when a five paise coin was worth a Paris chocolate, ‘Gud Bud’ ice cream the choicest flavour and the sole source of entertainment, the black and white Solidaire television set, the web series celebrates childhood of yore. It captures the escapades of an ambitious school boy, Anand, fondly called Dabba, and his friend Giddi.

Each episode is a parable of Dabba’s mission of misadventures which inevitably boomerangs much to the annoyance of his strict parents. Be it his fallacy that 10 paise coins can be turned into a magnet by keeping them on a railway track or his obsession with Bruce Lee.

The writing is painstakingly detailed but not pedantic while the pace unhurried, keeping with the timeline of the story. The child artistes are the lifeline of the series and each one of them, Ashwnath Ashokkumar in particular as Dabba, are adorable.

It may remind you of Shankar Nag’s ‘Malgudi Days’ based on R K Narayan’s classic. But any comparison will ruin the fun. Watch this series as if you are a seven-year-old or you will miss the magic.