Shefali Shah & Kirti Kulhari's Medical Drama 'Human' Makes For A Touching Yet Compelling Watch

In the past couple of years of the global pandemic, if nothing else, we realized the importance of healthcare, pharma companies and medical professionals in our lives. We realized the important roles they play in ensuring that we lead healthy lives along with our loved ones.

We also witnessed how some doctors went out of their line of duties and saved lives of millions of people worldwide who were diagnosed with Covid-19.

The medical drama ¡®Human¡¯ shows us a different side of the medical and pharma nexus. While it is a complete work of fiction, it however, makes us ponder and raise certain questions about what's happening around us. It takes us to the dark and unexplored underbelly of medical professionals and pharma companies who are out there to make a quick buck and would do so at the cost of people¡¯s lives.

(Disclaimer: If you haven't watched the show, now is the time to retreat and come back once you are done watching it!)

Human | Hotstar

Set in Bhopal, Shefali Shah plays Dr Gauri Nath, a neurosurgeon and founder of the hospital Manthan. She hires cardiac surgeon Dr Saira Sabharwal and her intentions behind this are revealed much later in the series.

Dr Gauri Nath is the successful doctor in Bhopal but she is dealing with tragedies in her personal life. She lost her family in the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, lost her son to meningitis and is stuck in an unhappy marriage with Pratap (Ram Kapoor). Dr Saira is a closet lesbian and has returned to her hometown to work with Manthan. Amidst their personal turmoil, Dr Saira and Dr Gauri also have to deal with the horrors of an unethical pharma company who is performing illegal drug tests on humans.

Human | Hotstar

The title ¡®Human¡¯ is perhaps the most suited for this series. It deals with complex human emotions attached to human clinical trials and loss of life.

While it is a medical thriller with a lot of twists and turns, it also deals with grief and loss. Shefali Shah as Dr Gauri Nath beautifully expresses and articulates even the smallest of emotions. It is a pleasure to see her onscreen and some of her scenes where she has a breakdown are truly searing.

Her character is layered and you get to see how the layers peel off by the end of the series. Kirti Kulhari, also brings warmth and colours to her character and is a visual delight. Nurse Roma played by Seema Biswas is yet again a character that has many layers to it and is surrounded with mystery. However, we wish we could have seen more of Seema Biswas and that Nurse Roma could have got more screen time. Vishal Jethwa, who plays Mangu, will completely surprise you and throw you off track with his fantastic performance. Sandeep Kulkarni, Aditya Shrivastava and Mohan Agashe have important roles to play. But clearly, the show rests on the shoulders of Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari who have delivered terrific performances in the series.

Human | Hotstar

Written by Mozez Singh and Ishani Banerjee, the series is full of intrigue. Even though at times it gets grim and dark, like most of the medical thrillers since they deal with a lot of disease and death, it is still very much an engaging watch.

The series, however has its flaws. While we have no complaints with Vipul Amrutlal Shah¡¯s direction or Sirsha Ray¡¯s stunning cinematography, the pace could have been a bit fast.

10-episodes of 50 minutes each becomes too heavy to be watched in one go. Since the subject is laden with a lot of heaviness and sordid moments, binge-watching may not be advisable. It is a show that can best be enjoyed if you watch it in parts. We promise you, you would sit till the very end, as you would want to know how the story unfolds.

Word of caution ¨C since this is a medical drama, seeing surgeries and blood that close might be triggering to some. So we advise viewer's discretion.

If we had to sum it up, Human is a gripping and engaging take on medical dramas.