Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu review: A novel idea let down by sloppy storytelling

2.5/5

Story:

Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu chronicles the tale of an unusual friendship between a young boy named Parth and a magical boy named Jugnu in a fictional hill town in India called Bheem Mukteshwar. According to the story, this hill station possesses a Sanjeevni tree that can cure any deadly disease.

Meet Mukhi and Aekam Binjwe respectively play the two main characters, Parth and Jugnu. The cast of the show also includes a few famous actors, such as veteran actress Madhoo as the cool grandmother, Tum Bin fame Priyanshu Chatterjee as Parth's father, Luke Kenny as the vicious villain, and Riva Arora, who plays a supporting role as Parth's school friend, among others.

Review:

The series begins with an animated montage that showcases the folklore of how the Sanjeevni tree came into existence and how the tribal people protect the magical tree to not let it get into the wrong hands. Parth, who is going through a rough phase of his life, suddenly ran into Jugnu, who is the protector of the magical tree and is literally made of fireflies.

Writer Alok Sharma has tried to twist a folk tale and put it in the modern world. Like most of the children's shows, this one also talks about good vs. evil and showcases how a few selfish humans want the elixir of life just for them. Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu is all about how Jugnu and his human friends try their best to save this magical tree from the antagonists.

The cast of the show is fairly decent; however, the characters that they are playing are a little unsettling. Especially Madhoo, who seems too young to be a grandmother.

On the other hand, prominent child actors such as Meet and Aekam have done a great job of showcasing their innocent yet stronger characters, and the unusual bond between them is also a highlight of the series.

The concept of the show is great, yet the slow execution of the story makes it too long and stretchy. However, it could have surely made a good piece of entertainment as a two-hour-long film with crisp writing and better direction, such as the Jackie Shroff starrer Bhoot Unkle. On the other hand, the audience would have also appreciated the content as a TV series, just like other fantasy and mystical shows such as the Dev Joshi-starrer Baal Veer on Sab TV.

Verdict:

Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu is definitely not all bad, as it makes a perfect watch for younger kids. Meanwhile, with good writing and firm execution, it would have also garnered some attention and praise from the grown-ups. Stream the mystical drama series on ZEE5.