The Fame Game Review: Madhuri Dixit Plays a Glamorous Part of Herself in This Intriguing Netflix Series

The show's set and costume designers have done an amazing job bringing to life the grandeur one associates with a star like Madhuri.

When life imitates art, it is often seen as foreshadowing. In Netflix’s show The Fame Game, we see the reverse. Starring Madhuri Dixit, Netflix’s The Fame Game is a mystery-thriller in which she plays the role of Anamika, a popular actor who goes missing. What follows is a series of investigations, interrogations and the hunt to find the country’s most revered star. It won’t be wrong to say that Madhuri single-handedly carries The Fame Game on her slender, yet strong shoulders.

While the rest of the cast – including Sanjay Kapoor and Manav Kaul give phenomenal performances, it is Dixit who steals almost every scene with her commendable portrayal of Anamika. The show begins with Anamika standing in front of flashing cameras as she waves to her fans. This is followed by scenes from grand sets where she is seen dancing in traditional ghagra choli and sarees. The show’s set and costume designers have done an amazing job bringing to life the grandeur one associates with a star like Madhuri. What piques our interest, in particular, is just how self-referential and meta the show gets.

In one of the scenes, we see Anamika’s daughter Amo watching a scene from Karan Johar’s Kalank featuring Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt. In another scene, we see a bunch of kids dancing to her popular number Chane Ke Khet Mein in front of Anamika’s car. That’s not all – we also see Manish Khanna (who Anamika has an affair with), referring to her iconic number Maar Daala. 

There are so many references to Madhuri’s songs and films in the show that at times, the lines between Madhuri Dixit – the Bollywood actress and Anamika – the character that Madhuri plays in The Fame Game get blurred. It’s almost as if The Fame Game is an ode to Dixit’s illustrious career. The show’s portrayal of mental health and homosexuality lacks nuance.

The Fame Game tries to address pertinent issues of the present times like mental health awareness and homosexuality but only at the surface level. When one of the pivotal characters in the show attempts suicide or when another character is suffering from bipolar disorder, we barely see the show delving deep into their struggles or psyche. While homosexuality, too, is addressed in The Fame Game, we do not see it being celebrated or even normalised.

While the show is intriguing, it fails to keep the viewers hooked to their screen

The mystery-thriller is a classic whodunit but doesn’t keep the viewer engaged. The cinematography, self-referential and ‘meta’ scenes are the highlights of The Fame Game. The show works well as a tribute to Madhuri Dixit’s illustrious career but misses the mark as a mystery-thriller.

Stars: 3