When William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in 1597, little did he know his tale of star-crossed lovers would continue to inspire retellings even centuries later and in far-off lands. With Hoichoi’s latest web series, Talmar Romeo Juliet, director Arpan Garai — under the creative direction of Anirban Bhattacharya — offers an exciting reimagining of the Bard’s tragic romance set in the heart of North Bengal.

In Talmar Romeo Juliet, the streets of Verona are replaced by the rural landscape of Talma, a quaint village in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, where the story unfolds against the backdrop of regional dialects, local customs and the cultural idiosyncrasies of small-town life.

At the centre of the story is the rivalry between Badal Majumder (Kamaleswar Mukhopadhyay) and Liyaqat (Joydeep Mukherjee), who have been nursing a grudge against each other for years. Their enmity influences the younger generation, with Badal’s eldest son Somnath (Anujoy Chattopadhyay) and Liyaqat’s nephew Mostaq (Anirban Bhattacharya) being constantly at odds. In the midst of this feud, Badal's younger son Rana and Liyaqat’s beloved daughter Jahanara fall in love.

But the main plot takes off only halfway through the third episode. The character development and world building in the first two episodes takes up so much time that one might just give up on bingeing.

As the themes of love, hate and societal conflict play out, the focus shifts from the lovers to the more intriguing characters on the fringes of the story. The scene-stealers are Anirban Bhattacharya as Mostaq and Anujoy Chattopadhyay as Somnath. Anujoy’s understated intensity is the perfect foil for Anirban’s screen presence, making their clash a highlight of the series.

The supporting cast is equally competent. Ujaan Chatterjee and Shiladitya Chatterjee as Rana’s friends Papai and Deep, respectively, and Buddhadev Das as Mostaq’s wingman Siddiqui inject humour into the narrative. Durbar Sharma, who has penned the dialogues and screenplay for the series, also wins hearts as Somnath’s bosom buddy Tapan. Debdutta Raha and Hiya Roy’s performances as the star-crossed lovers feel heartfelt.

Visually, Talmar Romeo Juliet is a treat to the senses. The cinematography by Soumik Halder drenches the screen in saturated colours, heightening the emotional stakes while immersing viewers in the lush, verdant beauty of rural Bengal. The landscape becomes a character in its own right.

Debraj Bhattacharya’s soundtrack is already making waves on social media, with songs like Bhalobasha Jaari Achhe capturing the wistfulness of forbidden love, and Laal Rong celebrating the vibrancy of rural festivities. What sets Talmar Romeo Juliet apart is its commitment to capturing the essence of North Bengal’s cultural idiosyncrasies. And every episode titled after classic Bengali films or iconic song lyrics is a delightful nod to mainstream Bengali cinema.

However, the aesthetic occasionally feels derivative of Anirban’s earlier works like Mandaar and Atthoi. There’s an overreliance on violence and gritty visuals that, while effective in creating atmosphere, tend to overshadow the tender moments.