‘The Lineup’ is a story of poems and poets. It is a story that explores the words behind a poem and the world behind its poets. While it is a story of an aspiring spoken word poet caught between having a stable job and attempting to make it big in the world of poetry, it is also a story of many exciting characters entangled in the world of poetry and dealing with their own personal and professional struggles.
One can say that ‘The Lineup’ is a poem in itself with its share of rhymes, emotions, and glimpses of hope. But what we are sure of is that ‘The Lineup’ is a story that has never been told before. It is a story that will touch your heart. It is the story that resides within each one of us.
The Lineup – Official Trailer
If you are looking for a brand new journey into the world of poetry, if you are looking for something that touches your heart and yet tickles your bones, if you are looking for something new and warm, if you are looking for a web series that speaks to the artist inside you – this 6 episode web series is the perfect binge watch for you!
The Lineup – Second Trailer
Binge Watch The Lineup Web Series on YouTube
(Disclaimer/ Spoiler Alert: Episode descriptions contain spoilers.)
The Lineup – Episode 1 (Backstage)
We find out that Zainab is attending her very first poetry open mic event and meets Shayantan and Anand at the event. Shayantan and Anand are both experienced artists in the poetry circuit.
Zainab is insanely nervous about her first performance but so is Shayantan, only in another timeline. They are both comforted by a warm but riddled conversation with a stranger.
Watch this Episode to know who that stranger is and what are their magic words. This episode takes a deep dive into the world of poetry and comes out with both, Dolphins and Sharks. Watch and find out as we follow the stories of Zainab, Shayantan, and Anand.
The Lineup – Episode 2 (Mic Check)
In this episode, we continue following the journey of the three struggling poets – Shayantan, Anand, and Zainab.
Shayantan makes a life-changing choice between his daytime job at the MNC and his nighttime passion for poetry, as the day’s light wouldn’t stop haunting him and the night’s darkness is sometimes too much to bear.
We follow Zainab dealing with two-fold issues – one is her dysfunctional family and the other is her inability to write. While she has gotten used to the first problem, she reaches out to Anand for some help with the second one.
Oh, and what about Shayantan and Zainab? Well, let’s just say “it’s complicated.” You’ll see.
What will be Shayantan’s choice? Will Zainab be able to write again? How will Anand do as Zainab’s teacher? Watch this emotionally and humorously packed Episode to find out.
The Lineup – Episode 3 (Lights On)
The second episode ends with the introduction of a new character of our story – Srikant Pawar (Pyaar se SP). In this episode, we find out how he affects the journey of Shayantan and Anand. We follow the entangled tale of two struggling poets and a struggling manager. A tale – that will explore layers of hope, trust, betrayal, success, happiness, and wisdom.
In this episode, we once again follow the difficult relationship between Zainab and her mother. A small incident might help you better understand the faults and errors of this complicated mother-daughter dynamic.
But this episode is more than just a journey of three struggling poets. It is more than Shayantan Roy. It is more than Anand Shukla. It is more than Zainab Sheikh. It is about friendship. It is about trust. It is about art. And most importantly, it is about believing in oneself.
If this Episode introduction goes any further, we will end up revealing more than we should. That’s just how this episode leaves you – filled with emotions. So go ahead, watch the episode, and fall in love with it.
And if this episode leaves you filled with emotions like it did to us, you can always turn to us and share your feelings. Reach out to us on Instagram or Facebook.
The Lineup – Episode 4 (Curtain Raiser)
There’s a lot happening in this Episode. There’s a major betrayal. There’s a major heartbreak. There’s a major setback. There’s a major opportunity. There’s a major performance. So on and so forth.
Okay, let’s break it down for you. SP, with his extraterrestrial convincing skills, grabs a major opportunity for his poets. But there also comes an unfortunate twist with it. There’s always a twist, isn’t it? Watch the Episode to know more about this twist and how different characters react to it.
Apart from everything that’s happening in the poetry scene for Shayantan and Anand, we once again follow Zainab and her relationships – with her family and with Shayantan. But this time, it has gotten pretty intense. You will see.
This Episode also introduces another interesting character of our story – Farhaaz Aalam, a popular poet of the community. Sit back, stock up on snacks, and watch how he affects the poetic journey of our beloved Shayantan Roy and Anand Shukla.
The Lineup – Episode 5 (Full House)
The Episode revolves around selection rounds of the biggest Lineup show in the country. Shayantan, Anand, Zainab, and Farhaaz get ready for their performances but are definitely not ready for the surprises that lie ahead of them. You guys remember Farhaaz, right? Don’t worry, you will.
As the story approaches its end, we are now witnessing the final chapters of all the major characters of this story. As the Episode begins, we find Shayantan swimming in self-reflection. He has a life-changing decision to make, a heart to break, and a heart get broken in this episode. Too much, right? Well, get ready for an incredibly intense episode.
We also follow Zainab who has a few bitter and a few sweet experiences ahead of her in this rather multifaceted episode. And then there is Anand, just going with the flow, as always. You’ll see, in this episode, how sometimes he flows too far away.
This is one of the most eventful episodes of the series. Sit tight and watch the magic unfold.
The Lineup – Episode 6 (Showtime)
The previous episode ends with an unbelievable truth bomb dropped by Shayantan and we are all left trying to make sense of it. Is Shayantan not the Khanabdosh he claims to be? Who is he? What was he thinking? Why did he do it?
While we explore the answers to these questions, we also follow SP who is trying every trick up his sleeves to get Shayantan selected in the ultimate Lineup show. But that sounds like an impossible nut to crack, especially after Shayantan’s selection rounds debacle.
As various character arcs approach their end, we start witnessing the beginning of new stories in THE STORY. The story of Shayantan’s growth, the story of Zainab’s acceptance, and the story of Anand’s friendship.
There isn’t a lot happening in this Episode. But there’s a lot to take away from it. We hope that, by the end of it, you find a closure that you may not have expected but one that you will fall in love with.
Thank you for watching. This has been a wonderfully adventurous, beautiful, and satisfying ride. If you genuinely liked our show, please support us by writing a post about it on social media using the hashtag – #TheLineupOnBuddyBits. Don’t forget to tag @BuddyBits on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
The Lineup – Audience Reviews
IMDb Rating: 9/10
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Team Behind The Lineup
Creator/ Producer
Nishit Jariwala
Director
Anushka Parashar
Writer
Utsav Sarkar
Executive Producer
Kuldeep Kushwaha
Cast
Utsav Sarkar as Shayantan Roy
Ayushi Gupta as Zainab Sheikh
Prasad Mali as Anand Shukla
Sumit Sanghamitra as Srikant Pawar aka SP
Ayush Nathani as Makrand Kamble
Komal Chhabria as Zeba Sheikh
Harnam Singh as Farhaaz Aalam
Dev Shah as Manan Patel
Manuj Bhaskar as Farookh Sheikh
Creative Producers
Nishit Jariwala
Utsav Sarkar
Anushka Parashar
Director of Photography
Pradeep Vignavelu
Editor
Rahul Yadav
Original Score Designer
Ankush Gupta
Sound Designer
Aditya Thakkar
2nd Unit Director of Photography
Karan Gurbaxani
Music Album Lyricist, Singer & Composer
Baksheesh Singh
Associate Director
Dave Deohans
1st Assistant Director
Shubham Mandge
Assistant Directors
Dushyant Shendurnikar
Pradeep Kumar Ghosh
Daksh Chhabra
Reuben Cherian
Sohail Khan
Art Director
Anushka Parashar
Costume Stylists
Sakshie Sudhir Limaye
Umme Aiman Scentwala
Colorist
Darshit Gupta
VFX
Rishabh Malhotra
Marketing
Nishit Jariwala