Bench Life review: A simple, humorous and effective take on the bench culture in the corporate world.

In the Hindi entertainment space, one has seen a variety of shows on corporate life. Such shows tend to be relatable and appeal to a large section of the audience working in the corporate sector in India. A large chunk of these shows, including ‘TVF Pitchers’ and ‘TVF Cubicles’, have been produced by the TVF. In other languages, one has not seen many such shows being churned out in this genre. Therefore, it is quite a delight to see the Telugu entertainment industry coming up with a show like ‘Bench Life’.

In corporate terminology, the bench refers to those employees who have not been assigned a project but continue to be a part of the company and draw a salary. Balu (Vaibhav Reddy), Meenakshi (Ritika Singh) and Ravi (Charan Peri) are three individuals working with a tech firm in Hyderabad who have currently been ‘benched’. Unlike some of their peers, they do not mind being benched at all. While Balu sees it as an opportunity to get into the team of Isha (Aakanksha Singh) and woo her, Meenakshi plans to utilize this free time to realize her dream of becoming a filmmaker. Ravi, who has just been married, has plans to go on a trip to Goa with his friends.

The biggest strength of the show is that it features characters that feel real and are relatable. One can relate to the kind of dreams, expectations and ambitions these characters have. Corporate life could provide you with a well-paying, secure job but it often comes at the cost of your dreams and the time you need to achieve some of your personal goals. Even if you are somebody who is not familiar with the bench culture in the corporate world, you will find the process of discovering it through the show fascinating. The situations in which these characters find themselves in, too, are very relatable.

The show derives its humour from the way these characters navigate their way through bench life. The humour is subtle and very effective. The emotional scenes have been handled well too. The relationship shared between Isha and her father and the kind of strain it goes through could have been highlighted a little more effective through flashback portions that were a little more nuanced. While Balu and Isha’s track has its moments, it could have been culminated in a much more interesting manner.

Vaibhav Reddy delivers a highly memorable performance as Balu. Through his performance, he injects humour in several scenes. Aakanksha Singh is pitch-perfect as Isha. Dr. Rajendra Prasad adds a lot of value to the show through his presence. Ritika Singh brings the vulnerability of Meenakshi to the fore very well. Ravi, as a newly married man who feels supressed, is very good. Nayan Sarika plays the part of a conservative but well-meaning housewife well. Tanikella Bharani leaves a mark as the elderly man who imparts wisdom to Ravi.

Manasa Sharma, who has written and directed this series, comes from an IT background herself. The writer-director seems to have used some of her life experiences and observations into crafting a show which is extremely delightful and entertaining.