Fingertip Season 2 review: How dangers lurk on the Internet and use of technology

Today’s world revolves around social media and technology and with most people owning a smartphone, life has been made so much easier but there are also dangers associated with it. And this is what director Shivakar Srinivasan and writer Rohit have explored in the second season of Zee5’s Fingertip. Touted to be a thriller, the second season, which has eight episodes, stars well-known Tamil actors Prasanna, Regina Cassandra and Aparna Balamurali along with Kanna Ravi, Sharath Ravi and Vinod Kishan. As the series begins we are introduced to psychologist Shruti (Aparna Balamurali) and see her counselling a young girl who is very upset about her boyfriend making a snuff film of theirs and is scared that it would be leaked online. She makes a presentation to the police as well about the dangers that exist in a digital society and how mental illnesses like depression and suicidal tendencies develop as a result of various factors. None of the cops take her presentation seriously except one - ACP Arivazhagan (Prasanna) who tells her he wants to know more about these issues. On the other side, we are introduced to Priya (Regina Cassandra) an actress who is obsessed with her nose and detests it vehemently. Childhood trauma induced because of her nose haunts her even after becoming a successful actor and she is hell-bent on getting rhinoplasty to change it. As the story progresses we are introduced to the other characters like Adinath (Sharath Ravi) who owns a cellphone store, Venkat (Vinoth Kishan) a delivery guy and Naveen (Kanna Ravi) who is into the creation of fake digital content in the world of Deep Fake. So how do all these characters connect in this real world and in the digital space? This is what director Shivakar Srinivasan unravels for us in the seven episodes that follow. When it’s a crime thriller there is always a protagonist, plot twists, red herrings and a villain the audience will like to hate. In Fingertip, given that it’s about the dangers of the technological digital age and the dark web, the villain is not one single person but several and writer Rohit and director Shivakar have created and connected that universe quite efficiently over the web series. As for the red herrings and plot twists, there are not as many as one would like but the style and pace of narration ensures that the audience doesn’t get bored or lose interest with the progression of every episode. There are many nuances of the dangers of digital life the director has also shown us subtly and he sets up the end nicely to segue into a third season of Fingertip. Prasanna, Regina Cassandra, Aparna Balamurali, Sharath Ravi, Kanna Ravi and Vinoth Kishan have essayed their roles well but it’s in the character sketch of some of these actors that the series falters. Sample this: ACP Arivazhagan is a senior cop but when a crime is committed, he is shown to be unable to handle the situation. This doesn’t seem to fit the character of an ACP. Also, Priya, the actress, is said to be suffering from body dysmorphic disorder but the link between this issue and social media has not been well explored. There is more focus on her as an actor and career rather than her mental disorder and how social media is affecting or controlling her everyday life. Given how photo obsessed we are thanks to social media apps, this would have been a great aspect to explore. There are also some cliches that the series clings onto though like a guy rejected in love gets drunk and spews hate on all women; or that psychologists always have a fancy office. While we can nitpick on some aspects of the web series, the fact is that most of the cyber crimes Fingertip shows us is a reflection of what is happening in society today and it makes the audience aware of the dangers that exist on the Internet and use of social media. There are many nuances of the dangers of digital life the director has also shown us like cyber-crime, phishing, trolling, fake content, data breach and identity theft. Watching this interesting and pretty well-made web series, it will definitely make you think the next time you use technology, the Internet and social media. Fingertip season 2 is streaming on Zee5.

Latha Srinivasan is a senior journalist based in Chennai. Her passion is entertainment, travel, and dogs. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.