The show begins with two people having sex. A small TV set is blaring commentary from a cricket match. The cricket match is taking place live in the stadium. 

Zarina Malik is in the audience. She is the owner of the IPL team called Mumbai Mavericks. The team is playing and we learn that Zarina needs a new financial partner. The future of this team is uncertain. Gujral Group seems to be a major corporate that will be the new partner. 

The guy who is having sex predicts what is going to happen in the match while snorting coke off the naked girl’s back. His prediction is surprisingly accurate as the batsmen gets out immediately. Everyone starts cheering for the next batsmen to come out who’s name is Vayu. Turns out, the man having sex is Vayu. He finishes to the tune of hearing hundreds of fans calling out his name. 

He comes out on the field and hits the first ball for a six. I get that this is supposed to show Vayu as an alpha male, but he just comes across as a douchebag. 

After the match, Meera, a sports journalist is about to interview Vayu. They have history and she is unhappy that she constantly gets assigned to interview him. As she tries to maintain professionalism and ask him questions, he isn’t complying. He gives monosyllabic answers and she immediately wraps up the interview. Once the cameras are off, Vayu asks her if she’s still pissed with him. It seems like he wants forgiveness, etc. But Meera is smart. She knows that he was fucking a cheerleader just before he came out. That he’s had coke. She tells him to grow up. 

Zarina makes an announcement to the team in the boy’s locker room. She has finalised the new co-owner, Gujral Group, and she’s letting the team know that they have nothing to fear. Arvind is another player on the team and he seems to have a romantic vibe with Zarina. Arvind gets a call from someone named Shahana, but he ignores it. 

Gujral Residence

News about Damani, the previous investors of Mumbai Mavericks, exiting and Gujral taking over their stake is airing on prime time. Gujral goes for a run early morning. An ominous woman appears and hands him a phone. On the other side is a man that Gujral recognises, but we don’t know who it is. He addresses him as Bhaisahab. 

Damani and Zarina are ending their relationship on good terms. Damani has gone bankrupt and this is the reason for him divesting his stake in the IPL team. He tells Zarina that Gujral is a good man, like a brother to him. He confirms that Gujral Group is a great partner for Zarina. Zarina feels comforted at his reassurances. 

A wide eyed boy from a village is getting signed to Mumbai Mavericks. He is hesitant to sign the contract. He wants to read it first. But the manager mocks him by saying that he comes from nothing and this contract will earn him more money than he ever imagined. The manager strong arms the boy to sign the contract and tells him to be grateful for what he has. 

The boy is sent to his room in the hotel with a key card. He runs into another team mate while in the elevator who introduces himself as Devender Mishra. Mishra invites the boy to his room but things go south quickly when he discovers that the boy is of low caste. His name is Prashant Kanaujia and that is all Mishra needs to know. He tells Prashant to remember his place and not try to take liberties. Wow! So many douchebags running all over this show. But wait…there’s space for one more!

Zarina gets bad news almost immediately. Gujral group has backed out. Zarina is reeling from shock and trying to figure out ways to do damage control. Gujral gets a call (from Bhaisahab?) and tells the mystery person on the other line that he has made the right choice by backing from the deal. 

As Zarina is coming up with new strategies, we learn that she is an actress by profession. She is supposed to be at a shoot and she tries to cancel the shoot. It’s clear that she is far more passionate about her team than about acting. Her assistant reminds her that this is the only film she is in at this moment. She grudgingly decides to show up at set. 

Meanwhile, at the hotel, Rohini is a team analyst for the Mavericks. She’s super smart (they put glasses on her, so she has to be!) and catches a player trying to hide his injuries. She befriends Prashant and we learn that she is Vayu’s sister. She watches cricket with him and they play a game where they predict what is going to happen next. She is able to predict the next 3 balls and Vayu is impressed. But then he realises that she’s seen the match before and we see some sibling bonding. 

Zarina is at the set sitting in her trailer. She has history with her director Imtiaz, but he’s with a younger blonde girl named Sarah. Imtiaz seems to be trying to help her, but she is pissed with him. However, he tells her that she needs an investor and he knows a guy that just might be interested. He hands her a card and leaves. 

Enter Vikrant. Played by Vivek Oberoi this is the third and possibly biggest douchebag we see in this episode. He is also speaking to Bhaisahab. Zarina is being played but we still don’t know how or why.  

She goes to meet Vikrant since he’s an interested party. With Zarina standing there, Vikrant and his and his wife exchange banter and it is quite creepy. It’s almost as though Vikrant’s wife is pimping her husband, but also they have a weird power dynamic. 

Zarina is having none of it. She wants to get down to business and wants to know why Vikrant hadn’t expressed interest before this moment. She’s smart, she’s trying to figure out if she’s getting played. Vikrant claims that it’s a game that allows him to get a great deal. He wants her to convince Damani to sell his shares at a low price. She refuses his demand not giving in because she doesn’t want to betray Damani. This lasts for exactly one weak dialogue from Vikrant. She relents and asks him to give her 2 hours. Geez, they could have played it out for longer than one dialogue, surely?

Prashant enters the stadium for the first time. His reverence is endearing. You can tell he is scared, but he really loves the game. Vayu is in the audience, watching him as he practices bowling. 

Even though the offer sucks, Damani accepts it. He is very clearly unhappy about it, but it is his only option and they need to move fast. Zarina convinces him that this is the best (read:only) way forward for the Mumbai Mavericks. Also, she explains that Vikrant Dhawan owns the largest sports management agency. So there are other synergies that could work in the Mavericks’ favor. 

The next morning the plan is announced by Dhawan alone. Zarina is no where to be seen. There is something obviously wrong with this picture. A reporter asks about Zarina Malik. In flashback we see that Dhawan first creepily harasses her and then handcuffs Zarina to his balcony. Umm…what a weird ending? Is he expecting to hold her hostage forever? Is he going to assault her?

The first episode of Inside Edge is weak. There are a lot of obvious tropes and gimmicks used to scandalise the audiences, but they hardly seem clever or original. Hopefully, the episodes that follow will be less dramatic and more believable. 

Episode Rating 1/5