When a Bollywood star went missing, secrets kept hidden by family members started surfacing. “The Fame Game” revolves around the life of a film star, Anamika Anand. Even though, superficially, her life seemed perfect, the reality was far from it. The series has multiple revelations lined up one after the other, from Anamika’s childhood to her son’s identity. At times a little stretched, “The Fame Game” manages to keep you guessing the truth till the very end. The family was full of secrets, and the lack of any ransom demand made the case all the more complicated.
‘The Fame Game’ Season 1: Plot Summary – Who Was Anamika Anand?
Anamika Anand always claimed in her interviews that her life was incredibly uninteresting as she was just like any other mother, daughter, or wife. Her family was perfect, and she was happy in her personal space. The truth was revealed when Anamika disappeared, and the police started investigating the case. The star’s presence created complexities among the people around her. Her presence intimidated her husband and even her daughter. The series oscillates between the past and the present. With every piece of the puzzle found, we get to witness its root from the past.
Anamika’s marriage was a doomed one. It was an arranged marriage; her mother fixed the match. The marriage was fixed to keep Anamika under control after she started sharing a romantic relationship with her co-star, Manish Khanna. Anamika’s husband, Nikhil More, was the nephew of her mother. Anamika always thought of him as a brother, prior to getting forcefully married to him. Anamika’s mother was the one who took every decision for her. Since childhood, it was her mother who forced her into acting and the fame business. The relationship started to strain when Anamika learned that her husband and mother had spent all her hard-earned money to the extent that they had to mortgage their house. She had trusted her family with her finances, but their failure to do so angered her. The greatest tragedy of Anamika’s life was that she could not trust the people around her, even her family. Everyone around her conspired to fool her or extort money from her, and she secretly always wanted to disappear into thin air.
When Anamika went missing the morning after returning home from an award ceremony, the blame game began. The family was trying to cover up the truth to maintain their image in front of the world. As police inspector Shobha started investigating the case, a money-laundering scandal started to emerge. Nikhil, who was the producer of her new film, was paying off his debts from the budget of the film. With a new angle and suspicion, the case started to get all the more interesting.
See More: ‘The Fame Game’ Season 1: Review – Plodding Show Saved By Madhuri Dixit’s Incandescent Presence
Major Spoilers Ahead
Was Madhav Connected To The Anamika Anand Disappearance Case?
Madhav was fanatical about Anamika Anand. What seemed like an innocent fan who wanted attention from the star took an insane turn. In short, Madhav was a deranged orphan who had Anamika’s name tattooed across his back. He did all that he could to have a word or take a picture with her. Anamika learned about his insanity when he wanted to have a word with her inside her van and threatened her with a pair of scissors.
He wanted her to listen to him in silence. Madhav then explained his absurd theory, according to which he was Anamika’s son. He always felt a deep connection with her, and when he studied through magazines and newspaper articles that she was missing in action for six months, he assumed that she was pregnant with Madhav at that time. He was confident that he was the son of Anamika and Manish, whom they decided to get rid of at an orphanage. He had no hate for Anamika, but he did not want her to rekindle her relationship with Manish. Anamika knew that the boy was deranged and that it would be futile to try to reason with him. She agreed with him and later employed men to get hold of the pictures he had taken of Anamika and Manish.
When Anamika went missing, Madhav continued his desperate search for her. In the process, he became good friends with Anamika’s daughter, Amara. Meanwhile, he murdered Billy, the make-up artist, when he learned that Billy was searching for him as he knew about this insane fan of Anamika’s. Later, Madhav conducted a DNA test, but the result was not what he expected. Anamika was not his mother. Amara continued being friends with Madhav; their friendship turned into romance, and Amara made love with a man who had her mother’s name inscribed on his body. Amara felt a sense of pride when she could make her mother’s ardent fan fall in love with her, and Madhav promised to protect their relationship at all cost. Even though Madhav was not directly connected with Anamika’s disappearance, he is capable of murdering people for his perfect ending, and therefore, we can expect him to play an important role in “The Fame Game” Season 2.
‘The Fame Game’ Ending Explained: Who Was Behind Anamika Anand’s Disappearance?
Two months before Anamika disappeared, the family went through a turbulent night. When Anamika and Nikhil discussed their failed marriage and blamed the mother for it, Anamika’s mother spilled the truth. Anamika was pregnant when she married Nikhil. Avi was Anamika and Manish’s son and not Nikhil’s. This made Nikhil furious. He forced himself inside Avi’s room and found him in a compromising position with his boyfriend. When Nikhil assaulted his boyfriend, and when Avi tried to intervene, he started to physically assault him. Nikhil’s anger was uncontrollable; he banged Avi’s head against a table and injured him. Anamika fired a gunshot to calm down the situation. She asked Nikhil to stay away from her children. Anamika decided to keep the truth from Avi.
Shobha identified the person behind the disappearance when she watched Anamika’s films. She noticed how the description of the people who saw her escape and fight a man matched with the action sequence of the film. Shobha concluded that the person behind it was Anamika Anand herself. She had several reasons for going missing. The hype surrounding her disappearance created quite a stir among the audience, which meant that people would buy film tickets to watch her “last” film. Therefore, the success of the film would guarantee a safe future for her children. Other than that, the people of the nation learned about her abusive husband, and he too learned a lesson for his misdeeds. And finally, Anamika did it all for Amara too. Amara wanted to be an actor, and the disappearance would help her get the attention she needed. She created an image of a caring young girl who was innocent and emotional. Amara was the only one who knew that her mother had it all planned. The final plan was for Anamika to return on the day of the premiere and reunite with her fans and family. But when Amara learned that Anamika would blame Madhav for her disappearance, she decided to keep her mother locked inside, forever. She believed that her life was better without the presence of her mother. She was finally close to her dream of becoming a star and had also found love in Madhav.
In the final scene, we witness a desperate Anamika attempt to break through with an iron rod in hand. When the screen went black, we could hear the shutter break, indicating Anamika’s escape and, with it, a chance to renew the series for another season.
“The Fame Game” Season 2 would include the mother-daughter struggle along with the Madhav fiasco.
“The Fame Game” is a 2022 Indian Thriller Television Series streaming on Netflix. With an engaging plot (a few loopholes and loose ends) and an impressive performance from the cast, the series is overall a thrilling experience.
