Do You Wanna Partner Review: Solid Perfume, Weak Base

Do You Wanna Partner Rating: ~2 / 5 stars

The Do You Wanna Partner show arrives with a fresh concept—female friendship + startup + vein of rebellion in a male-dominated industry—but spends too much time glossing over its potential and too little time digging into what could make it truly memorable.

What the Show Is: Do You Wanna Partner Review

• Two close friends, Shikha (played by Tamannaah Bhatia) and Anahita (played by Diana Penty), decide to launch a craft beer brand in the NCR region.
• They face the usual startup struggles: funding, lack of support, prejudice, missing resources, and entrenched competition.
• To bypass sexism, they invent a fictitious male partner to front the brand. Hijinks, betrayals, entrepreneurial hustle, and friendships are tested.
• The show has 8 episodes (approx. 35–45 minutes each), with familiar arcs—branding, pitch-meetings, sabotage, partnership issues, law/regulation obstacles, romance, and moral dilemmas.

What Works

Performances

• Tamannaah shines as Shikha: she plays the idealistic, headstrong entrepreneur well, giving the character moments of sincerity and frustration.
  • Diana Penty complements her nicely as Anahita, bringing a more measured, structured energy that balances Shikha’s impulsiveness.
  • Supporting cast members save scenes: a quirky actor posing as the fake male boss, and a menacing loan-shark character played with flair.

Friendship Chemistry

• The bond between the two female leads feels genuine in parts. Certain moments—where they argue, support each other, share doubts—land well.
  • The show scores points when it shifts focus from romantic subplots or drama to explore how real friendships survive stress, competition, and failure.

Tone & Production

• It never goes too dark. Despite the stakes, there’s levity, humour, lightness. That makes it a comfortable, easy watch.
  • Visuals, settings, and side characters give the series a polished OTT look: office spaces, marketing meetings, brewery setups feel somewhat believable, even if cliched.

What Doesn’t

Script and Depth

• The writing leans heavily on clichés—almost every problem the protagonists face is predictable. From sexist investors to unsupportive colleagues, licensing issues that require a deus ex machina, to evil rivals who seem cartoonish in their antagonism.
  • Key emotional beats—like the betrayal of Shikha’s father’s legacy, or Anahita’s inner conflict—often feel underexplored. The script rarely lets them breathe or build weight.

Tone without Tension

• Because the show wants to be fun and breezy, many of the very real challenges (gender bias, struggling startup finances, societal prejudice) don’t hit with realism. They are more obstacles on a checklist than lived struggles.
  • As a result, the show sometimes fails to evoke empathy or urgency. When romance or subplots are introduced, they often distract more than enrich.

Character Arcs and Stakes

• The leads evolve less than you’d hope. Shikha, for example, remains largely the fiery dreamer; Anahita the rational supporter. Not much growth beyond those core identities.
  • Supporting roles—villains, love interests—are mostly flat. They don’t surprise or develop.
  • The problems escalate & resolve too easily at times. Issues like funding or brand competition are wrapped up quickly, without realistic friction or losses.

Verdict: Worth It or Skip It?

If you’re in the mood for light OTT fare, something breezy, female-led with startup drama but without heavy emotional investment, Do You Wanna Partner does deliver decent weekend entertainment. Tamannaah and Diana carry the show well, and there are moments of fun, humour, and real friend-chemistry that work.

But if you were expecting sharp writing, deeper arcs, gritty realism, or a show that lingers in your thoughts after episodes, you might come away underwhelmed. It’s not terrible, but it’s not transformative either.

If asked whether to recommend it—yes, but with caveats. Go in expecting froth, not much brew. It entertains for now, but doesn’t chase after lasting impact.