A crime thriller that centres around an encounter specialist amid a cop underworld saga.
Cast – Angad Bedi, Sikander Kher, Sandeepa Dhar, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Madhurima Roy, Vishwas Kini
Director – Akshay Chaubey
Writers – Apoorva Lakhia, Chintan Gandhi
Plot
Escaping from law and his hometown, Bhaskar Shetty (Bedi) arrives in Mumbai as a little boy.
Helped by his relative and mentor Rama Shetty (Kher), a gangster, he rises on to become a famous or rather notorious encounter specialist.
His greed to make money and name, not only earns him a lot of enemies but also places him in a precarious position with his brother and mentor Rama.
Analysis
The series promises a good pace and a pair of good actors as leads.
Angad Bedi and Sikander Kher have been the USP for this series, the reason I opted for this show and will surely give their fans a heart’s fill.
The story offers nothing new or exciting. It’s a mixture of what we have seen in umpteen underworld and encounter cop films. While it can be considered fairly engaging for its crisp duration, it fails to excite despite its central theme.
But there are many disappointments, lack of novelty value being just one of them.
What could actually have been a saviour, the screenplay and writing, is itself quite a letdown, devoid of any highs, lows, thrills, action or sharp dialogues. The extremely non linear narrative confuses and hinders the flow and mental connect with the story.
Apurva Lakhia who have given us the likes of the ‘Shootout’ series wasn’t able to add zing to the screenplay.
The sorest point is that the production values are extremely poor. Some costumes, extras and sets looked shabby. Noticing wrinkles in the flex sheets masquerading as walls can be a big put-off believe me! And some extras portraying as actors from film industry looked laughable.
I do not know whether to blame the director or the low budgets and the mediocre writing that were thrust upon him.
But if the above mentioned nit picking can be overlooked, the series can be considered mildly engaging and a one time watch for the crime thriller/ underworld saga enthusiasts.
Performances
I believe the actors have given their best in the confines of the writing.
Angad Bedi is a delight to watch in his meatiest role till date. Wish the direction and writing gave him some finer edges to display.
Sikander Kher looks great and adds lot of character to Rama Shetty.
Sandeepa Dhar gives a perfect restrained performance.
Sameer Dharmadhikari’s character looked loud and superfluous.
Vishwas Kini looked impressive with his subtle and toned portrayal.
The series could be recommended for those who relish the encounter cop thrillers or Angad Bedi and Sikander Kher fans.