Brown (Suspense/ Series/ 2026 / Zee5 )
Cast – Karishma Kapoor , Surya Sharma
Screenplay – Diggi Sisodia, Sunayana Kumari, Mayukh Ghosh
Based on a Book – City of Death by Abheek Barua
Director – Abhinay Deo (Delhi Belly Fame)
Rita Brown is an alcoholic cop dealing with a personal loss and psychological trauma .
Arjun Sharma is a sports person turned cop dealing with personal loss.
They come together to investigate a grisly murder amidst politics , pressures, departmental manipulations, setbacks and personal challenges.
I have lost count of the stories based around trauma driven cops laden with emotional baggage . I was left wondering if there are any normal, non-angsty cops left in the writers’ minds.
But Brown manages to hold forte despite this cliche premise due to three main reasons in my opinion (could be in any particular order, as per yours)
A – The Kolkatta backdrop adds character and intrigue.
B- Atmospherics
C – Good performances by Karishma and Surya
Kolkatta ,whenever it appears in a story, becomes a prime element. This time , instead of the festive hustle bustle, a chirpy chaos and colourful canvas , the makers choose to paint a heavy dark one.
Rotting dilapidated buildings and cluttered dark interiors come together to create a vibe that makes you as uncomfortable as its lead antagonists are.
There’s a mystique that the city lends to the story.
The atmospherics created by the cinematography deserve a mention.
I was super happy to see Surya Sharma, aka our Rinku Paaji , in a new avatar . He gives an impressive and measured performance. Would love to see him more in such meaty roles.
Same goes for Karishma. In a very different avatar, with angsty bare faced looks and dark lips of a smoker, she delivers a restrained performance as Rita Brown .
I wish she explores more of such offbeat roles.
Though there was no similarity, I was reminded of Zubaida, which boasted of Karishma’s acting prowess, rarely seen beyond mainstream Bollywood.
Cannot help but make comparison with the recent series “Daldal” where dour faced cop played with flat stiff expressions by Bhumi became the sole sore point of an otherwise well made series. I wish she watches this series to know the range of possible expressions .
On the flip side, the investigation seems flawed at places and sometimes just way too convenient.
There were behaviours and red flags that shouldn’t have been difficult to figure out for seasoned investigators.
Nevertheless, the story remains engaging throughout.
Can be a good watch for fans of dark suspense thrillers , Karishma and Surya Sharma .
The series is worth watching for the two leads.
BHAVNA TALKIES 