Category: Hindi Webseries Reviews

It has become common for every web series to have a political background, case in point being Sacred Games, the two seasons of Family Man, Paatal Lok and others. Grahan is no different. The series is inspired by the novel Chaurasi written by Satya Vyas. The story traverses two timelines which are set three decades from each other but there is a commonality which binds these two timelines. The eight – episode series packs in many things but still makes a huge impact on the viewer’s mind. The major credit for that goes to director Rajan Chandel and the cast.

Zoya Hussain plays the righteous IPS officer Amrita Singh. Amrita is someone who strongly believes in using her position for betterment of society. She lives with her father in Ranchi played by Pavan Malhotra. Her father Rishi alias Gurusevak wants Amrita to move to Canada with her fiance Karthik( Nandish Sandu). When she tries to solve a case of a honest journalist Amrita is rebuked by top politicians who try to influence her. Tired of all these things she decides to resign from her job. However things take a turn when on old case regarding the Sikh riots in a place called Bokaro comes up. Amrita is asked to take charge of the reinvestigation of that particular incident. Amrita is more than happy to take it up but her world comes crashing down when she finds that her father Gurusevak is the prime suspect in the case.

What follows is a tough battle where Amrita finds herself at the crossroads. She starts questioning her own identity and feels that her entire life is a lie. Her father on the other hand stays silent as Amrita faces the dilemma of whether her father was really a criminal. The other timeline of the story is the love track of Gurusevak when he was young and Manu. These two parts have been played by newcomers Anshuman Pushlar and Wamiqa Gabbi. This is set in the 80’s. They meet in an unlikely sitiuation in Bokaro and fall in love. But the assassination of Indira Gandhi creates an unexpected havoc in their lives. People are seeking vengeance and Rishi heads a team of rioters. However the big question is did he really do it or is there more to this entire thing that meets the eye?

The most striking aspect of Grahan is the parallels that it draws between the 1984 Sikh riots and today’s India. It talks about how people can be quickly incited by WhatsApp forwards and political manipulation. There are scenes in the present timeline which effectively communicate how people easily believe in rumours and turn against each other in spite of living with them for a long time. The underlying message is that issues are the same whether it is 1984 or today.

On the surface, Grahan may look like part investigative drama and part love story but there are subtle references to many of burning issues in our country. These include casteism, sexism, poverty etc. There is a scene where a witness refuses to accept a glass of water from a cop, the reason for that is he (the cop) comes from the lower caste. This scene leaves you with a knot in the stomach.

The series is also effective in giving a psychological insight into the mindset of the people who let themselves be influenced by the situation around them. There is a powerful scene where a rioter sheds tears after 30 years while talking about the people that he killed during the riots. He says that he picked up the gun only to feel powerful and goes on to say how wrong he was.

The 80’s love track gives the series some of its most charming moments. Both the newcomers play their parts with conviction. You root for them to have a happy ending which doesn’t happen.

The cinematography of Kamaljeet Singh also deserves a special mention as he is able to capture the period of 80’s perfectly and make it believable for today’s audiences. The background score is also equally effective particularly in the scenes of the riots.

Another major highlight of the show is the father and the daughter equation and the ups and downs that it goes through the entire process. The emotional scenes between Zoya and Pavan Malhotra will definetly strike a chord in your hearts. It also helps that they deliver brilliant performances.

The only slight issue that I had with the show was the editing of some episodes. It could have been tighter. Also there are certain subplots that take time to unravel.

Grahan is a story with many emotions. Watch it particularly for the sensitive handling of the subject matter.

For those who haven’t seen the first season the plot is about Srikant Tiwari who lives a double life. On one hand he appears to be a regular middle- class man who works in a government office pushing files for a living but he is actually an agent at the threat analysis and Surveillance cell (TASC). Srikant’s job consists of going after terrorists and looking for clues while bombs are being defused by the experts. The terrorists here are a bunch of people with links to ISIS and Pakistan. The job of Srikant and his team is to uncover the plot and make sure that the plans of the extremists don’t work.

While all this going on there is also the track of Srikant’s family life crumbling. His wife played by Priyamani is on the brink of an affair. His daughter on the other hand is covering up for a boy who’s is pushing pills in their class. To top it the son is a little brat of his own.

What made this plot work was the treatment of the director duo Raj and DK. This can be particularly seen in how they handled the main character. While we are used to seeing spys as larger than life characters Raj and Dk gave a different spin to this character. Some of the best scenes in the series involve Srikant juggling between his personal and professional life. This juggling act makes the character of Srikanth and his world more relatable.

The series also worked for the jugalbandi of Manoj Bajpai and Sharib Hashmi who plays Srikant’s trusted aid. The friendship that the characters share appeared very real thanks to both the actors. Every scene that both of them appeared brings a smile to your face.

The series also deserved appreciation for how it dealt with some of the issues affecting our country. Yes, the treatment could have been better at places but both Raj and DK deserve appreciation for what they have done.

For example there are scenes where we see the Muslim students being rounded up by the policemen for no fault of theirs. You also have videos of mob lynching that are circulated among the students.

You also have a segment on Kashmir when Srikant gets transferred to that place. There is a scene where Gul Panang’s character talks about how common people are the worst effected in the crossfire between Indian army and militants. She almost suggests that there is no difference between army and militants in this matter. Not surprisingly these dialogues didn’t go down too well with the RSS.

Last but not the least, the series gave the opportunity for Manoj Bajpai to lead from the front which is something that we don’t see in commercial Hindi films.

As a result of all these factors the second season has become one of the most awaited web series of this year. Family Man Season 2 was supposed to release in February but it is releasing now due to the controversy that Abbas Ali Zafar’s Tandav faced.

From the trailer of the second season it is very evident that Srikanth is still juggling between his dual duty of being a middle class family man and world class spy. There are witty one liners delivered by Manoj and the camaraderie between him and Sharib Hashmi looks crackling just like the first season.

The thing which I am looking forward most is watching Samantha. It looks like an edgy character with grey shades. Given the talent that Samantha has we can look forward for a powerful performance.

There has also been some controversy regarding Samantha’s character as some people feel that her character of LTTE militant has been shown in an objectionable manner. However, it wouldn’t be appropriate to judge the character based on the teaser. Raj and DK are sensitive directors and in all probability they would have dealt with the story in a responsible way. 

It is quite easy to see why director Abbas Ali Zafar’s Tandav has irked the BJP government and the bhakts. This nine episode series portrays many of today’s issues starting from the farmers protest to fake encounters. In the very beginning there is a scene where we see police officers killing three people in a fake encounter. You also have a Muslim youth who is arrested the next day for participating in the farmers protest. There is also the whole angle of JNU, though in the show it has been replaced as VNU for obvious reasons. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub’s character as the idealistic student leader is clearly inspired from Kanhaiya Kumar. Tandav is Abbas Ali Zafar’s boldest work to date. Yes there are times where the show slackens but it still deserves a watch.

The plot of Tandav runs along two tracks simultaneously. On one side of the coin you have Saif Ali Khan’s Samar Pratap Singh. Samar is a popular politician in the country’s biggest political party JLD. Samar is tired with the senior players running the party. He is particularly vexed with his father Devki Nandan played by Tigmanshu Dhulia in an extended cameo. Devki Nandan is about to have his new term as India’s Prime Minister. It is a turn that Samar isn’t too happy about as he believes that he deserves the Prime Minister’s position. Writer Gaurav Solanki adds a Shakespearean touch to the storyline. Sara Jane Dias plays Samar’s wife and Sunil Grover is the faithful aide Grupal. Dimple Kapadia plays Devki Nandan’s mistress and an important member of the party. At the end of the first episode Samar poisons his father to fulfill his ambition of becoming the next Prime Minister. However he doesn’t end up becoming the Prime minister due to a huge turn of events.

On the other side of the coin you have the character by the name of Shiva who epitomizes idealistic values. Shiva and his fellow mates capture the attention of the media when they bring the farmers protests to their attention in order to save a fellow student (a Muslim) from illegal confinement. Shiva is a UPSC aspirant but he doesn’t know that his destiny is going to change in a big way. He is pushed into college politics after persuasion from his friends. Another important member of this gang is Sana Mir played by Kritika Kamra. Sana comes with her own baggages which include an affair with college professor Jigar played by Dino Morea. What follows is a potent mix of Shakespeare and politics which keep you engaged.

The best thing about the show is how the writer integrates so many issues that are bothering our country. Yes, there is a downside to that as well but writer Gaurav Solanki deserves kudos for how he ties all the issues together.  

A.R Rahman’s popular Yuva anthem from Mani Ratnam’s film has been used smartly by the director. The anthem is used at the right moment and it arouses in you anguish at the current state of politics.

The interactions of Samar and his aide Grupal is a major highlight of the show. There is a scene where Samar asks him whether he ever feels guilty about the things he does. Grupal replies by saying that he erases his guilt by feeding his cat. He further adds that after eating the cat sleeps on his lap and he feels at peace with himself, a very symbolic comment on our many so called ‘philanthropists’.

The Shakespeare an angle has also been well used by the director. The scenes of Saif hallucinating about his dead father are used to convey Samar’s guilt and show that he is also a human being with emotions.

Where the show falters though is the treatment of certain subplots and certain characterizations. For example the whole track of the mystery caller who gives information to Dimple Kapadia’s character isn’t properly etched. The character of Saif’s wife also needed to be better.

In this huge ensemble the actors who stand out are Sunil Grover, Dimple Kapadia and Saif Ali Khan. Known for his comic image Sunil Grover does a complete U Turn here. He is first rate in his portrayal of a powerful henchman. After Omkara Saif Ali Khan impresses yet again in another negative role. The actor blends well in the setting without overpowering it. Dimple Kapadia is also very impressive in all the scenes that she is in. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub fits the character perfectly and proves to be a good counterpart to the selfish character of Saif. On the whole Tandav is an inside look of how Indian politics works and about the different players involved in it.