Rudraniel Sengupta’s The Beast Within reminds the readers of the acclaimed web series Delhi Crime on more than one occasion, the humanization of the police officer by intermingling the professional and personal lives has a striking resemblance to the Shefali Shah starrer. However, the novel is worth a read specifically for those who like slow burn thrillers taking their own sweet time.
The broad storyline of The Beast Within is set around the investigation of a young girl’s death, she is a domestic worker presumed to have committed suicide. But as Prashanth and his team dig deeper the mystery widens, “there’s more to it than meets the eye”. The investigation dwells into the social and political landscape of the city examining different themes running parallel to the main story.
A strong aspect of the novel is how Rudraniel Sengupta has combined the social aspects with the police procedural. Both go along smoothly never cutting into each other or feeling out of place. Through the death of a young domestic worker the books touches on the social hierarchies and systematic issues. Rudraniel Sengupta’s knowledge of being in journalism previously is very evident in the way he has depicted the different sections of Delhi, whether its the ultra rich or the marginalized.
Mention must also be made of how Rudraniel Sengupta has shown the investigation process, there is nothing flashy or larger than life in the way Prashanth and his team go about the proceedings. There are passages in the novel where the police officers don’t find evidence, its often a slow process connecting all the small dots to find the bigger picture. This gradual unraveling also makes the novel interesting even though the slow burn nature isn’t for all.
As already mentioned the novel intermingles the professional and personal challenges faced by the police while handling tough cases. This juxtaposition has been done well by Rudraniel Sengupta. The readers feel the psychological and emotional toll faced by the men and women. This aspect comes out even more strikingly in the portions where Rudraniel Sengupta talks about the heavy dependence on bureaucracy cooperation
Often times the novel goes into numerous directions focusing on matters other than the case at hand, but the way these diversions condense into something important keeps the readers hooked.
Among the police officers the one who stands out the most is SI Meera. A former wrestler who wants to do real investigation not letting inconsequential things effect, her determination to make a strong difference is very palpable. Its a major highlight of the novel.
The ending of The Beast Within talks about the importance of pursuing justice even if its delayed and not perfect. Unlike the usual novels the writer doesn’t tie up everything, he leaves you with numerous thoughts about the beast within the various structural systems. The word beast in the title doesn’t confine itself to a particular individual but a larger society.
With the advent of OTT, the likes of Shefali Shah, Sushmita Sen, Manisha Koirala, and Sonakshi Sinha got their due.
The advent of OTT platforms has led to a significant change in more ways than one. One of the major changes has been to the narrative style.
Thanks to the longer runtime and long-form format, web shows have more scope for sustained storytelling.
Another major positive change is the space OTT has created for female actors to challenge themselves in mainstream and middle-of-the-road cinema.
With the longer runtime in web series, the actors have more time to build their characters and delve deeper into the nuances, which is often not possible in mainstream films with a limited run time.
They are also breaking the stereotypes of age and conventional roles.
Many female actors, despite talent, have been limited to supporting roles, with minimal scope of showing their acting prowess.
Of course, there have been phases where women-centric films have garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. Some of these include The Dirty Picture (2011), Kahaani (2012), Queen (2014), Neerja (2016), Raazi (2018), etc.
However, the format of a web series offers more scope for the portrayal of powerful characters.
With the advent of OTT space, female actors got their due, especially in the case of Shefali Shah and Manisha Koirala, who have shone in Delhi Crime (2019 and 2022) and Heeramandi (2024) respectively.
Careers of Shefali Shah & Sushmita Sen revived
Shefali Shah in ‘Delhi Crime’. (X)
Among the firsts is the web series Delhi Crime(2019 and 2022), which revived the career of Shefali Shah.
She played the role of a DCP in the Delhi police. DCP Varthika helms the team which investigates the Nirbhaya case and also handles the public anger owing to the heinous crime.
She is a strong-willed officer who is also dealing with a rebellious daughter. The audiences had not seen Shefali previously in this kind of role and she surprised one and all with a rock-solid performance. Shefali Shah further surprised the spectators with her negative role in Human (2021).
Another similar example is Sushmita Sen, known for her glamorous roles, including that of lecturer Miss Chandini in Farah Khan’s masala potboiler Main Hoon Na (2004). While she was presented glamorously, the actor in Sushmita has mostly taken a backseat on the big screen.
Then comes Aarya (2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024) and Taali (2023)—the perfect examples of why Sushmita deserves better roles in mainstream cinema.
In Aarya— a crime thriller, she goes from being a single mother to eventually being sucked into the world of crime.
Taali, on the other hand, was a biopic of the transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant. In both these series, Sushmita was absolutely brilliant.
A realistic portrayal by Huma Qureshi
Huma Qureshi in ‘Maharani’. (X)
Huma Qureshi reinvented herself with the web series Maharani.
She has always been a competent actor starting from the Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) movies. She played important roles in movies like Badlapur (2015) but has never carried a film on her shoulders.
However, in the three seasons of Maharani, Huma showcased her larger bandwidth to play with. Her role of Rani Bharati (based on Rabri Devi) starts as a simple woman who is happy in her domestic life.
She is a school dropout much like the other women in her village. However, her life undergoes a huge change when her husband who is also the Bihar chief minister gets severely injured in a shootout.
From feeling like a fish out of water to becoming a fierce administrator, there is a huge canvas that Huma Qureshi got to play with and the actor absolutely nailed it.
In all three seasons, she got the nuances of the role spot on. She also did a good job of getting her dialect right.
Sonakshi Sinha & her acting prowess
Sonakshi Sinha in ‘Dahaad’. (X)
Then comes Sonakshi Sinha, who has shown that she is here to stay with Dahaad (2023) and Heeramandi (2024).
For a large part of her movie career, Sonakshi has played roles where she is restricted to just a song and dance routine, and being a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued.
These include Rowdy Rathore (2012), R Rajkumar (2013), the Dabbang films (2010, 2012, and 2019) and even the last theatrical release Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
Yes, some of these movies have turned out to be money spinners but a sense of repetitiveness crept in.
However, the two-web series—Dahaad and Heeramandi—showed the actor in a very different light.
In Dahaad, Sonakshi Sinha was seen as a Dalit police officer (Anjali Bhaati).
On more than one occasion, she is insulted because of her gender and caste.
Sonakshi was adequately fierce and managed to capture the grittiness of a determined police officer well.
In Heeramandi, Sonakshi played an archrival to Manisha Koirala’s Mallikajaan; Sonakshi’s Fareedan is as ruthless and emotional as Mallikajaan.
Sonakshi Sinha chewed the scenery and more than held her own opposite the more accomplished Manisha Koirala. Fareedan was an absolute firebrand and Sonakshi did complete justice to her part.
A powerful comeback for Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala in ‘Heeramandi’. (X)
Heeramandi has also given a fresh lease of life to Manisha Koirala’s career.
In the films post her cancer recovery, the actor played a mother to heroes Ranbir Kapoor and Kartik Aryan respectively. There is a little depth in these characters for Manisha to chew into.
However, Heeramandi is a show that will give a major impetus to her second innings.
The role of Mallikajaan is far removed from all her previous roles; she never played a terrifying matriarch before. The body language along with dark shades is a completely new territory.
It is something that the viewers don’t expect from Manish Koirala, but the actor surprised everyone.
She portrayed both dark shades and emotional vulnerability with finesse.
Konkana Sen & Karishma Tanna
Konkona Sen, an actor par excellence, proved her talent over and over again in many shows and films. However, with Killer Soup (2024), the versatile actor proved she could play a negative character with equal finesse.
Konkona did play a negative role in Ek Thi Daayan (2013), but in that movie, she was just one of the three heroines. The Abhishek Chaubey directorial, though, had her as a major pivot.
Karishma Tanna in ‘Scoop’. (X)
In the Killer Soup web series, Konkona Sen played a housewife named Swati Shetty.
Swati dreams of opening a restaurant so she can have an identity of her own. But all she gets in the name of support from her husband are empty promises.
The role of Swati goes from a loving wife to a plotting woman. Konkona pulled off the different moods without fumbles.
Finally coming to the splendid performance of Karishma Tanna in Scoop (2023). The actor, too, has been part of known movies like GrandMasti (2013) and Sanju (2018). In these films, she was a mere glam doll.
But Scoop turned out to be a big game changer as the role was author-backed and Karishma made complete use of it.
In this web show, she played a journalist named Jagruti, who was falsely implicated in the murder of a fellow investigative journalist.
The role comes with many shades, starting as a confident woman who later becomes dejected yet maintains a fighting spirit in the harsh jail atmosphere.
Karishma Tanna was immensely successful in making the viewers root for Jagruti.
This is just a brief peek into how OTT has opened new doors for female actors. Many more women actors from mainstream and middle-of-the-road cinema are likely to join this list in the future.
Richie Mehta makes a scathing commentary on the human ambition of wanting to dominate every aspect of the world and its repercussions.
Poacher (Malayalam)
Main Cast: Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Ankith Madhav
Director: Richie Mehta
Producer: Alia Bhatt and Prerna Singh
Music Director: Andrew Lockington
Cinematography: Johan Huerlin Aidt
Genre: Action Thriller
Episodes: 8
Rating: 4/5
First Published in: Southfirst
Richie Mehta’s Delhi Crime (2019 and 2022) is easily one of the best web series that has come out in the last decade. Both seasons were gripping, not just as an investigative thriller, but the human drama is equally powerful.
Not surprisingly, Shefali Shah got a lot of acclaim for her brilliant performance. The senior actor got a new lease of life with that show.
Now, the director is back with another binge-worthy show. This time around, Richie Mehta focused his lens on the burning issue of poaching (hunting animals illegally) — in this case, the ivory of elephants being smuggled.
The story of Poacher is based on real-life incidents that took place in Kerala.
Through the eight episodes, Richie Mehta makes a scathing commentary on the human ambition of wanting to dominate every aspect of the world and the repercussions of that on wildlife.
Synopsis
At the heart of its story are some determined forest officers led by Mala (Nimisha Sajayan). Mala’s life mission is to ensure that the poachers are apprehended and paid for their crimes.
A still from the series ‘Poacher’. (X)
She has a deep bond with the forest and the wildlife. She is emotionally driven for a reason, which is better understood by watching the web show rather than saying it.
And then, there are Alan (Roshan Mathew) and Neel (Dibyendu Bhattacharya).
These three officers and a few more people lead an extensive investigation from Kerala to Delhi.
The human–animal conflict and the need for wildlife conversation is a critical socio-political issue that concerns the lives of not just animals but also human beings.
Richie Mehta does an amazing job of making the viewers feel empathetic towards the plight of these majestic creatures.
Running parallel to the investigative drama is a much-needed perspective from the animal kingdom. Some scenes showcase the retaliation of animals.
Through these portions, the director makes the viewers contemplate deeply—even those not passionately interested in wildlife about the potential consequences, if the roles were to be reversed.
Many important questions have been raised about the dynamics between humans and animals.
Analysis
Though primarily a Malayalam web series, there are also segments where the actors speak in Hindi, English and a bit of Bengali. But this switch does not hamper the flow thanks to the captivating narration and the brilliant performances.
Nimisha Sajayan in ‘Poacher’. (X)
This is the second web series of this year after Abhishek Chaubey’s Killer Soup, where the characters alternate between different languages. This is indeed a good trend.
Coming back to Poacher, Richie Mehta also does a wonderful job of exploring the intricate world of poaching.
He talks about how poachers are just pawns in the bigger scheme of things and how the bigger evils are the wealthy dealers and the monstrous human beings who want to dominate the food chain.
Poacher is also technically solid, with particular mention of the cinematography of Johan Huerlin. He does a swell job of capturing both the beauty and the terror of the events happening in the forests of Kerala.
Although Poacher is mostly gripping, some of the climatic scenes could have been done with a tighter edit.
The performances across the board are simply fantastic.
Nimisha Sajayan delivers a spectacular performance by effortlessly conveying the grit and turmoil of Mala.
After The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) and Chithha(2023), this is another powerhouse performance from this brilliant actor.
Roshan Mathew works a perfect foil by bringing in some much-needed lightness. He is very effective in bringing out the humour and sensitivity of Alan.
Dibyendu Bhattacharya’s performance is also top-notch. He brings out the hot-headedness of Neel without any hiccups.
The other supportive characters also shine in their respective parts.
Final take
Poacher is a must-watch on many counts. It is easily one of the best web shows you will find this year.
Richie Mehta did it again with a thought-provoking show, and Alia Bhatt consolidated her position as a quality producer.
