What Is the Story About?
ZEE5 returns with Season 3 of its successful crime thriller and police procedural series, ‘Abhay’.
Special Task Force officer Abhay Pratap Singh (Kunal Kemmu) has an inherent knack for getting into the minds of hardened criminals, and deciphering their insidious way of thinking. The hawk-eyed police officer zeroes in on the unlikeliest and tiniest of clues to nail murderers and sadists for their gory crimes. Abhay Season 3 sees Abhay tackle new serial-killers and mass murderers. He faces off against an Instagram influencer couple with a penchant for sadistic murders (Divya Agarwal & Tanuj Virwani); a cult leader who preaches and practices death as the only way to deliverance (Vijay Raaz); a chillingly cold-hearted murderer (Rahul Dev); a feral half man-half animal; as also, his own dark past playing tricks on his mind. Blood and gore abound, as Abhay solves grisly crimes over eight, 40-50-minute episodes.
Performances?
Kunal Kemmu brings his A-game to Abhay Season 3. He’s the heart and soul of the show. With each outing of Abhay, he’s achieved newer heights of excellence in his performance. His terse, no-nonsense SSP act is a class apart.
Vijay Raaz makes for a chilling villain this season. The cool, calm and collected outer shell he gives to his Dr Anant barely gives an inkling of the deranged frenzy of ‘Mrityu’ hidden just below the surface. Rahul Dev looks refined and sophisticated even in the role of a sharp-shooting maniac. He’s matured into a fine actor, delivering measured performances with ease.
Divya Agarwal is a tad over-the-top as the unhinged Kahar, who loves torturing innocent souls towards gruesome deaths. Tanuj Virwani is miscast as her reluctant partner-in-crime. Asha Negi doesn’t fit into the manipulative journalist character by any stretch of the imagination. Nidhi Singh is adequate as Abhay’s suspicious junior, Khushbu. Vidya Malvade’s minuscule role hardly gives her opportunity to shine. The rest of the cast lends appropriate support.
Analysis
As each new season of Abhay comes by, it becomes more and more apparent that this ZEE5 crime and police procedural drama shares DNA with the celebrated BBC show ‘Luther’. Just like the titular character of that show, Abhay is able to get into the rotten recesses of the minds of criminals, unravelling their thinking process, intuitively decipher their modus operandi, and so on. However, even though the basic concept of Abhay seems to mimic that of Luther, the Indian show stands apart due to Kunal Kemmu’s inspired performance, the attention to detail throughout the screenplay, and Ken Ghosh‘s sensible direction.
That said, the crimes this season come across as quite straightforward, uncomplicated and undemanding. The writers of Abhay Season 3 have taken the easy way out and created pedestrian, run-of-the-mill crimes that seem like they’ve been written by amateurs. Just as the viewer begins to get drawn in to the gory and grisly goings-on, the crimes seem to resolve themselves, with minimum effort on the part of our swashbuckling hero.
Even before we can get invested in the various characters—poof—along comes a breakthrough; and voila, the criminal is caught or dead. The show thus lacks that certain something that may elevate the proceedings from compelling to enthralling.
Repetitive sequences at various junctures bog down the show, hampering its pace and tautness. Other than that, Abhay 3 is fast-paced and slickly created.
To sum up, Abhay 3 is eminently watchable, mostly because of the characterisation of the protagonist; and Kunal Kemmu’s excellent execution of it.
Music and Other Departments?
The background music of Abhay 3 sets up the story with satisfactory results. It is nothing extraordinary or memorable, but adequate enough to do the job required of it. The editing is fluid and efficient.
Adil Afsar’s cinematography is the star of the show. He’s imbued the season with a palette leached of all colour. Grim, gritty frames make up the entirety of the season. No bright hues butt in to distract from the grisly gruesomeness of the story. Afsar also captures the cluttered claustrophobia of Lucknow with assured camerawork. From time to time, he juxtaposes the starkness of the city against the verdant lushness of the outskirts of the city, lending a breathtaking contrast to the shot constructions.
Writers Sudhanshu Sharma, Deepak Das, Shrinivas Abrol and Shubham Sharma could have done a finer job with the screenplay, to better complement the slick production values and deft execution of it.
Highlights?
Kunal Kemmu’s performance
Attention to detail in Ken Ghosh’s direction
Adil Afsar’s cinematography
Good production values
Drawbacks?
Writing lacks bite
Repetitive scenes bog down the pace
Run-of-the-mill crimes
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, mostly
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, mostly
Abhay 3 Series Review by Binged Bureau
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