What Is the Story About?
Prime Video’s new series ‘Dahaad’ is a serial-killer crime drama, set in the backdrop of small-town Rajasthan. When Mandawa police investigate the case of a high-caste Thakur girl who has eloped with a Muslim boy, it sets off a chain of revelations of women gone missing, all of whom seem to have eloped with their lovers. Soon, Mandawa cops Anjali Bhaati (Sonakshi Sinha), Devi Singh (Gulshan Devaiah), and Kailash Parghi (Sohum Shah) realise that the women are not just missing, they’re dead – all 27 of them.
They have their primary suspect Anand Swarnakar (Vijay Varma) within sight, but no proof for the ‘how’ of the murders. Meanwhile, two more women turn up dead. Will the relentless cops be able to hunt down the killer and stop his killing spree?
Dahaad is created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, directed by Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi, and written by Akhtar and Kagti, along with Ritesh Shah, Sumit Arora, among others. It is produced by Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby Films.
Performances?
All four lead actors in Dahaad have delivered terrific performances. Sonakshi Sinha is superb as the stoic, scowling, loud-mouthed Anjali Bhaati. It is a role tailor made for her. Vijay Varma turns in yet another memorable performance as the villain of the piece. He’s mesmerising as the amiable family man, leading an alternate life of a cold, calculating, callous mass murderer.
Gulshan Devaiah has delivered an exquisite, nuanced turn as senior cop Devi Singh. He is simply outstanding in his role. His is a crisp, sophisticated, bracing performance, and the best of the lot, in our opinion. Sohum Shah is equally superb as the cop with grey shades, with a propensity for opportunism. Besides the four leads, it is Zoa Morani as Anand’s wife Vandana who impresses the viewer with her understated performance.
The support cast is superb too. Dahaad is a well-enacted show across the board.
Analysis
On the face of it, Dahaad is a common-place crime drama and serial killer murder mystery. But as soon as you begin watching the series, you realise that the murders and mayhem are but a bloody veneer, hiding something much more rotten and stinky beneath. Delve further, and it dawns on you – Dahaad is much more than a simple murder mystery. It is a stark social commentary, masquerading as a serial-killer story to lure the masses in, and then hitting them hard on the head with the reality of Indian society. The reality of the ills plaguing it; eating at it from within, like stubborn termite; leaving it weak and hollow from the relentless assault on its core.
Anjali Bhaati is a hard-nosed no-nonsense cop, dogged and determined to see justice served, even if it means pushing boundaries or breaking rules. Yet, the fact that she’s a woman, from a backward caste at that, supersedes everything that makes her special. Her mother constantly nags her for marriage; sundry men cat-call her on the roads; her senior’s wife casts aspersions on her character and her unmarried status; an upper-caste constable lights up multiple incense sticks each time she walks past his desk — obviously, to cleanse the environs of her low-caste presence; and so many more instances.
One can only imagine what poor, less-educated, low-caste, unmarried females must face on a day-to-day basis in our towns and villages. Sitting in our ivory towers in big cities, most of us have no idea how pervasive and deep-rooted is the menace of caste bias, gender discrimination and patriarchy in rural India. Dahaad brings us face to face with this monstrosity of our culture. To add to it, when poor, low-caste, unmarried women go missing, their parents don’t file missing persons complaints for them, for fear of social stigma, ostracisation, or a secret relief to be spared the burden of giving dowry.
And these are the very reasons why such women fall prey to the chilling serial killer in Dahaad, and to sexual predators in real life.
Viewed from this lens alone, Dahaad is enough to leave you unnerved and distraught for long after you’ve finished watching the series. The private lives of the other two cops at the centre of the story pale in comparison, even though they drive home critical, compelling facts in a straight forward manner.
Besides the hard-hitting narrative, it is the performances that lift the storytelling to a different level altogether. All four leads deliver nuanced, restrained performances, with no over-the-top histrionics to mar the tone of the storytelling. The technical aspects and production values of the series are another of its stand-out elements. The makers have leveraged the narrow, winding, dusty roads and mildewed, crumbling edifices in the interiors of Rajasthan to excellent effect.
That being said, a lot about Dahaad is not as praiseworthy. The overdrawn narrative and excessive length is tedious and tiring. The series gets exhausting to watch after a while, which doesn’t make it conducive to binge-watching by any means. Also, certain sub-plots are repetitive and boring, which drags down the story, hampering both pace and tautness. The final two episodes, in particular, are quite inconsequential and totally dispensable. They only serve to extend the length needlessly, making an already exhausting watch even more dreary. To top it all, the climax is a damp squib, with nothing in it to make any kind of lasting impact on the viewer.
To sum it up, Dahaad is a good watch, not so much for its serial killer plot, but more for the underlying message and subtext contained in every sequence of the narrative.
Music and Other Departments?
Gaurav Raina and Tarana Marwah’s background score is haunting, effective and suits the narrative well. Only grouse – the title track is clearly inspired by the distinctive music of Game Of Thrones. Tanay Satam’s camerawork is excellent, and one of the highlights of the series. The way he has captured the winding lanes, rambling houses, the sights and sounds of Rajasthan is commendable. Anand Subaya’s editing is crisp and flawless, except for some flabby bits.
Highlights?
The excellent cast
Terrific performances by Sonakshi Sinha, Gulshan Devaiah, Vijay Varma and Sohum Shah
Superb cinematography
Top notch production values
Drawbacks?
Too long and bloated
Repetitive sequences are quite boring
Final two episodes are useless
Damp squib of a climax
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Dahaad Series Review by Binged Bureau
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