Mohanagar Review – Engrossing Drama, Hampered By The Slow Pace

What Is the Story About?

In Mohanagar, Hoichoi TV has created an engrossing crime drama for Bengali language viewers, in collaboration with Bangladeshi filmmakers and performers. The son of Dhaka’s top businessman, spoilt brat Afnan Chowdhury (Shamol Mawla) is involved in a hit-and-run, and lands up at the local police station. The Officer-in-Charge is corrupt police officer Harun (Mosharraf Karim), who, in exchange for money, tries to frame an innocent techie Abir (Khairul Basar) for the killing of the hit-and-run victim. Police Inspector Moloy Kumar (Mostafizur Noor Imran) and ACP Shahana Huda (Zakia Bari Mamo) try to foil his wicked scheming. 

Performances?

Mosharraf Karim is brilliant in the role of the morally bankrupt Officer Harun. He conveys the deviousness and chutzpah of the character flawlessly, letting his poker-faced expressions and unhurried body language do the talking. Mostafizur Noor Imran has an arresting screen presence. He portrays the earnest though helpless Moloy Kumar with practised perfection. 

Zakia Bari Mamo lends credibility to her role of ACP Shahana Huda. She manages to salvage the shoddily written character with a restrained performance. Shamol Mawla is cast well as the heartless, reckless, hot-headed Afnan. Khairul Basar plays his Abir well, perfectly conveying the shell-shocked reaction to the unfortunate turn of events in his life.

Analysis

Mohanagar (translates to ‘big city’) boasts a gripping story that shines a spotlight on the deep-rooted corruption in the police machinery. Though the story is set in Dhaka, capital city of Bangladesh, it would hold true if it was set in any third-world country, more specifically, any South Asian nation such as ours. 

The narrative of Mohanagar is not the typical edge-of-the-seat thrilling, but grows on the viewer as the episodes pass, and keeps you engaged till the end. The initial episodes are a drag, marked by repetitive sequences and unnecessary flashbacks. More than half the runtime is wasted on showing various characters smoking or strolling languidly in the corridors of the police station.

The rest of it is taken up by irritating flashbacks of the party that took place on the night of the hit-and-run. Why Afnan keeps reminiscing about the party is beyond our understanding. It would’ve been better had the writer and director shown the entire happenings at the party in one go, rather than revisiting it every five minutes in the narrative. Another thing that rankles about Mohanagar is the questionable character development of the sundry characters in the story. Every character is poorly etched out and underdeveloped, leaving us uninvested and disinterested in their travails.

The narrative is also hampered somewhat by the erratic manner of storytelling. One minute, the ACP orders the police medical team to conduct a blood alcohol test on Afnan; the very next minute, she asks him to leave, blood test forgotten completely. Despite being the ACP, she knows nothing about Abir being wrongfully held in the jail for the crime he did not commit. Another sequence is equally flabbergasting. Afnan’s father Alamgir Chowdhury randomly tells him that it’s better he stay inside the police station as of now, since Rizwan’s men are waiting outside, and they won’t leave him. Rizwan, whoever he is, is simply mentioned out of the blue. At no point in the narrative is he ever mentioned before.

The languid, erratic storytelling literally makes Mohanagar feel like a slow, draggy affair until the first five episodes. The short 20-minutes-per-episode runtime is the saving grace of the first half of the show. However, the narrative picks up towards the end of the fifth episode, and proceeds at a fast clip from there on. The last three episodes are thus the best of the series. Interestingly, the entire sequence of events in the story takes place in a single night. There’s even a twist at the end, leaving the show open for a season 2.

To sum it up, don’t go into Mohanagar with high expectations, and you might just like the show; or at the most, find it one-time watchable.

Music and Other Departments?

The background score of Mohanagar is subtle and restrained, not too memorable, but does the job of setting the tone of the crime drama. The camerawork is average – most scenes are shot inside the cramped spaces of the sets that make up the police station, so nothing extraordinary there. The handheld camera style of shooting works well to enhance the feeling of foreboding. The editing is fine, except for a few misplaced scenes that could have been snipped off. 

Highlights?

Mosharraf Karim and Mostafizur Noor Imran’s performances  Realistic narrative Gripping story

Drawbacks?

Underdeveloped characters  Slow buildup  Erratic storytelling

Did I Enjoy It?

In parts

Will You Recommend It?

As a one-time watch, with a finger firmly on the fast-forward button 

Mohanagar Web Series Review by Binged Bureau