What Is the Story About?
Bosco, a crooked gangster, kills a Kabaddi team captain, only to be confronted by a sincere yet short-tempered cop Arjun. Later, Bosco orchestrates an attack on the CM and the latter miraculously survives. Suspecting a minister’s involvement in the attack, the CM ropes in Jabbar Patel, a cop to lead a Special Task Force to find the culprits. What connects Jabbar to Bosco and a lawyer Rachel Pinto?
Performances?
Two experienced hands – Javed Jaffrey and Neeraj Kabi – are the backbones of the show. While Jaffrey manages to bring his trademark quirkiness to the portrayal of a crooked gangster, Neeraj provides dignity to the portrayal of a cop with a traumatic past. Suchitra Pillai is reasonably effective in a meaty role and so is Shailesh Datar. The younger crop – Aashim Gulati, Pulkit Makol, Gayatri Bhardwaj and Pradnya Motghare showcase enough spunk, bringing alive their well-fleshed-out characters.
Analysis
Mohrey, Amazon MX Player’s latest show helmed by Mukul Abhanyakar (who comes with vast experience as a screen writer and a long stint on television), is a crime saga centred around a gangster and a cop with a complicated past. A special task force team, put in place by the CM to find the mastermind behind his assassination bid, gives the duo a license to settle their past scores.
Though the series, spanning eight episodes, doesn’t have a remarkably new plot, there’s enough method to the madness to keep a viewer engaged. There are many layers to the feud between Jabbar and Bosco. Besides romantically being involved with the same woman, a few gang wars alter their lives forever. Many children get displaced from their homes, only to be secretly guarded by Bosco later.
Now, the mess is back to haunt Jabbar and Bosco again. The latter’s bid to kill the CM helps the duo find newer answers to their past. Bosco constantly tries to stay ahead in the game, placing his mole Michael within Jabbar’s team. He has a loyal advocate, Rachel Pinto, to resolve his legal issues. After a bitter fallout with Jabbar, a former cop, Arjun, joins hands with Bosco.
Both Arjun and Michael find love in the middle of their missions—the lawyer Rachel and the journalist Asmi. From unresolved feuds to the protagonists’ traumatic childhoods to their love stories and a political conspiracy, Mohrey’s world has enough complexity to merit a five-hour series. Though the storytelling is exaggerated, the grounded performances keep the show afloat.
The main issue with the show is that it progresses on expected lines – the tropes and the characters feel too familiar and ‘inspired’. Mukul Abhyankar’s strength isn’t originality, but he genuinely attempts to present every character and his/her motive sincerely, without colouring them black and white. While their actions remain predictable, the director manages to keep the mystery quotient in the show alive.
An interesting takeaway from Mohrey, apart from the plot and the characters, is the use of artificial intelligence to reconstruct the flashback portions and the results are quite effective. While the reasonably engaging screenplay salvages the show to an extent, it’s disappointing how it still relies on tried-and-tested techniques and lacks a fresh perspective. The gangster genre is in desperate need of a new lens.
Watch Mohrey – not to be spellbound, but to find a decent excuse to kill time this weekend. Though the story may not offer anything new, the focused screenplay packs in a few surprises and the neat performances steer the ship.
Music and Other Departments?
Though Sarthak Nakul’s music score may not have an X factor, it becomes one with the storytelling, serving the needs of the plot and the filmmaker. Cinematographer Anik Ram Verma’s innovative lighting and colour choices are among the major highlights of the show, which is also engrossingly structured. The dialogues are generally basic, but there’s not much to complain about on the technical front.
Highlights?
Good casting, performances
Partly interesting screenplay
Well-established characters
Drawbacks?
A stale story as old as the hills
Not many surprises
Too many coincidences, cinematic liberties
Did I Enjoy It?
In parts
Will You Recommend It?
If you have a thing for gangster sagas
Mohrey Series Review by Binged Bureau
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