The Cinemawala

Amazon Prime’s new web series ‘Dahaad’ is a slow burn, investigative police drama that thrives on the social commentary it tries to impart, in the guise of a crime patrol show. The heroes of the show, may have been the battle hardened, stoic-faced police officers for the outside world, but as individuals, they all go through similar sufferings and struggles just like a commoner. A morally upright police officer and a corrupt one, are both punished and get posted to a sleepy town. A female police officer, despite her higher rank, is abhorred for her caste. The families of police officers bear grudges, mainly for not being able to spend time with the loved ones or not being able to cater to their needs. These vulnerabilities, remorses and helplessnesses of a police officer’s life, is something that makes the show more humane. Credit goes to the three actors Gulshan Devaiah, Sohum Shah and Sonakshi Sinha to have been able to portray these difficult characters with such nuances.

The central premise of the show is about the investigation of missing women who are found dead in public toilets. The perpetrator is a man, who’s the manifestation of every manipulative, patriarchal, mentally sick men in the society who in the garb of being progressive, turn out to be closeted psychotic ones. The show attempts to examine the life of a criminal, who may look like an average joe, with his calm demeanor and seemingly modernistic nature but deep down inside, he harbors a deep rooted hatred for women, which he satiates by deriving sexual pleasure out of them and eventually killing them off, after series of rigorous manipulation. Like a chameleon, he changes his colour, covers his tracks and keeps misleading the police, his family and his acquaintances. Vijay Verma is absolutely terrifying as this sadistic man.

All 8 episodes of #Dahaad is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.