A gloomy ride in and out of Daldal

In ‘Bhakshak’, Bhumi Pednekar’s Vaishali Singh busted the wrongdoings in a shelter home. In ‘Daldal’, her character is face to face with a victim-turned-assassin from the same place. Before you accuse us of letting the cat out of the bag, let it be said that the seven-episode crime thriller is not exactly a whodunit.

Early on, by Episode 2, we know who the killer is. So, it’s the why and how which is more significant. Suresh Triveni, who gave us the delightful ‘Tumhari Sullu’ and ‘Jalsa’, is the creator of the series.

It begins on an eerie note. Bhumi’s character wants to shut up an eve-teaser by stuffing his mouth with the paper on which he has penned love notes. Soon we learn she is undercover and is actually an ACP, Rita Ferreira, in line to be promoted as DCP, the youngest in police history, as part of the women empowerment drive.

Before you smell any similarity with ‘Delhi Crime’ or other films or shows steered by strong women cop characters, ‘Daldal’ has its own temper. The woman cops here, yes there is Gita Agarwal too as ASI Indu Mhatre, are brave, high-spirited individuals cut from a different cloth.

Rita is very much a flawed person. Childhood trauma — we see flashes of a toxic mother — is what has shaped her insecurities, abrasiveness and emotional disconnect.

Much happens in the first episode itself. A senior citizen is found dead with chicken stuffed in his mouth and wrists slashed. The pattern recurs with another murder; clearly, a serial killer is on the prowl. Only the identity is no secret for the viewers. The suspense lies in how Rita would get to her/him. What distinguishes the tale of a serial killer told umpteen times in the OTT space is how subtleties are built in from the word go.

Mark the manner in which Gita’s Indu calls her younger superior Rita “tum”, and instantly turns to “aap”. Clearly, their relationship is marked as much by hierarchy as affection. Bhumi’s cop act is fearless alright, but it’s the fragility and the vulnerabilities of Rita, haunted by a past, that humanise her and make her stand out.

Deepak Tijori’s daughter Samara Tijori gets the role of a lifetime, one which requires her to play many shades and by and large she delivers. Gita Agarwal is incredibly good, making pauses and slight inflections of her face speak louder than words. Not that the writing by Sreekanth Agneeaswaran, Rohan D’Souza, Priya Saggi and Hussain Haidry is any less expressive.

Based on author Vish Dhamija’s bestseller ‘The Bhendi Bazaar’, it has all the ingredients of a thriller. But the point is, can the makers churn out the cinematic equivalent of a page-turner? By and large, if not 10 on 10.

Like quagmire (‘Daldal’), you get sucked into this story of an imposter killer with an intriguing back story. Timelines cut across and plotlines often confound and seem implausible too. What stays is how darkness can only breed more darkness, and those who live on the fringes of society can’t possibly become humanitarians. Or perhaps, there is a glimmer of hope as humanity lives in some of them. Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya Rawal brings the moral dilemma of Sajid to the fore with a nuanced act.

Though the antagonists have reasons to be the way they are, there is no conscious attempt to whip up sympathy for them. You can understand the compulsions of killers, but are equally repelled by the evil deeds. Like layers of onions, the storyline unpeels and takes you to the finale with interest intact as most episodes have a short runtime. Only the last episode is a downer, crammed up and unconvincing, especially the murderer’s unhinged mode. Besides, why do makers feel the need to repeat scenes and do not trust the intelligence of audiences? But otherwise, ‘Daldal’ is a well-crafted series.

The director of photography, Rakesh Haridas, captures the unearthly world which these unusual yet understandable characters inhabit with precision. Triveni’s love for radio, remember ‘Tumhari Sullu’s’ heroine was a radio host, marks key moments. Voices on the radio lend that surreal touch to the happenings in the mortal world. Music by Subhajit Mukherjee is an enabler too.

One grouse: wish gifted actor Rahul Bhat had not been wasted in a miss and blink role. The subplot involving him and the Russian woman, though integral to the storyline, does not blend as well. That aside, ‘Gullak’ director Amrit Raj Gupta keeps you invested if not on tenterhooks. His ambitious attempt to churn out a crime drama which is at once a psychological analysis and a chills and thrills package may not be a seamless whole, but it has your attention.

Trauma in formative years can often set one on the path of destruction; interestingly, here, it’s not just the perpetrator of the crime who mirrors that agonising reality.

Unsettling, even though Rita finally gets closure, ‘Daldal’ leaves you with a gloomy feeling. If you can deal with that, it’s worth a shot.