Luring innocent girls into his honeytrap of false hope, Anand Swarnakar picked his preys, choosing mainly those who were emotionally estranged from their families besides being socially compromised. Fulfilling his lustful desires, he kills his unsuspecting victims in ways that forces the authorities to certify these as suicides. This psychopath concocts a plan so cunning that investigator that thinks different is also baffled by the locked-room nature of the suspected murders. Leading a dual life of a respectable teacher and the responsible husband and father, the unchallenged Anand continued his killing spree silently yet regularly.
But one of these cases suddenly got the attention of the stubborn sub-inspector, Anjali of the Mandawa police station, whose determination seemed to equal the murderous obsession of Anand and then began the chase to hunt for suspects with barest of evidences to start with and the fate of many lives hanging at the balance.
The series with the murderer revealed very early was nonetheless gripping, thanks to the fantastic direction of the director duo of Ruchika Oberoi and Reema Kagti who weaved the murder mystery into the peaking tension and kept the audience guessing of the outcome till the most opportune moment. Added to this is the fabulous performance by Sonakshi Sinha in the role of the police officer hailing from the local Rajasthani family, with a grit to bring justice to the deserved, while tirelessly fighting the social ills of class and gender distinctions that is served free in this nation of varied notions. With a dialect perfected to blend in with the role, her entire performance was superbly natural and critically awesome. Equally awesome is Vijay Verma in his role of the crooked psychopath. His composed mannerism hiding the methodical sadist inside will be sure to bring shivers down the spine as with each appearance his demeneaor becomes increasingly chilling. Supporting with another significant performance, Gulshan Devaiah portrays the local police chief with a responsible attitude and a rational sense of justice. Devaiah is perfect and his mannerism is so realistic that scenes of him handling his juniors, his family and kids on various occasions, will bring to fore the true versatility of the actor and the class of officers he represents while earning reverence for the character he plays. Sohum Shah is the other noteworthy supporting cast among others who will stand apart for the accurate act of the insecured individual, demoted in his professional life and left to choose between ambition, camaraderie and responsibilities at every turn of his existence. Pitching in with perfection, the opening score by Tarana Marwah and Gaurav Raina sets the haunting tone of suspense to resonate right from the very beginning.
Thus, the series that starts with mysterious murders and is essentially a psychological thriller is a must watch not only for the deceptive suspense but also for the subtle message that the story reminds of - the horrific plight of women subjected to the deceits of society and the evil curse of irrational norms.
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ReplyDeleteGreat and apt review of Dahaad. It holds the suspense even though giving loads of clue about the perpetrator right from the beginning. Only felt the duration could have been a tad shorter.
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