Undekhi Review: Harsh Chhaya, Dibyendu Bhattacharya-starrer is a gripping thriller packed with strong performances
“Justice poetic ho chuki hai. Hindustan mein usi ko milti hai jo powerful hai and clearly you are not,” says Shashwat, a media personnel to his friend Rishi, a man on the run from the goons after witnessing a horrific murder of a dancer in the middle of a bustling party.
Directed by Ashish R Shukla, Undekhi begins streaming on Sonyliv from July 10. The series is based on true incidents and depicts the two aspects of the society – the power-drunk influential people who think they can get away with anything and the oppressed, subjected to years of torture, who finally decide to bring themselves to justice.
Undekhi begins in Sunderbans but soon shifts to Manali. In less than 30 minutes, viewers witness two murders. DSP Barun Ghosh (Dibyendu Bhattacharya) is investigating the Sunderban murder of a policeman, whose mutilated body is found in the forest. Two tribal girls are on the run and Ghosh, who suspects them to be the killers is on their trail.
Cut to Manali, and into a wedding party at the Atwal residence. The Atwals are influential and supremely powerful, headed by Joginder Atwal aka Papaji (Harsh Chhaya), an obnoxious wild creature, who is inebriated 24X7. During his son’s wedding party, he tries to talk to one of the female dancers and shoots her when she doesn’t listen. However, the murder that happened in a party with hundreds of people in attendance has no witness except for Rishi (Abhishek Chauhan), who recorded the ghastly crime on his camera. The show is full of those who have killed their conscience, but Rishi, a lanky, scared man is not afraid to lose his life to fight for what is right.
The series shows how a horrible crime goes unseen when rich and powerful are involved. The series also shows the corrupt bureaucracy and legal system, that shamelessly bows to the rich. And between this seen and unseen, lies Undekhi.
Undekhi has two seasoned actors in Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Harsh Chhaya. One is an honest cop who wants to complete his task come hell or high water, while the other has no value of human life. Dibyendu fits well as the righteous cop from Bengal, who loves Hindi cinema and even in tense situations, breaks into singing a song. He is brilliant as DSP Barun Ghosh. Harsh plays his part so well, that his portrayal will make one cringe with his unabashed, brazen mannerism.
Surya Sharma’s powerful portrayal as Rinku, a man who is more than a son to Harsh’s Joginder, is so impressive that every time he comes on the screen, one can feel a chill run down their spine. Fresh faces like Abhishek Chauhan, Anchal Singh and Ayn Zoya made a mark with the series. Former beauty queen Apeksha Porwal, who played Koel, the tribal girl, gave a stirring performance in her debut series, while Abhishek Chauhan was quite convincing as Rishi.
Undekhi has a pacey narrative and well-etched characters. It introduces new twists and turns in every episode to keep the viewers hooked. With expletives in abundance, the dialogues give the series a raw feel. And if you’ve been missing travelling to the mountains in the lockdown, the 10-part series brilliantly captures the scenic beauty of Manali.
A unique element in Undekhi is that it has no heroes. The story supersedes all. The makers have even left the series open-ended so that they could come back with a second season. But should you watch it? That’s a big yes. With every episode around 30-35 minutes, the show is totally binge-worthy. Once you start with the first episode, we can guarantee you won’t stop until you’ve watched them all.
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