&et in the aftermath of the 1993 Bombay blasts, this crime drama focuses on DCP Samarth Kaushik, a kidnapping and encounter specialist who has solved several tough cases. The investigation begins when the kidnapping of a hotelier, the mysterious murder of an investigative officer and the case of a journalist being stalked are found to have one thing in common – Kathmandu. This sends DCP Samarth on a chase to Nepal, while journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, deals with her mystery stalker.
A story that grabs your attention
The six-part series kickstarts with three interconnected cases that may be linked to the 1993 Bombay blasts. Sandip Garg, an investigating officer in the blasts is found murdered on March 25, in the same year. Meanwhile, hotelier Dharmendra Arora is kidnapped around the same time, while Shivani Bhatnagar (Aksha Pardasany), a famous journalist and news anchor, receives calls from a mysterious man.
DCP Samarth Kaushik (Amit Sial) begins to investigate these three cases and with the help of CBI Officer Hitesh Agrawal (Gopal Dutt), he finds that each of these has something to do with Kathmandu. Along with his partner, he heads to Kathmandu to find out more about an influential smuggler named Mirza Baig (Zakir Hussain), who seems to have something to do with the blasts and the inter-connected cases. DCP Samarth’s arrival in Kathmandu also brings him face-to-face with Sunny Sharma (Anshumaan Pushkar), a con man who claims to have been falsely named as an accused in the ’93 blasts by a gangster wearing dark glasses who doesn’t say much (you know who that is!).
The show promises more than it delivers
The first two episodes are intriguing, because characters are still being set up and the story is just getting interesting. Viewers will find themselves invested in the case, not only because it hits home, but also because of Amit Sial. He does justice to the role of a tough cop with a drinking problem. His nuanced performance is what keeps one going.
The show takes time getting to the crux of things. A lot of unnecessary screen-time is devoted to a love angle between Shivani and DCP Samarth, as well as Sunny’s weird obsession with Shivani, which he calls ‘true love’. On the whole, the makers promise a whole lot but deliver a half-baked story. What they do get right is the look of the time. The show is packed with proper ’90s elements, right from the outfits and the makeup to the sets and the cars and ‘Stranger Things’-esque background score.
Creator: Sachin Pathak
Cast: Amit Sial, Aksha Pardasany, Anshumaan Pushkar, Gopal Dutt, Zakir Hussain
Streaming on: SonyLIV
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