Dahaad is the Amazon Prime Video’s latest crime web series starring Sonakshi Sinha (daughter of veteran Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha) as Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhatti. The show also stars Gulshan Devaiah as Officer Devi Lal Singh, Sohum Shah as cop Kailash Parghi and Vijay Varma as Anand Swarnakar. Dahaad is the first ever Indian web series to premiere at Berlin International film festival, competing for the Berlinale Series Award. Dahaad is inspired by the real life story of the Indian serial killer Mohan Kumar, also known as Cyanide Mohan, who preyed on women looking for marriage between 2003 and 2009 in Karnataka, India. However Dahaad differs by setting the story in a small village in Rajasthan, India and also touching on themes like inter-religion marriage, casteism and dowry.
The show begins in Mandawa, a small village in the state of Rajasthan, where Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhaati (Sonakshi Sinha) comes across a case in which twenty-seven women across the state have disappeared without a trace, yet the locals seem unfazed. However, everything changes when she finds a common link connecting all the cases, leading her to suspect that a serial killer may be on the loose. This revelation shifts her attention from unexplained disappearances to a well-planned and calculated scheme.
Anjali, who is in her thirties, rebels against the traditional background of her village, making it difficult for her widowed mother to find a suitable groom for her. She also faces discrimination due to her caste, being from a lower caste. However, she remains a strong-headed cop who is not unwilling to challenge her superiors as well as the deep-seated patriarchy in the Indian society, especially in smaller villages and towns. Initially, the cops have to work on a case where a Muslim guy falls in love with Thakur’s (a powerful village landlord) daughter. The duo decides to elope and get married. However, the guy is blamed for pressuring the girl because of his religion, and it takes a political angle with protests and violence. Cops Anjali Bhaati, Devilal Singh and Kailash Parghi are investigating the truth.
However, the police are soon challenged with a major case involving the disappearance of women from many towns and villages. The police discover that 27 girls have disappeared, and some died by suicide. The cops discover a pattern when investigating these cases and determine they are dealing with a serial killer. The man behind this is Anand Swarnakar, who poses as a teacher and a family man while hunting down his victims on the weekends.
Usually, in a murder series, the suspense is about who the killer is, although in Dahaad’s case, Amazon Prime gives away that hint with an all too revealing trailer. As viewers, we are aware of it from the very first episode, but the cops are not. To get to the bottom of it, the police must delve more extensively. Even though it is made clear that he killed these women, it takes a while to understand the mystery surrounding his motivations and actions.
The first two episodes are a build-up, but the religious angle doesn’t take an impactful turn. It appears to be a distraction. But when we see college professor Anand revealing his nasty side, the series hits hard right away. The pacing and plot evolve as we go from one episode to the next while becoming increasingly disturbing as well. Anand’s actions are gradually disclosed while the police continue to look for the truth. Anand has an image of a family man, but Anjali Bhaati has suspicions about his character. But it’s difficult for her to prove that he’s behind everything. Beyond this, I do not want to share any more of the plot as that would just ruin the rest of the show for you all. I will focus on the general impressions I gathered about the show.
Dahaad, like the majority of crime thrillers in India, doesn’t hold back while making political commentary, especially considering it is created by Zoya Akhtar, sister of Bollywood actor and delusional activist Farhan Akhtar. Religious prejudice appears in the story and continues through to the end (although it just seems to have been added for the sake of it as it is no link to the serial killer and his motivations). But it also highlights how so-called “upper caste” people mistreat those not of their status which I believe still plagues Indian society especially in smaller towns and villages.
Sonakshi Sinha portrays the character of Anjali Bhaati well. Whether it’s her accent or her body language as a cop, she nails it. It’s exciting to Sinha in a series that showcases her acting ability, which was not visible in the past, in the movies she has been in. Vijay Varma, who plays the serial killer Anand Swarnakar delivers powerful performance. He is undoubtedly the one who carries the show though lately it seems as if the actors playing serial killers end up being the true stars like Evan Peters in Dahmer. The other actors play their minor roles well though the primary burden of carrying the show falls upon Sonakshi Sinha and Vijay Varma.
JAY’S VERDICT
Overall, Dahaad presents us with a nasty world that is unsafe for women and full of predators. The series is very unsettling to watch but the performances are top-notch.
