294. Web-series Reviews – 127

More web-series reviews…

Deadloch – Came out in 2023. 8 episodes in total.  A feminist noir comedy set against a bucolic backdrop with a rising body count.

One of the review from IMDB...

When a corpse washes up, hijinks ensue in the small Australian town as the local police department attempt to solve the crime.

If you've never heard an Australian accent before, the dialogue might be difficult to understand, but I doubt most people would need subtitles. Except, of course, when the actors are mumbling their lines, which happens more often than I would have liked. You could always watch the Mad Max series if you need a crash course on Australian culture, but it's not necessary. The humor here is pretty broad.

In fact, this is a series for people who hate and fear subtlety. Some of the actors overact so much that I was tempted to stop watching the first episode. Luckily, it's steadily toned down after that, but this is the wrong show to watch if you're allergic to cartoonish overacting. Some of the characters who are initially very annoying also become more tolerable over time, so you might want to try pushing through the first episode if you dislike it.

The show is pretty progressive. I doubt social conservatives will make it very far, which kind makes it feel like anything past 15 minutes into the first episode is preaching to the choir. You'll probably roll your eyes a few times, but the preachiness usually isn't too bad. Sometimes it's played for laughs, and there are a few relatable scenes where well-meaning characters somehow manage to say all the wrong things.

The mystery itself is pretty good. I was primarily looking for a mystery, and I wasn't disappointed. I became a bit restless at times, but there were enough likable characters, plot twists, and sketchy suspects that it retained my interest. I felt a few of the antagonists were a bit too cartoony, but no matter how cartoony you make a bigot, there's always going to be someone out there who's even worse.

If you enjoy black humor and can forgive cartoonish parody, it's probably worth a look. If you're older than the cast, though, it might be a bumpier ride.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Kohraa – Came out in 2023.  6 episode series.  A British-Indian bridegroom is down from London for his wedding and is found brutally murdered in the Punjab countryside. This killing sets off a murder investigation. As the secrets are slowly revealed, we journey through the darkness of the lives of the people involved and get a glimpse of their dysfunction which seems to spill over and reverberate in ways far beyond the killing.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Kohraa is basically a investigation thriller that take you on a journey that unravels several brutal and dark aspects of families and relationships.

First, the pace ! I had a absolutely no problem with the pace. These series are made to move slowly and if one can't consume such slow burns should not watch and review them. The conversations and developments kept me hooked to the series despite its slow pace. What further kept me hooked was Barun Sobti's serious yet sometimes spot on humorous dialogues that come so naturally.

Second, this series is way more than an investigation. It takes us through the dark secrets of families and relationships. How jealousy starts to affect one person, how father's can become so possessive of their daughters that they don't care about their happiness but only want what her to do what they wish because they feel it's good for their daughters. We also get to see the drug condition in Punjab that comes across the investigation path rather than just showing it separately and giving lecture about it which was good. And lastly , nothing new, the acceptance of homophobia in Indian families that still remains a huge problem.

Third, the portrayal of Punjab is raw. You get to see what Punjab is exactly and not like how films show like people doing Bhangra everywhere or showing Punjabi families as typical cliched types . The series shows the rusty lanes of Punjab, the proper way in which they talk etc. There isn't much use of bgm so the series stays raw.

The dialogues of this film are close to realistic with no nonsense being shown. The climax is a shocker although many might predict it .

Everyone has done a terrific job in this series.

Overall, a great watch. If you love slow moving series that are gritty and real, this ones for you .

My Take – A definitive watch!

 

Adhura – Came out in 2023. 7 part series.  Strange events take place in the Nilgiri Valley School that seem to be connected to Vedant, a 10-year-old new student. When the batch of 2007 returns for its reunion, Adhiraj Jaisingh, an ex-student must face what he did fifteen years ago. But things take a horrifying turn when Vedant and Adhiraj's paths collide. A dark secret begins to reveal itself threatening the lives of everyone on campus.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Predictable story but has some terrific moments

The story of Adhura and even some mysteries can be predicted by just seeing the disclaimer itself. And even if the disclaimer doesn't give you a hint, the first two episodes will easily.

It all then boils down to how and who because you know what happened and why happening. So this is a horror suspense thriller where an angry spirit takes over a little boy Vedant and all we need to know is his intentions, which , for me atleast was pretty clear from just reading the disclaimer of the 1st episode. Everything dates back to 15 years ago (set presently in 2022) when something horrifying happened on the last day of the batch of 2007 students, which include Ishwak Singh and Zoa morani . This batch comes for a reunion during Vedant's time and start experiencing terror as Ishwak looks for clues to search for his missing best friend since the last day of their school.

Did I give away a bit too much despite not revealing much? Yes and no. Yes, because the last lines of my last paragraph might give you a hint about the spirit and his intentions and even what happened to him. And No, because the whodunit part was done pretty well imo.

So the main topics covered in this series is bullying and friendship. I think the friendship part is decently fleshed out and further heightened in the last episode. The bullying part is also decently fleshed out.

Since by the 2nd or 3rd episode the story and even what happened on the last day of 2007 batch becomes pretty clear, it becomes a bit of a stretch to actually reach the final episode which i felt was the best of the lot where we get to know what really happened and also what i liked was it presented some startling surprises which the series managed to hide till the end very well. Kudos there.

The last day of 2007 shown in the final episode is pretty flawed and cringy, especially the part 2 of the last day shown which was kept a secret. Let's me try explaining without giving away much. In part 2 of the Last Day, the injured bleeding victim suddenly gets up and starts walking like a fit horse like nothing happened and even starts arguing with one person (will not reveal this as this is the surprise part). I cringed at this point like how dude?? You are injured!!

Many past events are just shown through random sequences and this broke the flow often.

The horror absolutely does not work despite it being everywhere in the series. India needs to work more in this area.

One character that springs a huge surprise and is a big mystery is Rasika Duggal aka Supriya. As the series progresses, you realise she is a mysterious women and even the 7th episode makes her character further mysterious and wanting to know more about her.

The batchmates of 2007 under the scanner have pretty much caricaturish characters with not much fleshed out of them. Zoa morani is the worst of them, carrying an expressionless stern face throughout. The little boy Vedant does a good job though and so does the spirit's real character.

Overall, a okayish one time watch. Some mysteries are well kept but overall story should have been more well narrated.

My Take – Worth a watch! 

Cheers till next time😊!!