Web Series: Shaithan
Rating: 2.25/5
Cast: Rishi, Ravi Kale, Shelly, Deviyani, Jaffer Sadiq, Kamakshi Bhaskarla, Aneesha Dama
Director: Mahi V Raghav
Streaming On: Disney Plus Hotstar
Release Date: 15th June, 2023
Story: Savitri (Shelly) is a lone mother of 3 children, Baali (Rishi), Jayaprada (Deviyani) and Gumthi (Jaffer Sadiq). Savitri sleeps with a corrupt police officer to take care of her children, and therefore everyone treats her as a prostitute. Circumstances make Baali a criminal, and he also joins the Naxals group. How Baali becoming a naxalite and its after effects put him and his family in danger is what forms the rest of the story.
Analysis: After entertaining the audience with Save The Tigers, director Mahi V Raghav tried to make a crime drama with bold taking. He was able to build a certain world of violence and havoc. Also, the characters’ introduction and the initial setup was quite intriguing. However, the series could not continue the same momentum after that. Social inequality and injustice, Naxalites, and their fight with the Police department, Shaithan clicks all the dots which are required for a crime drama entangled with twists and turns.
But the narrative was not effective enough to generate the required emotional depth. The lead character and his family go through many hardships and injustice, but the way their journey was shown has left a lot to be desired. Baali’s journey as a naxalite, his enmity with the group members and his friendship with Nagi Reddy, everything was just on the surface level, which is why the audience never got to feel the impact of the proceedings as it should have been. The director tried to incorporate many elements but was unable to do justice to anyone except for some intriguing moments and dialogues. Also, inducing the cuss words just for so-called boldness did not add any value to the show.
Performances: Rishi was impressive in the main role and tried to carry the entire show on his shoulders. Ravi Kale showed his experience in a major role and does his job perfectly. Shelly, Deviyani, Jaffer Sadiq, Kamakshi Bhaskarla, and others were ok.
Plus Points:
- Rishi’s performance
- Few effective dialogues/scenes
- Background Score
Minus Points:
- Lack of emotional depth
- Predictable Twists
- Unnecessary usage of cuss words
Verdict: Shaithan works only in parts and suffers because of the predictability in the proceedings and lack of strong writing. The backdrop, fair enough performances and a few sequences work for it, but apart from that, it is a boring affair. You can watch it if you want to kill time.
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