Dahaad review: Repetitive and bland, Sonakshi Sinha-Vijay Varma series is a stretch

It makes no attempt to hide the identity of the murderer, we know who it is right from the beginning. If it’s not a whodunnit, we need to know whydunnit, and this is where ‘Dahaad’ falters: the reason why the antagonist is the way he is doesn’t really come out in the manner in which he treats his victims; a character has to come out and state it baldly, almost towards the end. It’s not like all psychopaths have a label stuck on them, but I kept waiting for a flash of the inherent sadism and cruelty for requisite frisson. It’s all too vanilla.

As to the howdunnit aspect, once the team of Sonakshi Sinha, Gulshan Devaiah and Sohum Shah start connecting the dots, and dive into the beats of a rustic police procedural, it is right there in front of us. Smart viewers will have got it even before; after that, the series becomes a stretch.

Watch Dahaad trailer here:

Meanwhile, we have a story in which the current burning themes of religious polarisation, caste oppression and the ills of patriarchy are woven, somewhat unevenly, through the serial killer saga. Sonakshi Sinha plays Anjali Bhaati, a wedded-to-her-job cop, whose mother is constantly at her to get married. ‘Kaun saadi karega tujhse’, is her ceaseless refrain, and Bhati, fighting the double whammy of being born a woman and ‘low caste’, is left ducking these maternal missiles. Devi Singh (Gulshan Devaiah) is the busy straight-arrow thana-in-charge, whose wife and two kids do not see him as much as they or he would like to. Kailash Parghi (Sohum Shah) is the sullen guy who wants a promotion, and resents the fact that Bhaati Sa’ab is taking the lead in the investigation. On his home front too, things are not going according to plan; he is not a happy trouper when he hears his wife is expecting.

The domestic lives of the cops make things interesting, but even here repetitive loops keep cropping up. Pargi goes on about how it is such a horrible world, so why would anyone want to bring a child into it. Singh’s wife doesn’t want their teenage daughter to pursue sports seriously, and keeps carping at her husband who’s all gung-ho about being a supportive father.

Vijay Varma, who plays a college professor with a complicated personal life (wife having an affair, a younger brother who is much more successful, and a father who is constantly dissing him) could have lifted this, but with an undercooked back-story, he doesn’t leave as much of an impact as he usually effortlessly does: one particular strand involving a pretty-student-falling-for-her-handsome-teacher is brought to a close all too abruptly.

Net net, Dahaad starts off with a great deal of promise (the first two episodes are zingers), ensnaring us with its stunning locations, but finally it comes off only intermittently engaging. You wish the narrative was tauter. The burden of keeping your biggest star in the forefront, hardworking as she might be, is the other problem: keeping your feminist cred strong, with Sinha’s character giving importance to her career, while having a relationship on the side, in which she is an equal if not dominant partner, is a good thing, but not if a contrived climactic note leaves you with a feeling of disbelief. It’s a nice money shot, leading lady walking head held high, owning who she really is, but I’m not sure I bought it.

And also, I wanted to be creeped out more.

Dahaad cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah and Sohum Shah
Dahaad director: Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi