Dahaad review: Vijay Varma roars with another masterful performance but this serial killer drama is let down by tame end

Directors: Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi

Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah, Sohum Shah

Where to watch: Prime Video

Rating: 3 stars

Dahaad is the latest addition in the growing genre of Indian crime shows centred on dangerous serial killers, whether real-life or fictional. The show has great ingredients – a delicious plot, an eerie small town setting, and a stellar cast led by an actress given an author-backed role after a long time. And yet, the show is lesser than the sum of its parts. While it starts out as a promising and often engaging thriller, by the end, Dahaad meanders into a very different show that leaves you wondering if it was meant to be two episodes shorter or one episode longer.

Dahaad is set in Mandawa, a small town in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, which is basically no country for young women. Sonakshi Sinha is Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhati, the only female cop in the town, working alongside her erstwhile senior and now partner, the corrupt Sub-Inspector Kailash Parghi (Sohum Shah), and the station in-charge, the upright Inspector Devilal Singh (Gulshan Devaiah). A chance investigation of a cold case by Anjali leads them to the discovery of a web of mysterious deaths of 27 women, all suicides after eloping with one very sinister man. Thus begins the hunt.

Dahaad is a brave show and the directors Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi deserve a lot of credit for that. The show does not shy away from taking subtle (and often in-your-face) digs at casteism, religious polarisation, and love jihad as well. In a streaming environment that increasingly strives to be ‘safe’ and ‘unproblematic’, this dose of realism is what sets the show apart and makes it more real.

The eight-episode thriller marries Indian storytelling with a Coen Brothers’ aesthetic where vast stretches of desert are the only witnesses to these gruesome crimes. It’s a slow burn so you do take some time getting into it. But the relatable characters suck you in pretty quickly. The protagonist is no supercop but she is no bumbling idiot as well. She is a real human being who just happens to have the right skills and the right perspective to go after this killer and solve this case. The show remains grounded in reality and yet manages to be engaging.

But there are shortcomings too, mainly in how wide a gap there is in the nuances and depth of the leads and the supporting characters. While the writing fleshes out the four principal characters quite well, the subplots and some of the secondary characters lack that depth and subtlety. Things are hammered down the audience’s throats and red flags are waved a little too violently for it to be clever or smart. The show oscillates between well written main characters and some side characters that are caricatures at best.

What works for Dahaad is that it isn’t a traditional whodunit. We are not left in the dark about the killer for long. It is, however, what I’d like to call a whydunnit. What you don’t know are the killer’s motivations, the reasons behind his spree, and the psyche of that monster. The show does a good job in building the character up and unveiling the workings of his mind layer by layer in each episode. It’s all going well until the conclusion, when the makers decide to (quite inexplicably) go on a tropical adventure (if I write any more, it will be a spoiler).

The show loses steam in the last two episodes, quite weirdly deciding to change setting and letting go of the soul of the show, and making it a long and winded road to closure. It almost seemed like the writers ran out of ideas for a good conclusion, tossed a coin, and then decided to go in a different direction that made no sense for the story. And at the end, when the conclusion does arrive, it fizzles quite badly. For a show that sets up the killer’s psyche and mind for seven episodes, not even dwelling on it for two full minutes is the greatest letdown in Indian web shows in recent times. The build up is phenomenal and the payoff is like scratch card that says ’try again’.

The performances are the show’s saving grace, led by the brilliant Vijay Varma, who shines with yet another wonderful portrayal of a relatable-yet-creepy villain. His Anand Swarankar is menacing because he is your everyday man, charming yet sinister, and a family man at the same time. He is the monster we never see because his horns are invisible. And Vijay brings to fore his A-game in making this monster real. Gulshan Devaiah as the senior cop with a troubled family life also delivers a memorable performance. It is so heartening to see a wonderful actor like him finally get his due after years of toil.

Sohum Shah’s arc as the corrupt cop with a heart is also great and again, portrayed quite beautifully by the talented actor. Sonakshi comes through as well. She manages the mannerisms of a small town cop and aces the accent too but at times, does come up a little short but only because her co-stars are setting the bar impossibly high in certain scenes.

Dahaad is an entertaining show, which is a great achievement for a slow burn show about a serial killer where you know who the murderer is from the second episode onwards. But it could have been a lot better show, given the arsenal it had its disposal. And with this, the wait for the next great Indian crime thriller (after Suzhal and Delhi Crime) continues a bit longer.