The horrible 1984 sikh massacre — mixed quite palatably with the yash chopra fame “Veer Jaara” and sprinklings of now popular “Tandav” and you have the latest hotstar offering grahan.
The web series is difficult to categorise — it is a thriller, a love story, even a documentary all neatly packaged into one eminently watchable experience without overdoing any of the aspects.
The plot is set in the investigation of a thirty year old riot in the steel city of Bokaro, Jharkhand when the then PM of India Mrs Indira Gandhi was murdered and the riot followed that killed innocent God fearing sikhs in the worst example , of a community being targeted for political/selfish gains, in Independent India. Sounds like a heavy plot but it has been artfully balanced with multiple love stories in the backdrop, a thrilling investigation supported by surprisingly good lyrics and background music. All in all — a riveting watch.
One lives through the horrors of 1984 as one listens to stories of animal instincts of human beings taking over their sense of right or wrong— the pain is real and audience can feel it specially of those who survived the ordeal. Its a cathartic experience in a way. At the same time the lovely innocent love stories of 80s — innocent, natural and sacrificial — are a breath of fresh air in today’s downpouring of web stories that often focus on the sexual relationships more. I keep saying love stories — because there are many — one between a father & daughter has been brilliantly narrated, the understated one between the heroine and her fiance, even a love triangle apart from the one that blooms on the full canvas.
There are several other understated but powerful themes — the frustration of honest officers in an asphyxiating, broken and corrupt system; the deep seated discrimination based on castes; the inevitability of poverty leading to crime and social unrest; the dirty games that politicians play; the dynamics of communal riots & the challenges in tackling them; the enduring hope that one sees in “Amrita Singh” and “Vikas” despite the rot all around; a painstaking investigation — all artfully woven in the script never out of place.
The star cast does not have many big known names and no one really misses them. Zoya as the IPS officer Amrita Singh is authentic — strong as a police officer, vulnerable as a daughter; Pavan raj Malhotra is a wasted talent in bollywood and TV — he played that strong father, and reminds one of Veer Pratap Sigh of Veer-Zaara in the court room drama at the end. Wamiqa Gabbi is beautiful, bubbly and smittened — every bit in the character she portrayed. Anshuman pushkar plays the bihari blue colour worker as authentically as the breezy shy lover as much as the bold, rash and calculated survivor. I can go on and on — suffice it to say that the casting is near perfect. So is the script, direction and editing.
Grahan after “Arya” and “Hostages” adds to the reputation of Hotstar as a platform for quality content. There seems to be a quality process in place that ensures that if the series is on hotstar its turning out to be pretty good. Grahan is a must watch in my opinion for its real, painstaking and artful presentation of a story that needs to be told for it is a lesson for posterity on how not to get trapped in the narratives spread by vested interests..
