Dahaad

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Dahaad
Genre
Created by
Screenplay by
  • Reema Kagti
  • Ritesh Shah
  • Zoya Akhtar
  • Jithin
Directed by
  • Reema Kagti
  • Ruchika Oberoi
Starring
Music by
  • Gaurav Raina
  • Tarana Marwah
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of episodes8
Production
Producers
  • Ritesh Sidhwani
  • Zoya Akhtar
  • Reema Kagti
  • Farhan Akhtar
  • Kassim Jagmagia
  • Angad Dev Singh
  • Sunitha Ram
CinematographyTanay Satam
EditorAnand Subaya
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAmazon Prime Video
Release12 May 2023 (2023-05-12)

Dahaad (transl. Roar) is a Hindi-language police procedural crime thriller television series created by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar, directed by Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi, and starring Sonakshi Sinha, Gulshan Devaiah, Vijay Varma and Sohum Shah. It is inspired by Mohan Kumar, also known as Cyanide Mohan, a serial killer who preyed on women looking to get married.[1][2]

Dahaad is the first ever Indian streaming series to premiere at Berlin International film festival, where it competed for Berlinale Series Award. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on 12 May 2023.[3][4][5][6][7] It received positive reviews from critics.

At the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, Dahaad received 9 nominations, including Best Drama Series, Best Director in a Drama Series (Kagti and Oberoi), Best Actor in a Drama Series (Varma), Best Actress in a Drama Series (Sinha) and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Devaiah), and won 2 awards – Best Actor in a Drama Series (Critics) (Varma) and Best Actress in a Drama Series (Critics) (Sinha).

Plot

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In Mandawa, a small village in the state of Rajasthan, Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhaati comes across a case in which twenty-seven women across the state have disappeared without a trace, yet the locals seem unfazed. However, everything changes when Bhaati finds a common thread connecting all the cases, leading her to suspect that a serial killer may be on the loose. This revelation shifts her attention from unexplained disappearances to a well-planned and calculated scheme.

Anjali, in her thirties, rebels against the traditional background of her village, making it difficult for her mother to find a suitable groom. She also faces discrimination due to her caste. However, she remains a strong-headed cop.

Two parallel cases emerge, intertwined by fate. A brother from a scheduled caste reports that his sister is missing. In the other case, inter-caste love blossoms between a villager's daughter and a Muslim man. Anjali and her colleague Devi Singh help the Muslim man escape and focuses on the other case.

She discovers a pattern among the missing women: all of them belonged to lower castes, were aged above 25, unable to marry due to poverty and their families' inability to pay a dowry, and emotionally vulnerable. Tracing each victim's phone number to a previous victim, she realises that the 27 women were all killed the day after they eloped with their lovers. They all died from cyanide poisoning.

While some believe it is the work of a gang, Anjali suspects a lone psychopath. She argues that the killer has adhered to a meticulous plan without making a single mistake. She believes that the participation of a gang would increase the chances of errors, unlike this case.

Anand Swarnakar, a college lecturer with a wife and son, teaches underprivileged children. His wife Vandana has an affair with a coworker named Jai.

Anand's son Kapish finds a phone in his father's van. The police trace it to Anand, leading to his interrogation. No evidence is found, but subsequent clues point to Anand's younger brother Shiv, who is arrested. Discovering that Anand was behind the murders, Shiv aids the police. Anand flees Rajasthan and starts a new life in Goa with Mariam. Anjali and her team arrest him before he can commit another murder.

In the end, Anjali questions Anand's motives for killing innocent women. He justifies his actions, claiming that the women were not innocent and deserved punishment. He belittles Anjali's caste despite her police role and questions her relationship with her boss.

Anjali decides to change her surname back to Meghwal, symbolising her defiance against societal expectations and prejudices.

Cast

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  • Sonakshi Sinha as SI Anjali Bhaati/Anjali Meghwal
  • Gulshan Devaiah as SHO/Inspector Devi Lal Singh
  • Vijay Varma as Anand Swarnakar
  • Sohum Shah as SI Kailash Parghi
  • Zoa Morani as Vandana Swarnakar
  • Karan Maru as Sajjan Rathore
  • Mikhail Gandhi as Harry
  • Jayati Bhatia as Devki Bhatti, Anjali's mother
  • Kaviraj Laique as Javed Lohar
  • Manyuu Doshi as Shiv Swarnakar
  • Yogi Singha as Murli
  • Sanghmitra Hitaishi as Miriam
  • Rajiv Kumar as SP Subhash Binjola
  • Ratnabali Bhattacharjee as Renuka
  • Nirmal Chiraniyan as Journalist
  • Vijay Kumar Dogra as School principal
  • Abhishek Bhalerao as Mhatre
  • Waris Ahmed Zaidi as Altaf
  • Rytasha Rathore as Lata
  • Varad Bhatnagar as Kaasim
  • Ankur Verma as Sunny

Filming

[edit]

The shooting of Dahaad was done in a small village in Rajasthan.[8]

Release

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The trailer of Dahaad was released on May 3, 2023.[9][10]

The series premiered at 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, Germany on February 22, 2023.[11][12][13]

Dahaad released on 12 May 2023 on Amazon Prime Video in 240 countries.[14]

Reception

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Bollywood Hungama rated 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "On the whole, Dahaad is one of the finest shows to have come out in the Indian digital space. It boasts of powerful performances, a taut script and terrific direction, and most importantly, it also makes an important comment on caste and gender discrimination."[15]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated Dahaad 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The eight-part show, created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti and produced by Excel Media and Tiger Baby, is devoid of the visceral and the explosive. It has no major action scenes, no chase sequences and no playing to the gallery by the law enforcers on the trail of a psychopath. What the series does have is the spark to make the most of a classic crime-and-punishment tale rendered as piercing, rooted social chronicle."[16]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express wrote "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."[17]

Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu wrote "I found the deliberate middle episodes of the series to be the most engaging. Varma, calm and methodical as he goes about his job, is an entertaining foil to Sinha. The series has fun with Anjali reining in her textbook feistiness and learning to work with evidence and clues. Gulshan Devaiah—cast against type as a reassuring voice of reason—and Sohum Shah as a slimy, repentant officer are excellent on the sides. It all goes to pot in the climax, which felt rushed and underwhelming for a series of this caliber. Did ideas suddenly dry up on the page? Were the makers going for a second season before budgets were pulled?"[18]

The Times of India wrote "Dahaad brings up something we’ve seen in various Indian dramas like Raveena Tandon’s Aranyak and Dhrashti Dhami’s Duranga, among others. Like these shows, many characters are introduced and seen across the first few episodes, simmering in their own worlds until they are brought together."[19]

A critic from Hindustan Times praised Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar and wrote "Dahaad is controlled and superbly orchestrated, never giving way to the sensational tone of serial killer crusades and dramatic monologues with wide-eyed close-ups."[20]

Sukanya Verma for Rediff.com wrote "Predictable as these machinations may be, Dahaad soaks in the method to the madness. Ditching suspense for study, the offender's identity is never really a secret."[21]

India Today wrote "All in all, Dahaad is a treat to all those who are a fan of cop thrillers and have been complaining of not watching a good one of late."[22]

Vijayalakshmi Narayanan for The Free Press Journal wrote "Created alongside her frequent collaborator Zoya Akhtar, 'Dahaad' borrows a leaf from Kagti's 'Talaash' and delves into the frailties of men and women in uniform, painting a refreshing cut-away from the 'Singhams' and 'Dabanggs', we have been largely accustomed to."[23]

Scroll.in praised performance of Sonakshi Sinha and Gulshan Devaiah and wrote "Stripped of its virtue signalling-scaffolding, Dahaad works best as a dispassionate game about hunters and the hunted. The show is most alive in the moments when Anjali and her posse get closer to the actual killer, or when the murderer manages to scalp yet another victim."[24]

A critic from WION wrote "Dahaad wins not only for the way it deals with multiple societal issues but also because of its casting done brilliantly by casting agent Nandini Shrikent. Sonakshi Sinha, Gulshan Devaiah, and Sohum Shah are brilliant in their respective roles - never overstepping and keeping it restrained."[25]

Zoom TV rated the series 3.5 stars and wrote "If you are someone who enjoys watching crime dramas with added mystery, Dahaad is an ideal choice for you. But it is much more than a story that runs behind finding the psychotic killer. The beauty of this show is that it highlights the negative parts of society, which makes one think deeply as to where we are going wrong as humans."[26]

A critic from OTT Play wrote "Dahaad is better than what we have seen in recent times in terms of web series. It's the women's storytelling that makes the series usual yet unique given the backdrop it has been set in. Who doesn't enjoy crime thrillers? However, the writers' choice of a narrative focus is more on the "why" side of the crimes than who committed them. Well, that has worked well for me."[27]

Accolades

[edit]
Year Award ceremony Category Nominee / work Result Ref.
2023 Filmfare OTT Awards Best Drama Series Dahaad Nominated [28]
Best Director in a Drama Series Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi Nominated
Best Actor in a Drama Series Vijay Varma Nominated
Best Actor in a Drama Series (Critics) Won
Best Actress in a Drama Series Sonakshi Sinha Nominated
Best Actress in a Drama Series (Critics) Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Gulshan Devaiah Nominated
Best Original Story (Series) Reema Kagti, Ritesh Shah and Zoya Akhtar Nominated
Best Original Screenplay (Series) Reema Kagti, Ritesh Shah, Sunayana Kumari, Mansi Jain, Chaitanya Chopra, Karan Shah Nominated
Best Original Dialogue (Series) Sumit Arora Nominated
Best Production Design (Series) Shailaja Sharma Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Dahaad Web Series (2023) | Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Watch Online at Amazon Prime Video". Gadgets 360. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Dahaad teaser: Cop Sonakshi Sinha pursues a serial killer who has murdered 27 women. Watch". The Indian Express. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Sonakshi Sinha and Vijay Varma's Dahaad becomes first Indian web series to compete in Berlin International Film Festival". Hindustan Times. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. ^ Bureau, ABP News (16 January 2023). "Dahaad Becomes India's First Web Series To Premiere At The Berlin International Film Festival". ABP News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "'Dahaad' Becomes First Indian Series To Be Invited For Screening At Berlinale". Outlook India. IANS. 17 January 2023. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Sonakshi Sinha-Vijay Varma starrer 'Dahaad' becomes first Indian webseries to premiere at Berlin International Film Festival". Zee News. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  7. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (16 January 2023). "India Debuts at Berlinale Series With Excel, Tiger Baby's 'Dahaad,' 'Brown' Lands at Series Market Selects". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  8. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (16 January 2023). "India Debuts at Berlinale Series With Excel, Tiger Baby's 'Dahaad,' 'Brown' Lands at Series Market Selects". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Dahaad - Official Teaser | Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah, Sohum Shah - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Dahaad teaser out! Sonakshi Sinha plays tough cop in Reema Kagti's new web series". WION. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  11. ^ "'Dahaad': Sonakshi Sinha's series to have world premiere at Berlin International Film Festival". The Hindu. PTI. 17 January 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  12. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (22 February 2023). "India's Vijay Varma Talks Berlinale Series Show 'Dahaad': 'There's a Shroud of Mystery Around My Character' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  13. ^ Gupta, Soumyabrata (17 January 2023). "Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma's Dahaad to be India's first web series to premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival". Times Now. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  14. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (11 May 2023). "Sonakshi Sinha Talks Prime Video Thriller Series 'Dahaad': 'It's Really Like My Debut All Over Again' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Web Series Review: Dahaad : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  16. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (12 May 2023). "Dahaad Review: Sonakshi Sinha Shines In Thriller That Soars Without Having To Roar". NDTV. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  17. ^ Gupta, Shubhra (12 May 2023). "Dahaad review: Repetitive and bland, Sonakshi Sinha-Vijay Varma series is a stretch". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  18. ^ Mitra, Shilajit (12 May 2023). "'Dahaad' series review: Sonakshi Sinha leads a sensitive procedural". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  19. ^ Khurana, Archika (12 May 2023). "Dahaad Season 1 Review : Sonakshi Sinha and Vijay Varma both roar in this cop drama". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  20. ^ Das, Santanu (12 May 2023). "Dahaad review: Sonakshi Sinha's engaging police procedural undone by an undercooked finale". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  21. ^ Verma, Sukanya (12 May 2023). "Dahaad Review: Sonakshi Packs A Punch". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  22. ^ Mukherjee, Anindita (12 May 2023). "Dahaad Review: Sonakshi Sinha, Gulshan Devaiah, Vijay Varma's thriller is hard-hitting reality coated into a story". India Today. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  23. ^ Narayanan, Vijayalakshmi (12 May 2023). "Dahaad Web Review: Roaring performances by Sonakshi, Vijay, Gulshan and Sohum keep this web series engaging". The Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  24. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (12 May 2023). "'Dahaad' review: In crime thriller, the real hero is the murder suspect". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  25. ^ Sen, Shomini (12 May 2023). "Dahaad review: Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Verma's show is effective and credible". WION. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  26. ^ Tinkhede, Shreya (11 May 2023). "Dahaad Review: Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma Shine In Gripping Crime Drama Layered With Social Stigma". Zoom TV. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  27. ^ Vasudevan, Aishwarya (12 May 2023). "Dahaad review: Sonakshi and Vijay are reasons enough to binge this series!". OTT Play. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Nominations for the Filmfare OTT Awards 2023: Full List Out | Femina.in". www.femina.in. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
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